A lack of specific primary school curriculum resources about the health of the Murray Darling Basin led the Murray Darling Association (MDA) to develop an extensive ongoing partnership project with a group of primary students.
With a membership of 100 councils across the Murray Darling Basin, MDA’s role is to ensure that Local Government plays a key part in managing the Basin’s natural resources.
Effective and relevant natural resource management education material has been an issue for the Association and its Local Government members for many years.
Having commenced three years ago, the partnership is now providing a curriculum framework and materials to support schools across the Murray-Darling Basin to understand and improve the river and catchment health.
Significantly, the Association’s initiatives have used the skills and knowledge of the primary school students to make river health a key component of their primary curriculum.
Upper Catchment Manager with the Murray Darling Association, Adrian Wells, said that the idea came from a workshop facilitated by the Association at Corowa South. It involved students from six small New South Wales and Victorian primary schools.
Adrian Wells said that, after the forum, the students discussed how they could help other schools along the Murray River learn about and contribute to a healthier river.
“The outcomes include a poster about Murray River issues; a New South Wales primary curriculum unit; a student workbook on Murray River issues; and a DVD, all developed in cooperation with other schools and natural resource management groups along the Murray River in three States,” he said. “High school students developed a ‘comic style’ publication on river health, while the Association’s Foundation is funding ideas identified by students to improve local catchment health.”
Future projects will include a handbook giving teachers guidance and confidence to engage their students in natural resource management issues.
Almost 900 units of this material have been distributed to schools in every State of the Murray-Darling Basin. The material is also used by La Trobe University in its Diploma of Education course, as well as schools in Europe.
In addition, it is accessed weekly by the community, Local Government, Landcare, catchment management authorities and private schools in New South Wales and Victoria. The project recently took out the Local Government Partnerships Award in
the inaugural Murray Catchment NRM Awards.
For more information contact Adrian Wells on (02) 6021 3655.
