A corps member in Osun State by the name of Babatunde Qodir on Monday, November13, 2023, kickstarted his personal Community Development Service project meant to sensitise secondary school students on climate change mitigation, plastic pollution, and other environmental issues.
The project featured five secondary schools randomly selected in Egbedore Local Government of the state as part of the global efforts to address the multifarious effects of climate change and improve environmental cleanliness in schools.
The sensitisation took the form of education and advocacy, featuring several seasoned climate change experts taking beneficiaries through important issues relating to how to maintain a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment.
Speaking during the first outreach held at Okinni Grammar School, Qodir stressed the need for the project at this time, adding that concerted efforts must be taken at all levels to deal with environmental crises and keep the world healthy and safe.
He also called on governments as well as concerned environmental stakeholders to prioritise environmental education in school curricula and improve strategies required to keep the public abreast of the effects of environmental crises as well as their possible solutions.
He said, “According to the report, young people are adversely at the receiving end of climate change and pollution occurring in the communities, hence there is a need for strong and continuous advocacy to address the menace through education since educating them would serve as a mechanism to influence their behavior against the planet.
“On getting here, I discovered that there is a need to inform people of the trend in environmental disasters. Students, especially, are bereft of the knowledge to keep their environment clean and safe. Being a climate change advocate, I felt that a tour like this would go a long way in educating students who would in turn educate their friends, families, and people on environmental issues. I hope that effort like this encourages the government to pay deeper attention to these issues,” he added.
In their separate remarks, Adebayo Raheem, the principal of Okinni Grammar School, and Ekerin Timothy, the principal of Egbedi High School, commended the corps members for the opportunity to further educate students on environmental cleanliness and climate change, adding that the state government is committed to environmental cleanliness, especially in schools.
The corps member launched the Environmental Club and donated a P.L.A.N. game card that will ease climate knowledge in the schools visited, stressing the need for continued education among students toward a safe environment and sustainable lifestyle
