A group of environmentally conscious primary school teachers have vowed to pass on the message about climate change to their students after making a summer trip to Yunnan province . The visit was organised by green group WWF Hong Kong and sponsored by Swire.
From mountain treks to visiting a local school and communities, teachers from six Hong Kong primary schools gained a vivid picture of how climate change is affecting the environment.
While visiting the Baima Xueshan Tibetan Community School, the teachers talked about the difficulties of teaching Hong Kong students about environmental issues.
'Hong Kong is a modern and metropolitan city, and children don't lack opportunities to get in touch with nature,' said Choi Hing-ling of Tin Shui Wai Methodist Primary School. 'In terms of environmental education, the best way is to take the children to the countryside to observe wildlife, but we don't always have the time to do it.'
Steven Siu Man-kit of Taikoo Primary School said the curriculum also makes it difficult to talk about climate change at school.
'Climate change is still a new concept to students and even to teachers,' he said. 'There is no specific course about it at school so far. General studies cover a wide range of topics, including history, science and nature, but it is fixed and fully-packed, and we have little time to include other topics like this.
'Also, Hong Kong students are spoilt by modern life. They want comfort and convenience. They take the bus rather than walk, and enjoy air-conditioning. They just don't care about nature.'
