In general, then, environmental education in Singapore


has assumed an informal, grassroots personality character- ized by campaigns, guided tours and forums bearing envi- ronmental messages that fulfill, to a large extent, the policy objectives of the government.


Discussion and directions


Environmental education programs in Singapore tend to focus on environmental awareness, knowledge and attitudes. Consequently (intentionally or otherwise), environmental education has taken the form of informal education, where workshops and guided tours dominate the efforts of federal agencies as well as nonprofit organizations to disseminate environmental content. While these are practical and useful activities, they have had little success in fostering positive environmental behaviors. Equally worrisome is the lack of an explicit reference to environmental education in the K–12 curriculum. As a result, critical teaching and learning processes involved in environmental education are either hidden by rhetoric or virtually non-existent. While terms like “constructivist pedagogy,” “student-centered learning” and “inquiry” are no longer foreign concepts in classrooms, teachers may still lack the requisite knowledge, skills and time to implement these in a tightly structured curriculum. A deeper understanding of the K–12 curriculum, teacher prepa- ration programs, professional development opportunities and the educational philosophies associated with environmental education in Singapore are urgently needed. Kong et al. note that the drive to achieve affluence


and success in Singapore, where there is “always a sense of wanting to do better as a country and as individuals,” is likely to have led to environmental education that promotes a particular set of values favoring growth and development over the environment.13


of overlooking perceptions and values in dealing with the environmental crisis,15


David Orr has pointed out the dangers yet there is little research related to


violence, lowered self-esteem and impaired learning.16 While Singapore continues to urbanize rapidly, and natu- ral areas may not be quite as abundant now as during my childhood, built areas remain excellent places to learn about human–environment interactions and serve as meaningful contexts for environmental education. The “nature-deficit disorder” may not be an issue in Singapore if educators can help individuals and communities make meaningful con- nections to an increasingly urban environment; however, I feel that many Singaporeans will be denied opportunities to engage in conversations and actions related to environ- mental health, largely because of a cultural mind-set that ranks economic rewards and self-interest above connections with the environment. This is particularly salient in view of Singapore’s vision of a citizenry “geared to meet the needs of the 21st century.”17


Given the current environmental con-


ditions and the increasing strain on a finite set of resources, Singapore may find itself unprepared for the needs of the next century if environmental education does not fill a more central role in the government and the minds of its people.


Bryan Wee is an assistant professor in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Colorado in Denver. A native Singaporean, he previously spent several years in Singapore working at the Jurong Bird Park, and at Pulau Ubin with the National Parks Board.


Notes


1. L. Kong, B. Yuen, N.S. Sodhi, and C. Briffett, “The Construction and Experience of Nature: Perspectives of Urban Youths,” Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 90:1, 1999, pp. 3–16.


2. B. Wee, J. Harbor, and D. Shepardson, “Multiculturalism in Environmental Science: A Snapshot of Singapore,”Multicultural Perspectives, 8:2, 2006, pp. 10–17.


In fact, “by and large, young people


in Singapore are quick to defend the need to remove natural areas, for example, for the construction of other ‘more nec- essary’ amenities.”14


Singaporeans’ worldviews in the context of environmental education. What is the nature of the human–environment relationship in Singapore, and what are the implications for individuals, communities and the nation? As a native Singaporean who has lived in the United


States for more than a decade, I have found it useful to deconstruct my own experiences so that I can understand my past and look forward to the future. In Singapore, I grew up in a rural village where I spent much of my early child- hood playing in streams, catching grasshoppers and tending to myriad animals at home (rabbits, chickens, dogs). In the United States, I was fortunate to be able to nurture these interests; and I believe that these childhood experiences fostered a deeper connection with nature, which eventually led to a career in environmental education. Richard Louv describes a growing concern with what he terms “nature- deficit disorder,” in which the divorce of human society from natural areas is so extreme that it leads to increased


3. V.R. Savage and S. Lau, “Green Issues: Official Policies and Student Awareness,” in Environmental Issues in Development and Conservation, Singapore: SNP Publishers, 1993, pp. 13–28.


4. I. Tan, C. Lee and K. Goh, “A Survey of Environmental Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavior of Students in Singapore,” International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 7:3, 1998, pp. 181–194.


5. Kong et al., 1999, p. 12


6. L. Kong, I.T. Poh Ai, P.I. Gusti Tisna, P. Remorin, R. Suwannatachote, and W. Lee, “Unity and Diversity: Southeast Asia,” in D. Yencken, J. Fien and H. Sykes (Eds.), Environment, Education and Society in the Asia-Pacific, Routledge, 2000, pp. 113–134.


7. Kong et al., 2000.


8. Ministry of Education,Desired outcomes of education, 2004. Website accessed April 1, 2008 at <www.moe.gov.sg/corporate/desired_outcomes3.htm>. 9. Wee et al., 2006.


10. Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, The Singapore Green Plan, 2004. Website accessed April 1, 2008 at <http://app.mewr.gov.sg>.


11. National Parks Board, Singapore, Corporate Information, 2007. Website accessed April 1, 2008 at <www.nparks.gov.sg/corporate_info.asp>.


12. Nature Society, Singapore, About NSS, 2006. Website accessed April 1, 2008 at <www.nss.org.sg/about.html>. 13. Kong et al., 2000. 14. Kong et al., 1999, p. 12. 15. D.W. Orr, Earth in Mind, Island Press, 2004. 16. R. Louv, Last Child in the Woods, Algonquin Books, 2006.


17. Ministry of Education,Mission and Vision Statement, 2007. Website accessed April 1, 2008 at <www.moe.gov.sg/corporate/mission_statement.htm>.


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