ABSTRACT

This chapter explores some options for correcting identified inadequacies so as to improve the capacity of the girl child in coping with the problems of the environment in a modern and industrializing Nigeria. To achieve sustainable development, with human and natural resources brought into dynamic equilibrium, the skills and knowledge of the women who are primary sustainers of society must be utilized. Should women be appropriately trained and informed, it would be possible for them to continue to serve as major agents for environmental education and management in the modern urban cities just as they have been in the rural areas. It is necessary to identify and discuss some of the inadequacies in the education of the girl child which make it difficult for her to cope with the management of modern environmental problems. The following recommendations are offered: restructuring the school curriculum; in-service training for teachers; school botanical gardens; world environment day; horticultural societies; and school/Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) collaboration.