The Education Department at Port Moresby Nature Park has successfully completed its 2016 school World Environment Week program, with over 2,286 students and 95 teachers across 16 schools participating in the event.
The program officially concluded last Friday following the postponement of the event in early June following ongoing UPNG tensions.
To coincide with World Environment Day, the Nature Park hosts a special themed week for schools where students take an ‘Environmental Journey’ through the park stopped at work stations within the Park focusing on water savings, waste reduction, clean energy usage and impacts of climate change. The event highlights practical steps that students can make in their own lives in order to help save the environment.
Each class that participated were also given a bundle of books to take back to their library, which had been donated by Buk Bilong Pikinini for the Environment Day Celebrations.
Port Moresby Nature Park’s Education Supervisor, Ishmu Bebe, said “This is the third year that the Nature Park has hosted this event and we were really happy with the increased attendence by schools and the comments from teachers and students on the benefits that the event brought to classroom learning.”
Bebe also said, “Such programs are important to children as it teaches them how to take care of their environment and surroundings and also introduces new learning methods”.
The next themed-week educational program will be Cultural Week to be held September 6-9, 2016. In the meantime, the standard curriculum-based schools education program will be operating throughout the rest of Term Two and Term Three as well as a school-holiday program to keep children busy over the holidays.
Port Moresby Nature Park’s education schools excursion program is believed to be a one of the only structured school excursion programs operating within PNG and is run by a dedicated team of qualified teachers employed by the Nature Park. The education program was a finalist in the Zoo and Aquarium of Australasia Awards in May 2016 for its contribution to environmental and conservaiton education in PNG.
Schools interested in participating in Port Moresby Nature Park’s school’s excursion program are encouraged to contact the Nature Park on 326 0258.
For further information please contact:
Burgess Yopolo
Marketing & Communications Manager
326 0248
Source: Port Moresby Nature Park Media Release
