A TRANSGENERATIONAL ERROR: THE COST OF LITTER EDUCATION FAILURES
Littering is one of the prevalent forms of environmental pollution in Kenya. Littering is
the act of making a place or area untidy with rubbish or leaving a large amount of
objects lying about. Littering results in the death and stunted growth of plants. It further
results in the cropping up of unwanted pests and rodents. Moreover, it results in the
spread of water-borne diseases and air pollution. Littering in Kenya, contrary to popular
belief, is not only popular in urban and peri-urban areas but also in rural areas. One of
the main questions that people ask is “Why do people litter?” By analyzing the individual
conduct of persons, this article answers this question.
Littering may be done either passively or actively. Active littering is the placement or
dropping of items in a space when in motion, while passive littering refers to leaving or
abandoning items in a space either intentionally or unintentionally. Littering is
associated with traits of laziness, ignorance, naivety and lack of care for self, others and
the environment. A study done in South Africa on the reasons for littering revealed one
of the reasons for littering as the value systems and personality traits of individuals. The
study established that people’s attitudes towards littering are derived from upbringing.
Upbringing is the training and treatment a child receives from their parents during their
process of growth. The Oxford dictionary defines a parent as both a noun and a verb; as
a noun a parent is a person’s mother or father. As a verb, to parent is to act as a child’s
mother or father. Relying on the latter, a parent is therefore a figure a child considers as
their mother or father, whether biologically related or not. Children look up to these
figures and heed the wisdom they impart on them. The greatest influence that makes us
who we are is parental guidance. Our principles and morals are derived from the
knowledge acquired from our upbringing. This knowledge is often passed down from
generation to generation.
Historically, environmental education was greatly devalued in the education system.
During the pre-colonial era the education system entailed the passing down of
traditional knowledge from generation to generation. The knowledge included the
preservation of the environment for the community’s benefit and that of future
generations. However, the introduction of formal education by the colonial government
eroded this informal system of education. The colonial government introduced
education which aimed to train Kenyans in understanding English and to provide cheap
labor to their enterprises. During this period, Kenyans were greatly oppressed.
Nonetheless, the turning point was the end of World War II. Kenyans who took part in
the war were exposed to the living conditions of the western nations and they realized
that they wanted independence. Furthermore, the failure of the colonial government to
fulfil their promises to the Kenyans who took part in the war advanced the push for
independence. At independence, the education system suffered from the lack of funds
to construct new schools. Moreover, the high rate of poverty among Kenyans and the
lack of adequate trained teachers posed a challenge to the growth of education in
Kenya. Additionally, the education system served to promote literacy among Kenyans
and bestow Kenyans with technical skills. Thus, environmental education continued to
be unvalued.
Under the Moi regime, the 8-4-4 system of education was introduced in 1985. This
system of education focused on STEM education and promoted competition among the
students. The students under 8-4-4 system pursued academic excellence rather than
self-development. The teachers, through corporal punishment, trained the students to
become academic weapons. As a result, the students focused on competition rather
than nurturing their talents and acquiring skills. Moreover, this system put little
importance on environmental preservation. The system came to an end with the
introduction of the CBC education system which focus more on self-growth and
environmental protection.
The error of early educations systems of failing to educate previous generations on the
importance of environmental conservation is a cost being paid by the present
generation. Early generations consider littering a norm and the cleaning up as the duty
of the government or an institute’s management. They blame the government for failing
to provide bins for them to put their litter in. These attitudes continue to be passed down
from generation to generation leaving the burden of rectifying the error on environment
protection activists and movements.
Nevertheless, it is never too late to rectify an error. Environmental education should not
only be done to the children but also to parents. Children heed to parental guidance
more than academic guidance. The backing up of environmental education with
parental guidance will result in the abandonment of littering as a norm and it will be
considered a vice. The CBC education system calls for parental involvement in
education. The involvement is not only in the management of the school but also
engagement in extracurricular activities as well as technical assignments and projects.
In doing so, the parents are also educated on the importance of environmental
conservation.
In addition, the government should also provide litter bins that are easily accessible for
Kenyans to use. Moreover, the county governments should pass stringent rules against
littering in their respective counties. Both the national and the county governments
should create awareness on the importance of maintaining a clean and healthy
environment through reusing, reducing and recycling. The duty to ensure our
environment is clean is not only on the government but on individual Kenyans.
USITUPE UCHAFU OVYO!
Yvonne Muriu, is a finalist at the University of Nairobi School of Law. She is also an editor at the University of Nairobi Law Journal.
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