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The
Maldives: the Latest Sandwatcher
(Article
by Abdulla Mohamed, Athira Ali, Sujau, Ministry of Environment,
Energy and Water, Maldives, Gillian Cambers, Puerto Rico. Source
The Sandwatcher, Issue 1, June 2006, http://www.sandwatch.ca/Project%20Docs/The%20Sandwatcher-%20June%202006.pdf)
 Beach
erosion and the dumping of garbage on beaches are among the many
environmental problems being faced in the Maldives. It is against
this background that Sandwatch has recently started in the Maldives,
with the goal to provide a cross-curricular, hands-on, practical
approach to environmental education that will equip students and
teachers, as well as their communities, with the necessary tools
to cope with such environmental problems. On 26-27th May 2006,
a Sandwatch workshop was held at the Baa Atoll Educational Centre
on the island of Eydhafushi. Twenty-eight teachers from primary
and secondary schools in 13 different islands took part in the
workshop, which was supported by the Atoll Ecosystem-based Conservation
Project (Baa Atoll) and Live and Learn Environmental Education.
The
teachers enjoyed learning about the Sandwatch approach and experimenting
with the methods, particularly measuring the waves, longshore
currents and sand composition and concluded that Sandwatch had
potential for use within the school curriculum, as well as with
school environmental clubs, and that furthermore Sandwatch was
a tool for raising community awareness. "Sandwatch provides knowledge
and understanding that students can apply in their daily lives"
and "Really it is a very interesting idea. We can make students
active and they can become aware of the environment" were among
the comments made by the teachers at the end of the workshop.
Plans
are now underway to begin an active Sandwatch programme in Baa
Atoll. This could become a pilot for schools in other atolls throughout
the Maldives.
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