Government considering compulsory nature studies lessons for all pupils

I am frequently critical of the current Government which is not difficult given the general level of incompetence on so many issues, not least their implementation of Brexit and their management of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the fact their values are so at odds with mine and anyone that believes in a progressive politics that aims to deliver benefits and progress for the whole of our society and the global community.

However, credit where credit is due if this important development does indeed arise.

 

If reports are to be believed, the Government is considering introducing compulsory nature studies lessons for all students as part of a plan backed by Sir David Attenborough to protect the natural world.

 

I really hope that this important addition to our education system is delivered and that it is not just classroom based but more importantly outdoors so that students can see, hear, touch and smell and fully engage with and experience the natural world.

 

Introducing such lessons at all levels of education from primary upwards was a key recommendation of the Dasgupta review which was launched by the Government to come up with ways to change “how we think, act and measure economic success” whilst protecting nature.

 

The review, authored by eminent University of Cambridge economist Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta, said the education system “should introduce nature studies from the earliest stages of our lives, and revisit them in the years we spend in secondary and tertiary education”.

 

It adds: “Every child in every country is owed the teaching of natural history, to be introduced to the awe and wonder of the natural world, and to appreciate how it contributes to our lives …. If we care about our common future and the common future of our descendants, we should all in part be naturalists.”

 

The purpose of the lessons would be to help children and teenagers develop a “love of nature” and to have the information to act as “judge and jury for our own actions” on the environment.

 

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said in response to a parliamentary question on the matter that the Government “will examine the review’s findings and respond formally in due course”. However, Department for Education officials said no firm decision had yet been made on whether ecology or natural history could be made compulsory as recommended by the review.

The brilliant Green MP Caroline Lucas, who has been pressing the Government for the change, has said …. “It’s taken a long time and a lot of hard work by so many to get this far, but now it seems we’re getting closer to ecology and natural history having a much firmer place on the curriculum, as renewed appreciation of nature and green spaces grows …. I’m incredibly excited by how it could really enrich children’s experience of education. This is a subject which will take them out of the classroom and into the natural environment – nothing could be more important when we are driving so many species to the verge of extinction. People protect what they love and what they know. The love of nature is already there. This GCSE would give them the knowledge …. Ecology is a hole in the curriculum and yet, as Professor Dasgupta’s report made clear, it’s never been more important that our dependence on nature is better understood. We teach climate change in our schools because of its global importance. Nature is just as important and needs to be reflected in our education system.”

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Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature