Enviro-Spellathon launched

The Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in cooperation with the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA) and Dubai Municipality launched Enviro-Spellathon 2002-03 at a ceremony held at Dubai Municipality headquarters yesterday.

Enviro-Spellathon is the most extensive environmental awareness programme ever conducted in the UAE. It targets over 125,000 primary school children (six to 12 years old) across the four emirates - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.

This is the first year that the Enviro-Spellathon is being implemented in Dubai, where it will cover 22,000 students in 107 schools, both government and private. Initiated in Abu Dhabi last year, Enviro-Spellathon 2001-02 drew as many as 49,000 student participants.

Buoyed by its enormous appeal, the programme organisers and sponsor have expanded it to other emirates. Local partners supporting the projects are Dubai Municipality (Dubai), ERWDA (Abu Dhabi), the Environment and Protected Areas Authority - EPAA (Sharjah), and the Environment Protection and Industrial Development Commission - EPIDC (Ras Al Khaimah).

Hamdan Al Sha'er, Director Environment Department, Dubai Municipality, and Board Member, EWS-WWF, said: "We are very pleased that such an educative and at the same time, enjoyable, project is being introduced in Dubai schools with the help of EWS-WWF, ERWDA and Shell.

"Dubai Municipality prioritises raising environmental consciousness, particularly to benefit future generations. Enviro-Spellathon is an important step in this direction, more so because the programme stimulates interest in the UAE's natural environment among city dwelling children who have little knowledge about, and even less exposure to, the country's biodiversity."

Delighted with the enthusiasm with which the programme has been received, Majid Al Mansouri, Secretary General, ERWDA, said: "The response to Enviro-Spellathon has been overwhelming since the inception of the project in 2002 - drawing participation from 300 schools in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western region.

"In the current year, not only have we enlarged its geographical coverage, we have also incorporated two additional levels targeting six to seven-year-olds, and 11-12-year-old students. New Enviro-Spellathon booklets have been developed for these levels on the themes 'waste' and 'water'."

He added: "The Enviro-Spellathon's implementation in schools on a sustained basis gives us hope that environment may, in the near future, be formally adopted as part of school curricula. Popularisation of the concept of environmental protection and wildlife conservation forms a vital part of ERWDA's work."

Awareness programmes for government and private schools have been undertaken since 1998, progressing continuously to meet priorities and adapting to environmental changes and development in learning techniques.

Conceptualised by the WWF in Hong Kong, and hugely successful when first implemented in Pakistan, the Enviro-Spellathon was developed by ERWDA for the UAE in 2001. It encourages children to read and comprehend information on local plants, animals and habitats provided in six levels.

In the process, they improve their knowledge about species, get sensitised to nature, and grasp sound environmental behaviour. The programme also urges families to get involved when children bring home their coursework.

Every participating child studies the booklet relevant to its level over a period of two weeks after which the coordinator teacher of each school tests him or her on what was learnt.

At the end, certificates or gifts are awarded depending on their scores, with the best being nominated as "Enviro-Spellathon Ambassadors".

Dr Frederic Launay, Director, EWS-WWF, said: "Education awareness and capacity building are key components of EWS-WWF's conservation programme in the UAE. Our programmes aim at influencing the long-term reduction of the UAE's ecological footprint by adopting more sustainable behaviour."

He added: "The Enviro-Spellathon constitutes an excellent medium that helps raise environmental awareness among student's comprehension increasing with each level. It is the first time that an education programme of this magnitude has been launched across the UAE and we are grateful for the support of Shell Abu Dhabi in making it possible."

Dr Mohammed Defrawi, Managing Director, Shell Abu Dhabi, said: "The success and demand for Enviro-Spellathon is evident in the increasing number of participants, as seen in its second year of implementation."

Hussain Al Mahmoudi, External Affairs Manager for Shell Dubai and the Northern Emirates, remarked: "Enviro-Spellathon is designed as a long-term programme, which in a sustained manner, both targets and educates students to grow and develop their respect for the world around them, reinforcing sound environmental messages along the way."