Bandar Seri Begawan - Community problem solving should be made into a compulsory course in schools and universities as a strategy to get students to be more active in environment conservation, a Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) senior lecturer suggested.

There is no need to make drastic changes to the curriculum if community problem solving is introduced in schools, said Dr Irene Poh Ai Cheong, senior lecturer at UBD's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education.

Speaking during a briefing on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to head of education institutions at the Civil Service Institute, she said that community problem solving projects can be an approach to identify and tackle local issues, including environmental health hazards.

"Community problem solving is not just about raising awareness of issues, but the students themselves taking action to (improve the situation)," she said.

Dr Poh said that all projects involved looking at community problems that the students chose, where they resolved the issues themselves without the help of consultants or experts.

The solutions are researched by conducting surveys, making interviews and through the Internet, she said.

"The students' actions showed their participation in working towards sustainable development, with the guidance from lecturers," she said, adding that students are learning because the process involves researching for information.

In her briefing, she showed 10 community problems solving projects which UBD students have conducted in the past, including waste oil disposal in Brunei, where it was found that many residents pour their waste cooking oil down the drain or dumped on the ground.

She said that students of the project recommended facilities for collection of waste oil, and it can also be reused as car fuel or made into soap.

Another project saw students addressing the potential health hazards of plastic and polystyrene used in food packaging.

The students of the project suggested developing alternative food packaging, and working with food vendors to change their habits and practices.

The senior lecturer said that the projects also take into consideration the economic aspects of sustainable development, as business organisations are made accountable for the waste they encourage.

Students' suggestions also include government authorities imposing a tax so that the public consume less energy and more waste collection and recycling facilities.

However, Dr Poh said that many students were afraid to take the community problem solving coursework because a lot of time will be spent on researching for information and the subject content is different for the whole class.

Some government agencies and education institutions in Brunei have already carried out ESD activities, but a national ESD framework has yet to be implemented.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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