Teach students not just to be good at Math and Literature.

TPO - Ms. To Thi Hai Yen, Principal of Giang Vo Secondary School, Giang Vo Ward (Hanoi), believes that educating students should not only focus on excelling in Literature and Mathematics, but also teach them values ​​of love, life skills, and an awareness of protecting the environment around them every day.

Madam, how is environmental protection being incorporated into the school's current curriculum for student awareness and education ?

-In the annual teaching plan, Giang Vo Secondary School identifies environmental protection education for students as a very important content, so it integrates it through classroom lessons in Natural Sciences , History - Geography, Local Education, Literature, Civic Education, and also incorporates it into the teaching of other subjects where appropriate.

The topics students learn include: communication about forest protection, the harmful effects of single-use plastic waste and non-biodegradable plastic bags on the environment and public health.

Ms. To Thi Hai Yen, Principal of Giang Vo Secondary School, Giang Vo Ward ( Hanoi )

In particular, teachers educate students on practicing a green lifestyle and finding solutions to address climate change. The school and classrooms are creatively transformed into green spaces by planting more trees and flowers. After each stressful study session, students become happier and more enthusiastic by taking care of the plants and the school grounds, especially feeling that each individual is contributing their small effort to daily care for the school.

In particular, teachers always draw students' attention to current global environmental issues such as air protection, water conservation, biodiversity preservation, energy saving, and plastic waste reduction.

In addition, environmental awareness education for students is also carried out by teachers and students through competitions, and by integrating awareness campaigns into charitable activities to help people who are victims of natural disasters such as storms and floods.

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training assesses that the majority of students in schools have awareness and behaviors in protecting the living environment; however, some students still litter indiscriminately. According to you, what are some ways to help students effectively practice environmental protection daily, both at school, at home, and on the streets?

After each stressful study session, students become happier and more enthusiastic when they get to take care of the plants and the school grounds.

During flag-raising ceremonies and class activities, the school administration and teachers always remind students about preserving the living environment through the smallest things, building an image of elegant Hanoi students, and practicing a civilized lifestyle. The simplest examples include not littering in the schoolyard or classroom, turning off lights when not in use, and saving water. Students are reminded to follow these principles both at home and when out on the streets and in public spaces.

We are aware that educating and reminding students to understand that protecting the environment is not only a necessary task but also a civilized act.

The school also arranges and organizes classroom spaces to ensure they are always green, clean, and beautiful, so that students can both study and have spacious, relaxing places to play and rest. Students who demonstrate good actions, ideas, or projects related to environmental protection through competitions are promptly encouraged and rewarded.

More importantly, teaching and practicing environmental protection should be a regular and persistent effort to become a habit, a need, and a desire for students. They must internalize that protecting the environment is also protecting their own "lungs," and thus take appropriate action.

During school-organized field trips, I often observe the students and notice that they are very conscious of disposing of trash properly. They even proactively and voluntarily collect trash in public areas to keep the campus clean.

Each class is responsible for maintaining cleanliness in a specific area such as the hallway, schoolyard, or fish pond, or directly taking care of a particular tree.

Energy conservation is also carefully taught to students by teachers. Students are guided on how to use equipment and conserve valuable resources. Furthermore, the school has spread awareness of environmental protection and energy conservation to parents and students in their communities. Teachers and students are very creative in implementing environmental protection measures.

Students offer suggestions for environmental protection.

One of the important aspects is waste sorting. How is the school implementing this, Madam?

The school has provided multi-compartment trash cans and instructed students on how to sort recyclable waste, hazardous waste, and other types of waste. Understanding the importance of waste sorting, the students are very enthusiastic and have made it a daily habit.

The conditions for implementation include having a sufficient number of standard trash cans, placed in convenient and easily accessible locations, and having a cleaning procedure to ensure the trash cans are always clean and students are comfortable touching them. The school will implement waste sorting, while collection and processing will be handled by specialized units.

What activities did the school organize to allow students to express their ideas and creative abilities in environmental protection? Which student initiatives were deemed to have practical significance?

During the school year, to allow students to demonstrate their creativity in environmental protection, the school plans to organize competitions such as: drawing competitions on the theme of environmental protection, STEM competitions, and Robotics competitions with related themes.

Applying interdisciplinary knowledge to create STEM and robotics products is a topic that attracts many students because it allows them to practice and translate theoretical knowledge into meaningful products for real life.

The school will launch a competition called "Environmental Protection Ideas," as the students themselves are the ones with the most creative ideas.

Students at the school have designed potential energy vehicles to transport relief supplies in hilly terrain, organized or participated in science research competitions on topics such as energy conservation, water conservation, and preventing soil erosion.

In the series of ideas and initiatives on environmental protection, the school assessed that the most practical initiative was that of the Youth Union and Young Pioneers with their "Young Pioneer Projects".

In this program, each class is responsible for maintaining cleanliness in a specific area such as the hallway, schoolyard, fish pond, or directly caring for a particular tree… Outstanding members will self-monitor, remind, and correct bad habits of other students, such as littering, wasting water, or forgetting to turn off the lights…

The school also plans to launch a "Environmental Protection Ideas" competition among students, as the students themselves are the ones with the most creative ideas.

The team leader will present the assignments, requirements, and data related to environmental protection. Students will proactively contribute ideas and suggestions, and teachers will organize the implementation. The school will monitor, evaluate, and reward creative ideas and projects, thereby spreading awareness of environmental protection and forming environmentally friendly habits among students!

In particular, in August 2024, a group of students from the school won an individual Gold Medal and an innovation award at the 13th World Invention and Innovation Olympiad in South Korea with their project "Research on creating a biological product to treat pesticide residue in soil". The students recognized the serious harm that pesticides cause to the environment and dedicated significant time and effort to successfully research and create a biological product using sugarcane bagasse to treat pesticide residue in soil.

The students' project, which applies biotechnology to address soil pollution, demonstrates a sense of responsibility towards themselves and the community, especially given the urgent need to protect the environment and ecosystems globally.

Thank you, ma'am!

Source: https://tienphong.vn/day-hoc-sinh-khong-chi-biet-gioi-toan-gioi-van-post1807271.tpo