Directions

Environmental Education in Kiribati: Constraints and Future Prospects
Neil Taylor
Abstract
Despite the need for effective environmental education in Kiribati, attempts
in the mid 1970s to introduce an Environmental Studies programme at the
primary level met with only limited success. This paper examines the problems
associated with the original programme and reports on a new initiative which
may help establish Environmental Studies as a credible subject in the primary
curriculum.
Introduction
Kiribati, formerly the Gilbert Islands, is an independent republic made up of
33 islands, of which 21 are inhabited. Most of these islands are coral atolls
and with their extensive associated reef systems, they represent some of the
most unique and fragile environments in the world.
However, with an average population growth rate of 2.8% reaching almost
5.0% in some localities (CDU 1987), the delicate ecological balance of these
islands is under threat. Of particular concern is the over exploitation of marine
resources and the problems of domestic waste disposal. These were high-
lighted in a policy statement delivered to the Kiribati parliament in December,
1991 by the President, Teatao Teannaki.
Much of the environmental degradation in Kiribati is caused unwittingly by
the general population. Those involved are often unaware of the long-term
consequences of their actions. If sustainable development is to be achieved,
it is of paramount importance to provide the people of Kiribati with appropri-
ate environmental education to help them understand the major problems and
encourage them to take preventative action.
Environmental education can be delivered to the general population through
the formal education system which is directed at students in the classroom and
through non-formal education which is directed at the community as a whole.
6 9

This report concentrates on the efforts to introduce formal environmental
education at the primary level in Kiribati and in particular the problems
associated with delivering this effectively to the student population.
The History and Current Status of the Environmental Education
Programme
Primary education in Kiribati is compulsory and free. Children receive 7 years
of primary schooling before sitting the Common Entrance Examination, the
selective mechanism for high school entry. Of the original cohort only some
20% can enter high school due to the limited availability of places. The
remainder receive two further years of primary education culminating in a
second attempt at Common Entrance. Successful candidates can enter high
school at the Form 2 level, while the vast majority who are unsuccessful return
to village life. However, there is a marked drop out after class 7, and many
pupils fail to complete years 8 and 9. Given the highly selective nature of
secondary education in Kiribati, it was important that the main thrust of formal
environmental education came at the primary level.
To this end, in the mid 1970s, the Ministry of Education with assistance from
the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (AIDAB),
embarked on the development of an Environmental Studies syllabus for
classes 1-9. This was first published in 1976 and is still in use. The document
is presented as a list of topics with suggested references and also in the form
of a topic web (Figure 1).
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TOPIC WEB
Kaitu & Uakeia
CLASS SIX, TERM
The Maneaba System
Missionaries
Blackbirders

Civil Wars
Traders
Conquests
Beachcombers
Kingdoms
Whalers
Explorers

Map work on island
groups in the Pacific
Telecommunication
Migration from
Samoa
Postal Services
How plants & people
Telephone
come to the island
Broadcasting &
Comparison with other
Information
islands in G. & E. I .
Atoll Pioneer
/Tero/Valo
Map - size size
shape
structure
Making books &
paper
atolls
Council Elections
reef islands
work of the
raised atolls
Council
Volcanic islands
Transport etc. Law enforcement
The Police
Central Colonial Hospital Island
Camparative Studies
-Public Health Court
in the Pacific in other
-Development of
parts of world.
-Distribution of plants
medical knowledge
The value of different types of
-Plants study

CLASS 6 TERM 3
TOPIC WEB - THE ISLAND
Recommended time:-
3h rs. per week.
Subjects
Weeks
References
*How the island was made -
Coppack - Env. Sc. P.15 (coral
atolls; reef islands; raised
atolls)
atolls; volcanic islands.
1
-2
Pac. Is Neighbours P.5-8
(Low and volcanic islands)
Atoll Agricl. P. 5-9
*Mapwork -size, shape
Notes on Mapwork - TTC
structure of the island.
1
*How plants and people came
Pac- Is. Neighbours P. 13-15
to the island; migration
(Pacific migrations)
from Samoa; life in Pre-
Story of Pac. Peoples Chap. 1
European days; traditional
(First Pacific people) Chap. 2
life.
1
-3
(settlement of Rarotonga)
Chap. 3 (Tonga to Fiji) Chap. 9
(old way life) .
Coppack - Source Hat. P.29-32
(Traditional history of Butaritari
Atoll Agric. P.34-37 (Plants and
Animals on the Atoll)
*The coming of the Europeans -
Notes on Discoveries - TTC.
explorers; whalers,
P. 7-15 (arrival of first
beachcombers; traders;
Europeans) 20-22 (Fur trade and
blackbirders; missionaries.
2
whalers) appendix
Notes on Beachcombers - TTC

Stories of Pac. People Chap. 13
(Will Mariner) Chap. 14 (traders
in sandalwood, beche-de-mer,
copra, whaling) Chap. 15
(sandalwood) Chap. 16
(Missionaries) Chap. 18

(blackbirding and indenture)
Chap. 22 (Stevenson)
Fiji P. 37-40 (whaling,
blackbirding etc.)
*The establishment of colonial
rule - Capt. Davis - early
1
administration.
*Island Government - Council
Information from the Island
elections; work of council;
Executive Officer.
law enforcement; the island
1 -2
court.
7 2

The introduction to the syllabus gives instructions to teachers on how to
conduct classes in Environmental Studies and specifically highlights the
importance of involving students in actively learning about the environment.
"Environmental Studies concerns our local environment and it is very
important that we make use of this in our teaching,; in other words, going out
on VISITS and if necessary making COLLECTIONS and RECORDING
INFORMATION " (CDU 1988).
However, as a vehicle for delivering environmental education effectively, this
syllabus has proved unsuccessful. A joint study carried out by the University
of the South Pacific and Tarawa Teachers' College (Dunne & Itaia, 1988)
discovered that students arriving at the government high school (King George
V) had a very poor background in local environmental issues and concerns.
A number of key constraining factors were identified. The topic titles given
in the syllabus were found to be too vague while the topic webs caused
confusion. A time frame and depth of coverage were not clearly detailed.
When confronted with a topic title such as 'Commercial Fishing', teachers
were often unsure what content to include. Some of the suggested reference
texts were too advanced and therefore inappropriate for teachers whose
background in environmental education was not strong. Perhaps the most
extreme example of this was reference to 'Atoll Agriculture' by C.A. Small
written for tertiary level agricultural training, and including scientific termi-
nology such as 'anaerobic bacteria','symbiotic relationships', 'chelates' etc.
In most cases, however, schools were inadequately resourced and the refer-
ence texts were simply not available.
Thus the syllabus provided insufficient guidance and background information
for teachers with limited environmental knowledge themselves. The result
was that all too often the subject was omitted from the curriculum.
There was a clear need for the production of relevant curriculum materials in
the form of Pupil's books and Teacher's guides on Environmental Studies.
Thus in 1988, the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme in
conjunction with the Institute of Education initiated a project to produce these
materials. Through a series of curriculum writing workshops involving local
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primary teachers and curriculum staff, a complete set of environmental
studies books was produced for Class 7. These consisted of units with the
following structural characteristics:
(i)
objectives
(ii)
background
(iii)
lesson topics
(iv)
time frame
(v)
elements of student assessment
(vi)
extension activities and
(vii)
visual presentation (Figure 2).
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Figure 2.AnexampIeofalesson plan from the Class 7 Teacher's Guide (1989).
WATER CONTENT OF SOILS
Time: 45 minutes
Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, p u p i l s should be able to u n d e r s t a n d
1) that soil contains water.
2) the water in the soil is i m p o r t a n t f o r g r o w i n g plants.
What is needed
Soil samples
c o n t a i n e r
glass
Teaching Steps
1. Start with a question and answer session.
Ask the pupils
a. what they noticed about the wetness of the soils they have been
studying.
b. why water is needed in the soil.
c. why fresh water and not sea water is important.
2. Read through the paragraph in the pupils book and let them complete
Activity 1.
3. U s i n g f r e s h soil samples there are some e x p e r i m e n t s that you a n d / o r the
class can do to compare water in the soil. Perhaps the p u p i l s can
suggest some ways o f d o i n g e x p e r i m e n t s to test the soil w a t e r .
Here is one suggestion:
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Experiment I: Docs the soil contain water?
- Put a soil sample in a container.
- Cover the container with a piece of glass or clear plastic.
- Leave it in the sun by the window.
glass
water drops
Soil
c o n t a i n e r
After a few hours you would expect to find water droplets on the glass.
This water has evaporated from the soil. You could ask the class where
they think the water has come from. This experiment could be used to
compare soils from different places or water content in the A, B, and C
horizons of a soil from one place (e.g. bwabwai pit).
The class could be split into small groups. Each group could be given a
soil sample to experiment with. After getting some results you could
compare each groups sample.
4. A f t e r the e x p e r i m e n t p u p i l s can do A c t i v i t i e s 2-5.
5. Extra Activities
This work could be used to sponsor some creative writing. A suggestion
for story writing - 'A day without water' appears in the pupils book.
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combining this with in-service training, primary teachers would become
sufficiently confident and stimulated to deliver environmental studies effec-
tively. The ensuing trial and evaluation indicated that the books were popular
with both teachers and students and had indeed acted as a catalyst in
stimulating improved teaching of the subject. To date sufficient books have
been printed for every Class 7 teacher and student in Kiribati. Work has also
begun on Class 6 materials.
However, the Common Entrance Examination itself, remains a major obstacle
to the establishment of Environmental Studies as a credible subject in the
primary curriculum. At present of the 8 subjects in the primary curriculum
only 3, Mathematics, English and Vernacular Ability (Kiribati Language), are
examined. Given the highly competitive nature of this examination, teachers
understandably concentrate on these 3 subjects to the detriment and even
exclusion of the others.
Conclusions
It is an unfortunate fact of educational life in many countries of the South
Pacific that the curriculum is examination driven, and Kiribati is no exception.
It would have been unrealistic for the Ministry of Education, Science and
Technology to examine Environmental Studies while only an outline syllabus
existed. But with suitable resource materials in place at the Class 7 level, the
way is now clear for its inclusion as a component subject of the Common
Entrance Examination. Ministry officials have suggested that this is now a
priority, which is an encouraging sign, although as yet there is no firm date.
The hope is that this decision will not be delayed, for while Environmental
Studies remains outside the Common Entrance Examination, it is unlikely to
be given the status it deserves. This may result in a missed opportunity, as at
the primary level children are curious about the people, places, animals, plants
and materials around them. Good environmental education at this stage can
foster a reasoned and sensitive concern for the quality of the environment and
lead to behavioural practices which enhance rather than degrade it.
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References
Dunne, M. and Itaia, T. (1988) Report on Environmental Studies in Kiribati.
University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji.
Dunne, M. and Prasad, A. (eds). (1989) Environmental Studies. Class 7, Book
1. Institute of Education, Suva, Fiji.
Kiribati Curriculum Development Unit (1987) This is Kiribati (Fourth Edi
tion).
Kiribati Curriculum Development Unit (1988) Environmental Studies Com-
bined Syllabus (Second Edition).
Teannakki, T. (1991) Policy Statement delivered to the First Sitting of the
Fourth Session of the Maneaba Ni Maungatabu.
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