APPROVED TO INCLUDE COMPULSORY ENVIRONMENTAL TEACHING IN LOCAL EDUCATION BY LAW.
Mexico City (CDMX) has taken great steps towards a sustainable and ecological future by reforming its environmental laws and improving the management and control of plastic waste. However, Mexico City took another after reforming its Federal District Education Law to include environmental education as part of the academic curriculum.
Last March, the Mexican Congress amended the Federal District Education Law on environmental matters. In summary, this modification creates the obligation for Mexico City public schools to include and provide environmental education as part of their educational curriculum. In other words, environmental education will be compulsory and will be part of the subjects that preschool, primary and secondary school students must study. This reform will go hand in hand with the guidelines and educational structure determined by the Ministry of Public Education (SEP), the federal agency responsible for education in Mexico.
Members of the united committees of Education and Environment, Preservation and Climate Change of the Congress; March 2019.
This Law is extremely important as it places environmental education as a formative part of future generations of citizen’s education. Both Mexico City and the SEP have made it clear that in order to change our consumption and waste habits, we must change our thinking, and the only way to achieve this is through education. The more informed we are and the more information, material, and educational resources we have more access to, the more we can objectively analyze what we need to do to raise awareness and change. By including and integrating environmental matters in schools, CDMX will be better positioned to improve its sustainability and general ecology.
It is not a simple path and everyone in Mexico City has a great job ahead. Changing habits is not easy, but we must start from the basics to achieve the ultimate goal. Education is of the utmost importance as it influences many stages of our life. Environmental education is necessary and essential to achieve the change that we all want and future generations deserve. That is why, as part of Plastic Oceans Mexico, we are committed to ensuring that this type of initiative and law continue to be promoted. We are also committed to the making of “the environmental education” sector something to be seen and heard everyday, hopefully helping to find where this will fit in and be part of every educational program and even within large or small companies.
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