HYDERABAD: Adopting the concept of training the trainers, the Andhra Pradesh National Green Corps (APNGC) has started Eco-Teacher concept in B.Ed colleges of the State for onward dissemination of environment awareness among the student community.

Nearly 325 colleges imparting teacher training have been made part of the new campaign and the APNGC hopes to bring more than 40,000 B.Ed students under its umbrella. The idea behind the move is to equip trainee teachers with information and concerns on environmental issues.

"On completing the course, the B.Ed students get enrolled as teacher with schools and will be handling students. If they are well versed with environmental issues, we can ensure more effective transmission of environmental messages to the children," says the APNGC Director W.G. Prasanna Kumar.

Environmental learning has been made part of the B.Ed project work which has students going in for a month-long project work with a school. Called Block Teaching, the project has 100 marks and the NGC-related work will comprise 20 per cent of the marks. "In Osmania University-affiliated colleges, it is 20 per cent and for some other universities it is 40 per cent," informs Mr. Prasanna Kumar.

Rain gauges

The APNGC has provided a small monetary support to 14 Government and university B.Ed colleges to start Eco-Clubs in the last three months while the rest 310 were advised to start the same at their institutions. These clubs are being provided with temperature measuring equipment and rain gauges. "Using these equipment, the trainee teachers are asked to chart graphs on temperature variations and rainfall and this practical experience will help them understand the weather conditions and other related factors better," he says.

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