ANNOUNCEMENTS
This study seeks to investigate the ability of short yet effective workshops to influence students' awareness, consciousness, and attitudes towards sustainability, climate, and clean energy.
In this research , visits were conducted to 100 government schools in urban and peri-urban areas of Delhi NCR. Each visit was a two-hour environmental education workshop, specifically designed to be inclusive by introducing the workshop content in Hindi, the most accessible language for the students. The content created for these workshops focused on key issues such as climate literacy, SDGs, air pollution, waste segregation, and alternatives to clean energy. A particular emphasis was placed on renewable energy, which was created by live assembly and explanation of a solar cooker, thereby providing students with a practical and culturally appropriate solution for clean cooking.
To assess knowledge gains, students who participated attended two workshops conducted one month apart in each school. The first workshop provided a questionnaire focused on key environmental concepts and levels of awareness, along with illustrated booklets and activity sheets for home study. After a month of self-directed study using the materials provided, the second workshop included a more detailed questionnaire to deepen the assessment of students’ understanding.
These workshops supported holistic learning by encouraging collaboration among parents, teachers, and students.
To motivate participation and sustain student interest, small incentives like candies and biscuits were offered, fostering an environment that encouraged active learning and positive engagement in under-resourced classrooms. This thesis contributes to the limited empirical research on environmental education in Indian government schools. It offers insights into the effectiveness, inclusivity, and reach of short-term environmental education interventions, highlighting the importance of language, cultural incentives, and experiential teaching methods in promoting environmental awareness in challenging learning contexts.
