Question : Education on Environment

(a) whether the Hon’ble Supreme Court has recently directed the Union Government to constitute a
core committee to monitor and ensure that all the State Education Boards are complying its orders to
make environment education a compulsory subject in school curricula across the country;
(b) if so, the details of action contemplated by the Government and the composition of members of
the core Committee;
(c) whether the core Committee has visited various States/UTs to monitor whether the education
boards are complying orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court; and
(d) if so, the details in this regard?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)
(a) No, Madam. However, Environment education is already an integral part of school curriculum.
The National Curriculum Framework (NCF)-2005 infuses the components of environmental education
as part of different disciplines in the treatment of content in Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology,
Geography, History, Political Science, Health and Physical Education, Art, Music etc. As a follow-up
of NCF-2005, syllabi and textbooks for all the stages of school education have been developed by the
National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). For Classes I and II, EVS
components are integrated with language and mathematics. For classes III to V, the NCERT has
developed EVS syllabus and the textbooks integrating Science and Social Science components. For
classes VI onwards, essential EVS components are integrated across subject areas. Central Board of
Secondary Education (CBSE) has also issued directives to schools to impart environmental education
to students.
(b) to (d) The Questions do not arise.