In an event held in a public space in the south of the city (3,600 Independencia Avenue) more than 1,200 5th grade students from different schools in that area made their promise to the environment.
The event was organized by the supervision of zone No. 30 of the Ministry of Education, led by the teaching supervisor Dolores del Carmen Díaz; and was attended by the director of Primary Education, Carlos Diaz.
The Nougués, Alfredo Cosson, Silvano Bores and Juan Pablo II schools, among others, were protagonists. The Municipality of San Miguel de Tucumán, neighborhood organizations and institutions also participated in the organization.
The property where the event took place, located at 3,600 Independencia Avenue, was chosen because the site was recovered by the students and local residents.
“What do we promise? Take care of the place where we live, remember that this Earth is our inheritance, that we have only one”he stated in his speech Mariano Barrionuevo, 10 years old, student at school No. 248 Juan Luis Nougués. He added that the children’s commitment is “be agents of change to remind our families and friends that we must live in harmony, taking care of the plants that surround us, which allow us to breathe, respecting animals, keeping our school and home spaces clean and avoiding generating garbage of disposable elements, reusing and recycling.”
After the swearing-in, Mariano said: “If all of us kids were careful not to throw garbage on the ground, the world would be better. If we litter and pollute the world, we and the animals will die much faster than we imagine.”
“It is important to raise awareness among children because they in turn educate the family. The same thing happens with my daughter, who has a disability. “She became a great defender of the environment,” he said. Esilda Ortizneighbor of the ATE neighborhood, and mother of Noelia, who attended the celebration. Both are part of the El Murgón murga, of the Mate Cocido cultural center, of that neighborhood.
“This was all forest when we came in 2012. We cleaned everything and the kids from the schools helped us with reforestation and with posters made by the students themselves and by the teachers, with phrases about caring for the environment, and we also put up children’s games ”he highlighted Patricia Fernandez, from the Ampliación Presidente Perón neighborhood. She is the caretaker of the site, and the one in charge of calling EDET when there is no power, or the municipality to cut the grass and, mainly, of ensuring that the land is not usurped.
Implementation of content in the curriculum
“The incorporation of environmental content in the educational curriculum is a fundamental step to form citizens responsible for caring for the planet. “This public policy commitment marks an important advance in environmental education in Argentina and Tucumán has a prominent role in this process.”said the minister Susana Montaldo by explaining how this commitment will be put into practice.
The official clarified that the incorporation of environmental education will not mean an additional burden for teachers and that schools will have autonomy to design and implement educational projects related to the environment according to their context and reality. These projects may address topics such as water care, energy, biodiversity, recycling and waste management, for example.
“Environmental education must begin from an early age, taking advantage of the natural curiosity of boys and girls to awaken their interest in caring for the planet. As they advance in their education, students must develop increasingly complex skills to understand, analyze and act on environmental problems.Montaldo stressed.
There is no doubt that children and adolescents are the most susceptible to incorporating habits that contribute to maintaining a less polluted and healthier environment.
As Mariano pointed out in his speech, in that property recovered by neighbors, older and younger, “Let’s not let the place where we live be destroyed and polluted. The most important thing is to lead by example. Treating the environment well is treating ourselves well.”
Source: Diario La Gaceta / Photographs: Osvaldo Ripoll
