Slovakia Primary School Subject - Environmental Education

Environmental Education (EE) in Slovakia primary schools is integrated into various subjects rather than existing as a standalone subject. This approach considers EE as a fundamental aspect of the overall educational process. The integration of EE occurs within subjects like Music, Natural Science, Natural History, Geography, Chemistry, and Physics.

A study conducted between December 2021 and January 2022 surveyed 340 primary schools (18% of the total) across Slovakia. The study revealed the following:

Integration of EE:

• Within Subjects: 92% of schools integrated EE into existing subject curricula.
• Projects and Seminars: 37% utilized separate projects, seminars, teaching blocks, and courses.
• Separate Subject (Optional): 11% offered EE as a separate, optional subject, primarily in 5th and 6th grade.

EE Activities:

Common activities included improving the school environment, maintaining classroom greenery, planting on school grounds, and direct observation of environmental protection. Other activities included outdoor schools, trips, excursions, studying professional literature, project work focused on the local landscape, exhibitions, and discussions with experts.

Participation in Programs:

• Green School Program: In the 2021/22 school year, 87 of the surveyed schools participated in the Green School program.
• Collaboration with Environmental Organizations: 138 schools collaborated with State Nature Protection, and 19 with the Slovak Environmental Agency.
• Grant Applications: Nearly half of the surveyed schools did not participate in any environmentally focused grant calls. Of those that did, 21% participated in the "Enviroprojekt grant" and 9% in the "Health on a Plate" project.

Environmental Events:

Schools incorporated various environmental events into their plans, including Earth Day (99%), World Water Day (95%), World Nutrition Day (79%), World Forest Day (68%), World Environment Day (58%), World Car Free Day (29%), International Biodiversity Day (22%), International and World National Parks Day (20%), and International Wetlands Day (16%). Schools also organized activities focused on local issues such as International Tree Day, World Animal Day, and waste separation.

EE Coordinators:

The majority of EE coordinators were women (over 94%) with extensive teaching experience (47% had over 21 years of experience). 41% held the first level of teaching certification (I attestation), and 33% held the second level (II attestation).

Challenges and Recommendations:

The study highlighted challenges such as inconsistent integration of EE across subjects, varied terminology, and a lack of up-to-date teaching materials. Recommendations included establishing EE as a separate subject, unifying environmental terminology, updating curricula to focus on local environmental issues, revising textbooks, incorporating more hands-on activities, and increased participation in environmental grants. A model program at the Rakovec nad Ondavou Elementary School with Kindergarten demonstrates the potential for integrating EE into various subjects and utilizing the local landscape as a learning resource. This model includes learning trails, bird trails, a herbal spiral, a sensory trail, didactic games, an apiary, a gabion garden, a lake, an insect hotel, a compost site, a children's transport playground, a protected tree, a weather station, an orchard, and the use of solar energy.