Thomas Gall School, Sri Lanka’s first eco-school

Wednesday, 5 May 2021 00:13 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Thomas Gall School was opened on Friday (9) as the country’s first eco-school, a pioneering initiative by Barbara Hall. Former Minister Mangala Samaraweera was the Chief Guest.

The school said it is marking the opening of the new campus as well as the official recognition of its move and development towards a full cross curricular, sustainable curriculum. This means teaching all subjects with sustainability at the core, topic-based learning that infuses lifelong skills to create lifelong environmentally conscious people.

“These children are our future, they are the change for making Sri Lanka and our world a healthier and better place for all. We are not only talking about teaching students about the environment but about creating sustainable humans who have the qualities and strength to make a better change for the future world. To appreciate and have an awareness for the environment and community around them,” the school said.

In the four weeks of the students and teachers being at the new Campus 2, they have fully embraced this vision for a holistic sustainable curriculum and taken ownership of it in their teaching and learning.

Students are already making a change, finding and emailing existing projects in Sri Lanka and finding out how they can be involved. By offering an integrated curriculum with our TGS ethos, we offer a learning environment that encourages, awareness, curiosity, empathy, love, passion and tolerance and much more. The school promises to create people that appreciate and accept others as equals and respect their environment and the community around them. This cross curricular way of teaching equips students for a successful life and is the most powerful form of education.

“We are in the process of becoming recognised as Sri Lanka’s first eco-school. This is a global movement run by the Foundation for Environmental Education. Currently there are 68 countries registered, teaching 19.5 million students across the globe and we will be the first school in Sri Lanka to be registered as an eco-school. There are seven steps we must follow in which to do this – we have already completed four of these,” the school said.

Having reached out to our experts in this field, it has been overwhelmed by their interest and support. Also by the interest coming from non-experts, enthusiasts who wish to support us, we can offer them a platform and a voice in their wish for change. For years TGS has been proactive, cleaning beaches, recycling, growing, just a few of our environmentally friendly practices.

Friday’s launch was a more dedicated mission by becoming the first school in Sri Lanka to qualify as an eco-school. Addressing sustainability with the right people on board to guide and inspire, to achieve and deliver what an eco-school promises its community and its country.

“To bring awareness and to help with the rain forests , our wild life, our water issues , cultivating our food, nurturing our gender, cultural and religious issues regarding tolerance and equality are but just a few of our obligations as an eco-school,” TGS said.