Evaluation of Environmental Education in schools linked to a cane sugar mill in the South Forest of Pernambuco

Abstract

Environmental Education (EE) in Brazil has recently undergone an accelerated growth driven by the advancement of environmental awareness. Formal education has incorporated this theme in order to train citizens actively concerned with environmental issues in a conscious and sustainable way. A school influences the community where it operates and EE is one of the routes to try overcoming environmental problems. The schools under study are located in an Atlantic forest area, and part of these remnants is within properties of cane sugar mills. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the inclusion of EE in schools linked to Usina Trapiche, investigating, through questionnaires, the perception of teachers on the theme at workplaces and their difficulties for addressing contents. The questionnaires were answered by 22 teachers serving about 1,300 students at the schools under study. All these schools perform EE activities, with a predominance of the solid waste issue. The difficulties reported were common to Education in general. One observed that EE is included within the studied context, but the challenge seems to be definitely including it in the syllabus and the school’s everyday life. In addition to the research, playful activities, workshops, and lectures were conducted, experiencing along with the school community the most relevant EE themes in the region.

Keywords

• Environmental Education
• Formal education
• Pedagogical projects
• Teacher training