• The plans were laid out by Education Minister Lawrence Wong in Parliament
• They are part of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 to make Singapore more environmentally sustainable
• Among other things, school campuses will have more green infrastructure
• School curriculum will be refreshed to include sustainability concepts

SINGAPORE — Schools across Singapore will plant more trees, install LED lights and teach students about “green jobs” they could take up, as the Republic strives for a more sustainable future.

These are among initiatives that the Ministry of Education (MOE) will adopt as part of the Singapore Green Plan 2030, a roadmap which charts how the Government plans to become more environmentally sustainable over the next 10 years, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong in Parliament on Thursday (March 4).

During a multi-ministry debate on the Government’s budget for the Green Plan, Mr Wong said MOE is committed to achieving a two-third reduction of net carbon emissions from the schools sector, and having at least 20 per cent of schools be carbon neutral by 2030.

“Environment education is not new in our schools. It is part of the curriculum, and many schools have programmes to help our students learn to be environmentally conscious,” he said.

“Beyond specific policies, we also want to instil a broader mindset change and new environmentally-conscious habits. These will take time to take root in our society. We must start young and inculcate them in our students through education.”

To achieve this, the ministry will pilot sustainability features in four schools: Elias Park Primary School, Mee Toh School, Commonwealth Secondary School and Tampines Secondary School.

The pilot will run from April this year to 2023. It will focus on:

• Developing policies and programmes to help schools reduce their carbon footprint

• Raising students’ awareness of their carbon footprint and what they can do to reduce it

• Developing and trying out lesson resources that either feature sustainability initiatives or are integrated with green infrastructure within the school environment

• Enhancing sustainability infrastructure within the school campus to reduce each school’s carbon footprint. These features could include solar panels, LED lights and direct-current fans.

ECO STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMME

From 2021, all primary, secondary and pre-university schools will also introduce a programme focused on raising awareness of environment and sustainability issues.

The Eco Stewardship Programme seeks to “inculcate in students a deeper sense of environmental consciousness to guide their habits and behaviours”, said MOE in a statement.

Among the features of the programme are: 

• An enhanced curriculum that weaves in sustainability issues. For example, social studies lessons at the primary school level will be revised to teach students about the importance of using resources wisely to protect the environment. At the pre-university level, the emphasis will be on the importance of sustainable urban development

• Green features on school campuses such as more trees and energy-efficient technologies such as LED lights and direct-current ceiling fans

• Enhanced school policies in areas such as energy and water conservation, as well as waste management

• More environment-related volunteering and enrichment opportunities for students, and lessons to raise awareness about future “green jobs”, such as in urban design, renewable energy, sustainability technology, water management, food sustainability, urban farming, and green financing