STUDENT TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS ON THEIR READINESS TO TEACH ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES THROUGH THE GEOGRAPHY CURRICULUM IN BOTSWANA’S SECONDARY SCHOOLS

The study of paradigm shifts in Geography by Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), and Bachelor of Education Secondary (B.Ed.) students in the Department of Languages and Social Sciences Education at the University of Botswana inspired this paper. The Environmentalism paradigm is well reflected in Botswana’s Geography curriculum. However despite that Geography is the only subject in the senior secondary school curriculum in Botswana whose focal point is the people-environment relationship (Tabulawa, 2002), it has been reduced to a two year course in the school curriculum through the 1977 Commission on Education and the 1998 Revised National Policy on Education (RNPE). Its importance lies in that the subject aims in developing an understanding of contemporary social, economic and environmental issues in Botswana and the world, developing an appreciation of the significance of positive human attitudes and values on the management of the environment and land use, as well as developing an appreciation of the environment to enable them to act in an informed and responsible manner. This background provided an opportunity to find out from teacher trainees, who are not only products of the system but also agents who will shape education, what their perceptions and involvement in Environmental Education are, what they felt about the shrinking of the subject and its impact on the study of environmental issues, and if all relevant environmental issues were captured in both in their current studies and in school geography. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques were employed. Interestingly the results point to the integration of environmental education in relevant school subjects. But given the repetition and fragmentation of environmental issues into Geography, Social Studies, Development Studies and Environmental Science in schools, what guarantee is there that we will not end up with another tragedy of the commons?