The “city-friendly schools” scheme was launched in the capital to promote environmental protection and urban development issues among students, ISNA reported on Wednesday.
Mojtaba Daneshvar, director-general of citizenship education at Tehran Municipality, said that the project covers more than 550 schools, consisting of 160,000 students.
It aims to familiarize students with the rights and duties of citizens, the environment, waste, transportation and traffic, safety and security, crisis management, he explained.
The training programs will be in the form of workshops, role plays, cultural and educational camps, production of educational content such as books, brochures, and posters, he concluded.
According to a report published by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in October 2016, in Tehran waste generation per capita is estimated at 750-800 grams per day and each Tehrani citizen generates about 270-450 kilograms of waste per year.
Apart from waste, Tehran is dealing with severe air pollution.
Current environmental problems are rooted in the lack of proper awareness and cultural weakness regarding the relationship between man and nature. Under such circumstances, environmental issues have only belatedly been recognized in school activities worldwide.
Effective school programs should not only help students to progress the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary for responsible environmental behavior, but also have the potential to spread awareness of the concept.
Tehran times