Ecological Studies and Education in the Name of Stable Development in Russian Schools: Present and Future
A decade of education in the interest of stable development has passed. The year 2017 has been declared the year of ecology in Russia, which defines the relevance of the issue in question (the history, state and prospects for ecological studies and education in the interest of stable development in our country's schools). The situation with ecological studies is inseparable from attitudes towards ecological issues in society and in the state. Given the attention drawn to ecological issues in the early 1990's, “ecology” was introduced in schools as a mandatory subject. However, the situation changed in the late 90's. Today that vast bulk previously collected in the field of ecological studies at schools is practically useless and is utilized only by especially enthusiastic teachers. There is a discrepancy between documents authorized at the highest possible level and ecological study practices in our country. Federal state education standards put forward lofty demands when it comes to results in education on ecological issues. However, it is uncertain whether these results are achievable. There is no system for ecologizing subjects in schools. The very subject “ecology” is merely optional in high-school and is not very popular. Experts assume that a specialized mandatory course is needed in order to conduct proper ecological studies at schools. Also needed are evaluations of the effectiveness of various educational programs and textbooks. This article cites experts' opinions (given by the leading specialists in the field of ecological studies) concerning its present state and future prospects, as well as the contribution of family, mass-media, public organizations and environmental awareness.