Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 18 July 2025
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Andaman & Nicobar Regional Centre, inaugurated a three-day training workshop on “Awareness and Promotion of LIFE Activities” under the ‘Training of Personnel of Other Stakeholders’ initiative for school teachers across the Islands. Sponsored by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, the workshop is being held from July 17 to 19 at the ZSI Auditorium, Sri Vijaya Puram.
Dr. Chandra Bhushan Kumar, IAS, Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, graced the inaugural session as the chief guest. In his keynote address, the Chief Secretary lauded ZSI’s consistent efforts in promoting environmental education and outreach. He emphasized the vital role of teachers in spreading awareness about biodiversity conservation and highlighted the importance of technology, inclusive education, and community participation in achieving sustainable environmental goals.
Dr. Kumar underscored the need to ensure equal opportunities for teachers from remote areas of the Islands to access such educational initiatives. He suggested leveraging digital platforms to make environmental programs more accessible and far-reaching, breaking geographical barriers.
To institutionalize biodiversity education, the Chief Secretary proposed the creation of a dedicated calendar of environmental awareness activities in coordination with the Education Department. He also recommended involving senior students from Classes IX and XI, noting their potential as catalysts for community-driven environmental change. Sharing a real-life example from Maharashtra, he illustrated how individual commitment could transform barren land into a thriving forest ecosystem.
Further, Dr. Kumar encouraged the development of micro-learning tools—short videos and informative booklets—that could be distributed via smartphones for broader knowledge dissemination. He urged institutions to observe local ecological shifts, such as changes in fruiting patterns of mango trees, as indicators of climate change and use such observations to promote environmental awareness.
Earlier, Dr. C. Sivaperuman, Officer-in-Charge and Course Director, welcomed the participants and detailed the workshop’s objectives and structure. The training includes expert lectures and a field visit to Burmanallah’s intertidal habitats and Chidiyatappu Biological Park to explore the region’s rich marine and terrestrial biodiversity.
A total of 27 teachers from 15 schools in South Andaman are participating in the workshop, which aims to equip educators with knowledge and tools to integrate biodiversity and environmental topics into classroom learning.
