2004 UNESCO/JAPAN Asia Pacific Environmental Education Research Seminar

The Orbit of Environment Education Policy
in Chinese Basic Education
Gen-cheng Su* and Zhi-yong Wei*Gen-cheng Su

Abstract: Firstly, this paper introduces the concept of environment policy. Environment policy setted by a party ora state in a special period in order to achieve some environment educational goals, such as sustainable development andenvironment protect, is a directional administerial ways, and action guide line that can restrict, show and harmonize ideasand action of the objects of environment education.
This paper includes four parts.
The first part introduces the background under witch Chinese environment education policy came to being anddeveloped. This paper thinks that Chinese environment educational policy is result of international background and Chinese
special situation.
After society entering into industry society, Human rob nature resources more fearfully. The destroy to environment
turns to dangers to Human being finally. United Nations hold the first world environment meeting in Stockholm of Sweden
1972. After this meeting, Chinese environment protecting strided forward difficultly. In the same time, under international
background instituting of environment educational policy and work of environment education started difficultly in China.
Chinese theories instructing and policy instituting of environment education was impacted by International
Environment Education Proseminar hold in Belgrade 1975 and Intergovernmental Environment Education Meeting hold in
Fore-Soviet Russia Debilsi 1977. These meeting's pneuma turned to basic guideline that China advances the development ofenvironment education.
Chinese farther development of environment education was influenced by "Uited Nations Environment andDevelopment" meeting hold in 1992. This meeting bringed forward the conception of Human being having to go along withsustainable development definitely. The conception put forward new goals and assignments for environment education.
then, Chinese environment education policy consummates step by step, environment education of basic education unfolds
comprehensively.
The second part compartmentalizes the orbit of Environment Education in Chinese Basic Education. According
researching files of Chinese Environment Education, this paper thinks that goals choosing, content, characters, and waysof environment education change phase by phase, then compartmentalizes the orbit as four phases that link up each other:startup phase, development phase, redirection phase, deepen and enlarged phase.
The third part introduces environment education character of different phases of environment education policy inChinese basic education. Along with the orbit developing, this paper thinks that the practice of environment education in
Chinese basic education develops continually also, and shows different characters.
In the startup phase, macroscopical policy instruction is main. This phase can be disparted into two phases by year
1978. In the front phase, the scope of environment education in Chinese basic education was narrow, the objects and ways
were simplex, the influence is limited. After 1978, Chinese middle schools and elementary schools increased content* Inner Mongolia Nomal University, China㧙 㧙2004 UNESCO/JAPAN Asia Pacific Environmental Education Research Seminarof environment protection. From 1979 to 1983, the first, second and third meeting of Education committee of Chinese
environment science academy put forward idiographic request about environment education of Chinese middle schools andelementary schools, and this promoted development of environment education of Chinese basic education.
Development phase mainly showed policy layout in macroscopical-level, middle-level and microcosmic-level. After1978, Chinese middle schools and elementary schools emphasized energy sources, environment protection, zoology andso on in teaching, infiltrated content of environment education into relative subjects and extracurricular activities, trainedteachers in the same time. In 1990, Chinese education committee requested that high school should have elective classes
about environment protection. In November 1992, Chinese education committee and environment protection bureau holdthe first "National Environment Education Workmeeting", put forward a guideline?Education is principal to environment
protection. This promoted Chinese environment education to a flourishing situation.
In the redirection phase, macroscopical-level policy leaded environment education to the core of sustainabledevelopment. In this phase, the idea of sustainable development infiltrated into basic education step by step, so environment
education of basic education come into prevalence commendably, school pay more attention to importance of environment
education, both quantity and quality of teachers that took part in environment education upgraded.
In deepen and enlarged phase, the content of environment education was deepen and enlarged. In this period, thelevel of environment education of basic education in China improved obviously. Based on popularizing knowledge ofenvironment protection, the work of environment education emphasized students' virtue of environment much more. Theintercommunion that environment education of Chinese basic education did with others states boosted omnidirectional
development of environment education. The content of the policy changed from "whether should we unfold environment
education" to "how should we unfold environment education", "how should we insure unfolding of environment education"and such core problems.
The third part analyses the problems that environment education policy in Chinese basic education is facing and should
to result. Passing through more than thirty years' development, this paper thinks, environment education policy in Chinese
basic education has gotten notable achievement indubitably, has been acting important function that instructs and promotes
environment education in Chinese basic education. but comparing with western developed countries' system of policy ofenvironment education, the existing policy of environment education in china is being in a primary development phase.
Basing situation of Chinese environment education, there are some problems in environment education of basic educationthat the policy have to result.
(1) The main body of environment education is not clear.
In the long time, Chinese basic education is affected by traditional examination-oriented education. Though our state
has instituted macroscopical policy of environment education goals, different ranks education administrant departments do
not pay enough attention to environment education. So this results to The main body of environment education is not clear.
(2) The strength of monitoring environment education is not sufficient
Presently, not only implementing the policy is not enough, but also monitoring environment education has too muchlimitation. It is necessary to exert administration monitoring, to enforce monitoring, inspecting and appraising for education
administrant departments, environment protection departments and judicature departments, so that they can insure that allkinds of policies and measures can be brought into effect.
(3) It is necessary to change from emphasizing teaching environment knowledge to heightening environment diathesis
Environment education in Chinese basic education emphasizes environment knowledge and consciousness profoundly.
But education conception has changed from knowledge first to comprehensive development. So environment education㧙 㧙2004 UNESCO/JAPAN Asia Pacific Environmental Education Research Seminarrequire that not only to teach the students knowledge and craftsmanship, but also to enhance the students' environment
consciousness, feeling, attitude and values.
(4) Research and instruction of environment education theory are not enoughSuccessful progressing of environment education relies on instruction of science theory. But, another problem existingin many schools unfolding environment education is research and instruction of environment education theory being lacking,this make environment education be not able to empolder new realm, have no innovation, lack backup force, and make thestudents and teachers' interesting decrease step by step. So environment education can not make progress.
Key words: policy of environment education; basic education; China㧙 㧙