A water-saving initiative under the ‘green schools’ model is launched at Lê Văn Việt primary school in HCM City’s District 9. Photo baotainguyenmoitruong.vn

HCM CITY — The Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Department of Education and Training in HCM City on Thursday signed a cooperation agreement on environmental education and communications for the 2021-2025 period.

It is a continuation of the implementation of the five-year cooperation since 2016.

Environmental awareness has been significantly enhanced among students, with many initiatives  launched at schools in the past few years, said Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mỹ, deputy director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The two departments have also developed communication materials and videos on the ‘green schools’ model that has been implemented since 2018, Mỹ said.

The model outlines activities on environmental awareness and protection at schools, such as tree planting, collection of recyclable materials separated at the source, and water and electricity savings.

A wide range of initiatives has been implemented at all schools to encourage young people to engage in environmental protection.

Dương Trí Dũng, deputy director of the city’s Department of Education and Training, said that environmental education and comminications should be carried out frequently at schools to increase awareness among teachers, students and staff.

Individual schools should also identify creative and sustainable solutions to enhance environmental education and communications, he added.

The two departments will co-organise contests and activities to introduce more initiatives to all schools in the city, he said.

Environmental education is part of the curriculum as well as extracurricular programmes in all public schools, from nursery to high school levels, in the city. — VNS