Delhi Greens has been carrying out a sustained campaign to ensure adequate implementation of the Hon’ble Supreme Court order towards imparting Environmental Education in all colleges of India.
In this regard, Delhi Greens sent a letter to all DU colleges on 18 July 2019, reminding them of the recent UGC letter urging all colleges to recruit eligible faculty for teaching the AECC-Environmental Science paper. An excerpt from the letter can be read below:
As you are aware, the state of Environment is very concerning today especially in Delhi, where even face masks do not help during peak air pollution months. Studies have shown that the average life span of a person living in Delhi has been reduced by 1-2 years. Globally, the UN has alerted that more than a million species are on the verge of becoming extinct and we have only until 2030 to save the environment – as we know it – after which green actions will not make much difference.
Due to this, the Hon’be SC has already given a decision to impart Environment Education in all colleges of all universities and ensure that young people are made aware and empowered to reduce environmental degradation. Despite this, media reports have continued to suggest that this has not been adequately implemented in the University of Delhi. We believe that DU sets the standards for other universities and therefore urge you to adopt and implement Environment Education in letter and spirit in your College.
As educationists, we do not need to tell you that the one semester AECC paper on Environmental Studies, if properly taught, makes a huge difference to the approach and attitude of young graduates towards Environment, Nature and Natural Resources. If your College has adopted and recruited eligible faculty for teaching this paper, we salute you and assure you that future generations will remember and thank you for your actions. If you are a DU affiliated College and are still not teaching this paper with the eligible faculty, we urge you to show sensitivity towards the future of your students and not take away their opportunity to learn on how they can save their today and tomorrow.
Delhi Greens will continue the campaign and will follow up this letter in the coming months.