Awareness about clean air

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) is sponsoring the 2023 Clean Air Project which aims to promote awareness about pollution among primary school children in circuits one and two of the Eden/Karoo educational district.

Ninety-six teachers and 2 917 learners are participating in the project that is designed to align with the Caps curriculum regarding pollution, and focused on Life Skills in Grade 3.

The project is divided into several stages, starting with the distribution of resources to the different schools. The resources include posters, lesson plans, worksheets and game cards, all available in English, Afrikaans and iSixhosa.

The second stage involved a 30-minute online introduction presentation, which was well attended and received by teachers. As part of stage three, teachers were provided with self-paced online training where they can earn five CTDP points.

During the fourth stage, the project will be implemented in the classroom with the learners.

"So far, the programme has been well received by all the schools and teachers involved," said Dr Johann Schoeman, GRDM manager for district air quality control.

"Oudtshoorn has achieved a reward for the best air quality in Africa, according to IQ Air. This achievement is attributed to GRDM's consistent investment and contribution towards improving the air quality in the area. It is the goal of GRDM to have all the towns in the Garden Route district among the top ten with the cleanest air in Africa."

The 2023 Clean Air Project is just one of the many initiatives that the Air Quality Section is undertaking to achieve this goal.

"With the success of this project, it is hoped that more schools in the region will participate in the coming years. The project is currently in its sixth year cycle," said Schoeman.

"We have reached all the schools in the district and are currently working on the second round. The Klein Karoo was covered last year. Next year and the following year, it will be George, Uniondale, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and all primary schools in between."