MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 1988
FPCOM WELCOMES INITIATIVES IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION.
NEW INITIATIVES IN THE AREA OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, IN PARTICULAR A PROPOSAL BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO INTRODUCE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES INTO THE SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM, WERE WELCOMED BY MEMBERS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
(EPCOM, TODAY (MONDAY).
AT THEIR MEETING TODAY, MEMBERS ALSO EXPRESSED CONTINUED CONCERN ABOUT ASBESTOS HAZARDS IN THE ENVIRONMENT.
THEY ASKED THAT FURTHER STUDIES BE CARRIED OUT ON THE USES OF ASBESTOS IN HONG KONG AND THAT PUBLIC AWARENESS MEASURES SHOULD EMPHASISE THE PROPER USE OF ASBESTOS PRODUCTS.
MEMBERS DISCUSSED THE PROGRESS IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION SINCE THE EPCOM WORKING GROUP REPORTED ITS RECOMMENDATIONS IN JULY 1986, AND NOTED THAT SEVERAL OF THEIR PROPOSALS HAD BEEN IMPLEMENTED.
MEMBERS FELT THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES COMPONENT OF EXISTING COURSES IN THE TERTIARY SECTOR SHOULD BE INCREASED, NOT ONLY IN SUCH SUBJECTS AS SCIENCE, BUT ALSO IN NON-SCIENCE SUBJECTS LIKE BUSINESS STUDIES AND LAW. A SIMILAR PRINCIPLE COULD ALSO BE APPLIED IN SECONDARY LEVEL SYLLABI.
THEY WERE PARTICULARLY PLEASED WITH THE OUTLINE SYLLABUS FOR AN OPTIONAL O-LEVEL SUBJECT IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PRODUCED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.
MEMBERS FELT THAT WITH CAREFUL DEVELOPMENT THIS WOULD 'BE A VALUABLE TOOL TO EDUCATE THE YOUNGER GENERATION ON THE NEED TO CONSERVE THE ENVIRONMENT,
MEMBERS VAUSTED OUT THAT ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT AT
LEVELS IN ORDER TO BE EFFECTIVE. THEY NOTED THAT THIS WAS BEGINNING TO HAPPEN AND CONSIDERED THE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY (WED) 1988 TO BE A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR.
MEMBERS ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED THE EFFORTS MADE BY THE MEDIA PROMOTE THE WED.
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THE IMPORT STATISTICS FOR ASBESTOS OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS WERE PRESENTED AT THE MEETING.
THE
MEMBERS EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE AMOUNT STILL DEING IMPORTED INTO THE TERRITORY AND SUGGESTED THAT FURTHER STUDIES ON USE OF ASBESTOS-CONTAINING PRODUCTS SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT.
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