July 27
Shimla: Environmental education in Himachal Pradesh’s government schools is set to become more engaging and activity-based under the HP FUTURES project being implemented by Samagra Shiksha. As part of the initiative, a two-day ‘Greening Education’ workshop was organised to equip teachers with innovative classroom practices for promoting environmental awareness among students.
The workshop, held under the guidance of Samagra Shiksha Director Rajesh Sharma, brought together 57 Eco Club coordinators from schools across Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur and Kinnaur districts. Participants were introduced to the Eco Club for Mission LiFE Activity Calendar (2026–27) and the Greening Education Toolkit, designed to help teachers make environmental education more practical, interactive and student-centric.
During the training, teachers explored activities based on the PLANTS framework—Purpose, Learning Outcomes, Action Steps, Notice Learning, Tie to Subjects and Sustainable Behaviour. They first experienced each activity as learners before presenting it as facilitators, enabling them to confidently implement the modules in their classrooms.
The workshop also featured the EcoGame Innovator Challenge, where participants designed new environment-focused games and learning activities using the PLANTS framework. Selected innovations will be compiled in the HP FUTURES Teacher Changemaker book and considered for implementation in schools across the state.
Teachers were further trained to align toolkit activities with the Green School Quality Standard (GSQS) and introduced to a common Eco Club register format to ensure uniform documentation of environmental initiatives in schools.
State Coordinator Nandini Kanwar, DIET Solan Coordinator Priyanka and DIET Shimla Coordinator Bhupesh Sharma also participated in the workshop and discussed strategies to strengthen Eco Clubs and environmental education in the state.
Under the UNESCO-supported HP FUTURES project, Samagra Shiksha is promoting competency-based learning, value-based education through sports and Greening Education. The initiative aims to make environmental learning more structured, purposeful and outcome-oriented while encouraging students to adopt sustainable practices and become responsible environmental stewards.
