Environmental education through outdoor education for primary school children

Global environmental education has long been introduced as early as the 18th century, but in Malaysia, it still can be considered as a new start, in the year 1979. Since then, various plans and programs have been implemented to produce environmentally literate society, involving school, local and international community. However, awareness and attitudes towards the environmental sustainability amongst Malaysians are still far behind compared to some other developed countries such as Japan, South Korea and Australia, though we are getting closer to the goal of Vision 2020 to become a developed country. Environmental education taught in primary schools in Malaysia is a cross-curricular subject, but its effectiveness on the level of knowledge, awareness and attitude of the environment amongst students are still low. Therefore, this research will identify: (i) the relationship between environmental education with outdoor education, and (ii) the importance and impact of this relationship to increase students’ knowledge, awareness and attitude of the environment. The objective of this study is to generate an understanding of the implementation of outdoor education as an effective method and why it is said to be one of the best ways to educate children about the environment. Based on case studies in Malaysia, the level of knowledge and awareness of school children on the environment are presented. Results of these studies are useful for the development of effective implementation of environmental education programs. The last part outlines the importance of outdoor education to teach environmental education to pupils in primary schools

STUDENTS' REFLECTION ON GREEN SCHOOL

Education plays an important role in enhancing sustainable development and improving human capacity in addressing the issues of environment. Environment and development need to be incorporated as a key component in learning fields. Environment and Sustainability Course (GGGR6223) is a course offered to postgraduate students who are taking Science Education at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). This course prepares students with the knowledge, skills and approaches in management and environmental sustainability, especially on renewable and non-renewable resources as well as the problems that exist due to human activities. This study aimed to review the reflections made by the students of Environment and Sustainability Course at the National University of Malaysia on Green School. Data were collected through reflections made by the students upon completion of tasks and lectures related to green school carried out in their school. A total of 26 students' reflections were analyzed. Thematic analysis resulted in five key dimensions: positive feelings, awareness of green schools, understanding of green school's concepts, the role of teachers in instilling awareness about green schools and challenges in its implementation. The analysis demonstrated that the students have been exposed and have proper awareness about green schools. Awareness of green schools and environmental education are expected to form the next generations who are able to appreciate life and the environment

The safety of packaged food: focus on environmental management and the food regulation 1985

Issue of food safety is an important issue that related to public safety to prevent the toxicity threats of the food. If consumers eat contaminated food with dirt and germs, they will involve with Food Water Borne Disease otherwise known as (FWBD). Food packaging is look as an approach to overcome and reduce the toxicity of food in dealing with environmental management. Sometimes the packaging can considered as a source of risk to the food and rarely considered as a technology that can used to improve the safety of the food. Therefore, the Food Regulation 1985 is one mechanism of environmental management through legal approach in controlling the safety of packaged food. This article tends to analyse and to explain the implementation of the Food Regulation 1985 in controlling the safety of packaged food. Meanwhile, the methods of this study are based on qualitative set up, which is based on primary document, the Food Regulation 1985 and the result, there are 2 main themes, general and specific, while their 7 sub themes are included harmful packages, safety packages, reuse packages, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), alcoholic bottle, toys, money and others and iron powder. The effectiveness and the implementation of the Food Regulation 1985 in controlling the safety of packaged food did not depend and focused only to the Food Regulation 1985. But due to overcome the food poisoning and other disease that related to Food Water Borne Disease (FWBD), it must involve the usage and acceptance a few legislation which related to the safety of packaged food with enforcement from local government and other mechanisms of environmental management

Perlindungan alam sekitar terhadap aspek kecuaian di bawah undang-undang Tort melalui mediasi ke arah pembangunan mampan di Malaysia

Undang-undang tort merupakan salah satu undang-undang persendirian yang memainkan peranan penting dalam perlindungan alam sekitar bagi mencapai pembangunan mampan. Undang-undang tort ini boleh dibahagi kepada beberapa bahagian termasuklah kecuaian, kacauganggu, pencerobohan dan tanggungan keras. Sehubungan dengan itu, kertas ini mengkaji undang-undang tort tumpuan kepada aspek kecuaian di dalam hal yang berkaitan dengan perlindungan alam sekitar ke arah pembangunan mampan. Kertas ini turut mengenal pasti kes dan tindakan yang berkaitan dengan perlindungan alam sekitar ke arah pembangunan mampan menerusi undang-undang tort tumpuan kepada aspek kecuaian di Malaysia. Akhir sekali, kertas ini juga membincangkan mengenai undang-undang yang tersebut di atas sebagai instrumen untuk perlindungan alam sekitar ke arah pembangunan mampan bukan hanya melalui proses tuntutan penyelesaian pertikaian di mahkamah sahaja tetapi di luar mahkamah seperti mediasi. Proses tuntutan penyelesaian pertikaian melalui mediasi agak luwes berbanding proses di mahkamah. Mediasi memberi penekanan kepada aspek komunikasi dan rundingan dalam mencari jalan penyelesaian pertikaian yang kompleks, yang mana, perkara ini adalah selaras dengan pembangunan mampan

Chemical safety in school laboratories located in urban and rural areas: a case study in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

School laboratory is one of the important facilities in enhancing teaching and learning particularly for science related subjects. Once students learned about science theories in the classroom, they can apply what they have learned by setting up relevant experiment in the school laboratories. However, potential risks occur in the laboratories, especially when dealing with chemicals. As this is unavoidable, hence, safety measures such as good ventilation system, personal protective equipment, emergency response plans are in place to safeguard the users and the environment. Nonetheless, existing safety measures in schools might vary among each other. A project was embarked to investigate if there have differences between secondary schools located in urban and rural areas, particularly on existing safety measures in laboratories, practices and awareness of students. This paper presents the preliminary findings of three aspects in chemical safety: level of knowledge, level of practices and level of perspective among the students in urban and rural areas in Pahang. The findings indicated that there were no differences between the levels of students’ knowledge, practices and perspective of chemical safety in school laboratories. Majority of the students had average level of knowledge and practices of chemical safety. The study also revealed that they not so sure about the safety aspects in school laboratory. The findings from this study provide basic information for teaching and learning to enhance the knowledge and practice of chemical safety in school laboratories by taking considerations from students’ perspective

Persepsi masyarakat bandar mengenai vaksin Covid-19 di daerah Melaka Tengah, Malaysia

Penularan wabak Covid-19 yang semakin membimbangkan telah menyebabkan masyarakat mengalami panik dan kerisauan terhadap penyakit pandemik Covid-19 yang mula menular pada tahun 2020. Inisiatif yang dilakukan oleh pihak kerajaan dalam membendung gejala Covid-19 adalah dengan mengesyorkan vaksin Covid-19 seperti Pfizer, Sinovac, Astrazeneca dan lain-lain dalam mencegah demi kebaikan seluruh masyarakat. Pengambilan vaksin Covid-19 telah menimbulkan pelbagai keraguan dan persepsi negatif. Oleh itu, pengambilan vaksin Covid-19telah menjadi satu isu besar kepada masyarakat kini yang mana terdapat golongan yang tidak mahu menerima vaksin atau dikenali sebagai anti vaksin. Tujuan kajian ini dilakukan untuk menganalisis persepsi, dan penerimaan masyarakat bandar daerah Melaka Tengah di kawasan Duyung mengenai vaksin Covid-19. Kajian menggunakan kaedah kuantitatif untuk pengumpulan data. Kajian ini menggunakan pensampelan secara rawak bagi mendapatkan responden dengan lebih ramai. Soal selidik telah dijalankan kepada 100 orang responden dianalisis dan menggunakan perisian SPSS. Pengkaji akan memfokuskan kepada responden yang berumur 18 hingga 60 tahun bagi melihat perbezaan persepsi dengan lebih jelas mengikut faktor usia. Hasil kajian bagi ujian korelasi menunjukkan hampir semua hubungan antara faktor sosiodemografi dengan faktor persepsi memiliki korelasi negatif. Hubungan antara peringkat umur dengan persepsi masyarakat iaitu (r = -.119 P <0.01). Manakala, bagi hubungan penerimaan vaksin dengan faktor jantina iaitu (r=0.48 P<0.05) turut menunjukkan korelasi negatif. Persepsi yang wujud hanya sebuah tanggapan kosong kerana majoriti menerima vaksin dengan baik. Penerimaan vaksin Covid-19 juga adalah untuk keselamatan dan kesejahteraan hidup bersama bagi membendung wabak pandemik ini bagi kelestarian masyarakat. Oleh itu, diharapkan kajian ini dapat mencapai salah satu senarai dalam matlamat pembangunan lestari ataupun dikenali sebagai Sustainable Development Goals-2030 Agenda supaya dapat memberikan manfaat dan sedikit pencerahan terhadap vaksin Covid-19 kepada masyarakat

Environmental management: A study on the precautionary principle in siak regency of Indonesia towards sustainable development

The use of the precautionary principle to the area of environmental management and sustainability, largely in response to the necessity of every each individual state to protect their rights and interests in order to safeguard the Mother Nature. Therefore, this study examines the used of the precautionary principle in the Siak Regency of Indonesia focusing on the planning laws in relation to the environmental management and sustainability from the legal perspectives; identify actions, which deal with the protection to the environment as well as a tool for the achievement in sustainable development

Global citizenship elements in Malaysian Primary School Curriculum towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS)

Global Citizenship (GC) is still a new concept in Malaysian education scenario, and existing research shows that a critical approach to teaching and learning about global issues is largely absent within Malaysian school settings. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the GC elements, embedded in the Malaysian education curriculum within the UNESCO framework. This paper will discuss the result of document analysis done on Malaysian primary school core subjects, which used critical discourse analysis to analyze the relevant parts of the curriculum within the core subjects. The analysis revealed that GC is taught across the curriculum in Malaysia, which aims to increase students’ knowledge, skills and behavior towards sustainability. GCE was presented in the curriculum as a multidisciplinary topic which follows through the values, aims and tasks of the core subjects. This study provides a clear starting point for future research of GC and its implementation and impacts in Malaysian education system, and hope to open the eyes and minds of the policy makers in Malaysia, the importance of GC which has a crucial role to play in tackling injustices and making the world a more just and sustainable place