Okatjikona Environmental Education Centre

Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) was invited to Okatjikona Environmental Educational Centre to help facilitate a workshop on Community Based Nature Resource Management (CBNRM). The workshop was a collaboration between the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) and EduVentures. I represented CCF at this workshop. In addition to helping facilitate it, I also took part in other discussions and activities.

One Conservancy Committee member from the Ozonahi Conservancy and twenty agriculture teachers from different schools in the Otjozondjupa region participated in this five-day workshop.

The aim of the workshop was to train teachers on how they can integrate Environmental Education in the school curriculum, especially in agriculture. Another objective was to share information on Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) to widen the teacher’s knowledge of conservancies and natural resource management. With the help of the trainers and facilitators, the teachers came up with ideas of how to incorporate environmental topics in the subject syllabus and presented these topics to the other workshop participants. Teachers were also advised on how they can start and sustain environmental clubs at their schools, which encourages learners to participate in environmental activities.

At the end of the workshop, teachers demonstrated a clear understanding of CBNRN and how they would include it in their school curriculum. Training on these topics is important, as teachers become equipped to share information with schools and other stakeholders that environmental educators might find difficult to reach. Participants showed interest in conservancies and the management of natural resources because they could relate to the subject by how it is done in their communities.

Teachers have the most ability to spread information throughout the education system. By training teachers, CCF will reach more learners using fewer resources. When visiting schools, CCF’s education and outreach should also emphasize on the importance of establishing functional and sustainble environmental clubs.