TEACHER’S ROLE IN E-WASTE MANAGEMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Electronic waste or e-waste is one of the rapidly growing problems of the e-waste and it comprises of a multitude of components, some containing toxic substances that can have an adverse impact on human health and the environment if not handled properly. Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is becoming major thread to the whole world. Its toxic emissions are mixed with virgin soil and air and are causing harmful effects to the entire system either directly or indirectly. Direct impacts include the release of acids, toxic compounds, including heavy metals, carcinogenic chemicals and indirect effects such as bio magnification of heavy metals. Many private firms are involved in collecting, dismantling, separation and exporting e-wastes for recyclers. In the present scenario, teachers have multiple roles to perform. To fulfill their roles professionally, teachers need to be competent enough in their responsibilities towards their students inside and outside the classroom. The important role of a teacher inside and outside the classroom is to provide the awareness about the environment regarding E-waste and its importance for protection. This paper has two objectives. First, objective of the study is to find out the Environmental awareness among secondary school teachers regarding E-waste management and the second objective intended to describe the responsibilities of teachers to protect the Environment through E-waste management. A simple random sampling technique was used for the selection of the sample from the population for the study. Samples of 75 participants were drawn, including 25 teachers and 50 students by using simple random sampling techniques. Three instruments were used for data collection, namely close and openly ended questionnaire, interview and focus group discussion. The data were analyzed by using both the qualitative and quantitative approach. The Major finding of this paper was, Teachers are not trained how to deal and work with the E - waste for research activities. No give proper information about E-waste management by teacher due to lack of knowledge. The student does not have any idea regarding the serious effect of E-waste on health and the environment.