A passion for environmental education has earned a Gqeberha teacher, Dr Adéle Botha, a 2024-2025 Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) Teacher Award in Education for Sustainable Development.
The FEE is the world’s largest environmental education organisation across 81 countries.
As the Enviro Coordinator at Kabega Park Primary School, Botha manages various environmental projects such as beach cleanups, planting indigenous trees, recycling picnic sets and monkey bins with recycled bottle tops.
“One environmental project led to another, and here we are, a green school proud of our environmental footprint,” she shared with the PE Express.
In its 12th year as a Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) Eco-School, Kabega Primary was previously honoured with an International Green Flag award, as well as a Diamond decade award.
“We also participate in the Enviro Awards run by DEDEAT, the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
“For this, I write a play, and am currently working with five learners who will be taking part in the play,” said Botha.
The theme is always environmental, and in addition to the play I need to submit a portfolio of evidence.
But where does her passion and love for the environment and education stem from?
“While I was growing up in Despatch, my dad always had a garden, he still does, and we went camping at the beach every school holiday. As such, I developed a love for the soil and the ocean,” said Botha.
“When I joined Kabega Primary in 2012, the opportunity arose to start a recycling project and I was blessed with colleagues like our now retired Deputy, Corrie van Eck, who had been environmentally active for many years and who took Kabega learners on regular cleanups to the Baakens River.”
According to Botha, the key to passion on the passion to learners is to create an environment where children can flourish,
“Kabega Primary School creates an environment in which teachers and learners can flourish and live their passion,” she added.
“While I coordinate the environmental activities that we do at Kabega Primary, what makes our environmental activities so successful is that everyone at school supports the green activities and motivates our learners. It is not possible to run an effective green programme without the support of the Principal, SMT, fellow teachers and support staff.”
Learners are actively involved with eco projects starting from Grade 1.
“The younger you get learners’ environmental consciousness awakened, the better. I also talk to teachers and learners from other schools and motivate them to become involved in environmental activities,” said Botha.
“They bring tops and tags, glass and bread tags to school for recycling and use recycling in their classes to make mobiles, musical instruments or counters.
“None of our learners is excluded, and they even motivate their extended families to recycle with us and to join us on cleanups.”
An incentive to encourage learners to become involved in environmental projects includes a trophy for the year.
At the end of the year, there is a trophy for Groenspoor Prefect of the Year,” shared Botha. “Every term, top recyclers are announced, and they also wear a Top Recycler badge. Then learners love doing cleanups at the beach or the Baakens River, so that is also a motivator.”
