GREEN SCHOOLS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN SINGAPORE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF GREEN AND NON-GREEN SCHOOLS

Abstract

In face with rising environmental issues, it is important to teach the next generation of leaders the concept of environmental sustainability. Green schools have the greatest potential in influencing the younger generations because they could serve as models of environmental sustainability. Therefore green schools should have a higher success of engaging students for Environmental Education as compared to non-green schools. Despite the benefits that green schools and Environmental Education could offered to users, the green school movement is not as widely received in Singapore. Currently, there are less than 5% of schools that are completely green in Singapore. This study focuses on the provision, emphasis and quality of Environmental Education in both green and non-green schools in Singapore. It analyzes whether green schools could be more successful than non-green schools in the standards of Environmental Education. Qualitative findings on Environmental Education for the case studies will be collected and used to understand the situation observed in the local context. It was observed that the certification of green schools could affect the quality of Environmental Education where there was greater presence of students’ led initiatives in green activities. This could suggest that green schools could have greater potential of encouraging and inspiring students to protect their environment. At the end of the day, students should feel personally convicted to protect the environment. The push for green schools throughout the entire island would allow the regulation and control of standards of Environmental Education.