ESS, which is like the NCC and NSS, will, however, be a compulsory activity and is aimed at helping students understand the local environment, ecosystem and problems associated them. A brainchild of secretary (environment) Valsa Nair-Singh and a group of experts, ESS activities will include the study of resources such as soil, water, biodiversity and energy and issues like degradation, pollution, waste and scarcity.
ESS has already been implemented in 50 schools across 12 districts, and Mumbai schools-from class VII-will be taken up in the second phase this year. "The objective is to develop leadership skills on environment issues," a senior state environment department official said.
"They will have to work on projects related to natural resource management from social and environment points of view with the local community," a senior state environment department official said. "Schools must devote three hours every week for ESS. We are spending about Rs 90,000 for each school's activities."
The environment department has selected the state's nodal agency, the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), to handle the activity for three years.
The CEE will select schools, district-level NGOs and district coordinators in consultation with the department. The coordinators will not only train unit head teachers, but also provide education material, frame activity time-tables and submit budget estimates to the department.
The NGOs must be registered societies, cooperative institutes, trusts or associations having at least three years experience in the field of environment. They will act mediators between schools and the local community and contribute to project ideas. At the unit level, principals must get in touch with the nodal agency for the formation of ESS units in their schools.
ESS will be monitored by a state-level advisory committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary and the government will look into its implementation.
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