Promoting Arts Based Environmental Education for Primary School Pupils in Guyana

Abstract

This paper presents a Case Study that adopts a mixed method approach that utilizes a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews that have targeted students and teachers respectively, to assess the status of Arts based environmental education in primary schools in Guyana. The study reveals that Arts-based EE is limited in the current primary school system in Guyana.  Moreover, it is confined to Grades 1, 2 and 3 where it is integrated in Drawing, Decorative Craft, Imaginative Composition, Fibre Arts, and Drawing in the Visual Arts options.  Importantly, there are no guidelines for implementation; as such the teachers are the sole decision makers in this regard.  Consequently, there is no uniformity in approach, and this situation is further exacerbated by the constraint of time, trained teachers, appropriate teaching and learning materials, parents’ perception of the Arts, among others. The paper posits, among other things, that teachers must first understand and appreciate the fact that art-based education fosters environmental learning; hence the need for urgent review of the curriculum of Teachers Training Institutions to ensure that Arts-based EE is integrated in its training programme.  Additionally, a series of workshops must be designed for teachers who have already completed the Teachers Training Programme.