Tuesday, July 12 2005 11:39 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The decade-old Supreme Court directive to create environmental awareness among students is finally taking shape with National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) framing an all India curriculum in this regard to be followed by all schools and colleges.

The NCTE report saw the light of the day following an apex Court direction on a contempt petition filed by noted environment lawyer M C Mehta complaining that no action was taken to implement its 1996 direction that environment be made a compulsory subject at all levels of education.

Acting on the apex Court order, the NCTE came out with the report saying environmental education, as a compulsory curriculum for teachers' education, will be implemented to stress upon development of critical awareness about pressing problems of life specially environmental degradation, its consequences and methods to contain such evils.

The report, 'Environmental Education: Curriculum Framework for Teachers and Teacher Educators', was submitted by NCTE before the Supreme Court along with an affidavit.

"It is agreed all over the world that education can certainly play an important role in developing environmental awareness if it is incorporated in the curricula and courses of studies for which teachers have to be prepared," the report said.