Project Buddy Clean: NEA and Marsiling Primary School launch cleanliness resource kit

Teachers get anti-littering tips for primary school kids
By Audrey Tan, The Straits Times, 5 Nov 2014

TEACHERS can now get some help when it comes to nipping their pupils' littering habits in the bud.

A resource kit, launched yesterday by the National Environment Agency (NEA), offers some ideas on how they can get their primary school charges to care more for the environment.

The kit, which the NEA jointly developed with Marsiling Primary School, contains lesson plans, teaching materials and useful tips on conducting cleanliness projects in schools.

This could include, for instance, a buddy scheme that pairs Primary 5 pupils with younger schoolmates during fortnightly school cleaning sessions.

The focus, said the NEA, is to spread the right values of keeping the environment clean by having the senior guide the junior, rather than through perfecting the cleaning process.

NEA chief executive Ronnie Tay said the agency will continue to work with schools and other partners to encourage future generations to become more environmentally conscious.

He added: "(Such) projects... help to instil the right values in our youth in their formative years, such as that of taking responsibility and ownership for our environment through positive actions daily."

The resource kit was launched during the annual Clean and Green Singapore Schools' Carnival at ITE College Central.

Ms Grace Fu, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, as well as Foreign Affairs, was guest of honour.

She presented 23 awards to companies and schools which took part in the NEA corporate and school partnership programme, which spurs companies and schools to collaborate on joint environmental projects to benefit students and the community.

One winner was a project by Zhonghua Secondary School and global life sciences firm Life Technologies involving a tray return receptacle that encourages users to return their trays.

Another winner was ITE College West and construction firm Zap Piling's air-powered transporter, which moved people and heavy goods from one place to another, reducing the need for labour in the process.

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