Students empowered in conference on water and sustainability
KUCHING: The seventh WWFMalaysia’s International EcoSchools Conference ( IESC) from Dec 9 to 13 at SMK Sungkai, Perak sees the participation of schools from Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia.
A press statement from WWF said every year more than 100 EcoSchools students gather to share and exchange knowledge on their school’s environmental initiatives. It said this inspiring platform is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs) and this year’s focus is ‘ Water, the Source of Life’.
In recent years, Malaysia has seen a higher frequency and more intense dry spells, which has affected water resources in many parts of the country.
Apart from field trips, the conference also features expert speakers from the water industry to speak on this growing concern.
“We use water daily, yet the average user knows so little about the challenging journey water takes to reach everyone. Globally, our rivers face many threats such as plastic pollution and sedimentation (due to logging in water catchments) and so on. We need to empower every water user, such as the IESC delegates, about freshwater conservation so they can make informed and better choices for our planet,” said WWF-Malaysia (Freshwater Conservation) senior manager Datin Daria Mathew in the statement.
She added that this is why WWF-Malaysia organises the freshwater-themed IESC for the first time to complement their other programmes such as the ‘Journey of Water’ and ‘ Water Quest’.
“The third shift of the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013 to 2025 aims to develop values- driven Malaysians.
This conference prepares students to face the issues of environmental degradation. When they are exposed beyond the school ground and are connected to the global awareness, they will become individuals with a strong conscience. This is one of the virtues of education — to develop holistic students who value a balanced view and harmony,” said the Ministry of Education (Private Education Division) head Datin Sri Hajah Nor Zamani.
She hoped that the conference will discuss other areas of the SDGs in relation to water by focusing not only on the issues but also the approaches to solve the problems in the long run. WWFMalaysia and partners created this platform for students to share their work, ideas and passion with other students of different backgrounds, nationalities and races.
WWF-Malaysia is also striving to empower young people to care for the environment so they can lead sustainability related activities and influence others to follow.