Learning environmental issues from a secondary school curriculum: The case of learners in mamelodi township, South Africa

In South Africa, the National Curriculum Statement-Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (NCS-CAPS), which came into effect in 2011, was expected to play a critical role in raising environmental literacy among school learners. However, no detailed studies have evaluated its effectiveness in fulfilling this role, especially within schools in peri-urban areas. Consequently, this paper evaluated the level of environmental awareness, perceptions, and participation amongst secondary school learners in the peri-urban area of Mamelodi Township. Primary data for this evaluation research were collected from Grade 9 and Grade 11 secondary school learners by means of a close-ended questionnaire. The results revealed the important role played by school subjects such as Geography, Biology, and Life Orientation while other school subjects were less frequently acknowledged by the learners. The research also revealed the different sources of environmental learning, environmental awareness, as well as environmental problems that the learners were familiar with. However, in some instances, there were statistically significant differences between Grade 9 and Grade 11 learners, thus indicating differences in the learning content and the degree to which environmental education was taught in the different grades.