Environmental protection: Minister Nalova Lyonga launches training of secondary, primary school teachers.

The training is part of the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment, GLOBE Programme, a worldwide hands-on, science and education programme which is focused on the environment, now active in over 130 countries including Cameroon.

It is holding on the sidelines of the 2024 annual regional coordination meeting of GLOBE representatives of African countries taking place in Cameroon.

Minister Nalova Lyonga who opened the intensive training for primary and secondary school Monday was accompanied by the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Secondary Education in charge of Teacher Training, Boniface Bayaola.

The opening was held in the presence of United States Ambassador to Cameroon, His Excellency Christopher John Lamora. 

The workshop, which runs from April 29 to today May 3, is holding under the theme: “Climate and Resilience”.

In an exchange with reporters following Monday’s launch of the training, GLOBE Cameroon Country Coordinator, Lawrence Kambiwa, said: “Here today, Cameroon is hosting the 2024 annual regional coordination meeting of GLOBE representatives of African countries”.

He explained that: “During this meeting, we take the opportunity to do capacity building, to enhance the skills of our teachers so that they can be able to do sustainable environmental education”.

Taking newsmen on a guided tour of equipment displayed at the gathering, the country coordinator explained that: “What you see here is a school weather station. This school weather station is a GLOBE model. It meets international standard which means that if you go to the department of meteorology in the ministry of transport, you will find same system like this. This another box, is called the instrument centre. All the thermometers are inside. Here is a chart. This chart helps to identify cloud types and behind it, you have the various cloud types explained graphically. So, before the teacher or student comes out to observe the cloud, he or she can also have a sense of the cloud type on paper and the names are standard”.

The GLOBE Programme, it should be said, is a worldwide programme that brings together students, teachers, scientists and citizens to promote science and learning about the environment. 

Through a hands-on approach to inquiry, participants are encouraged to engage in local investigations that cover five core fields: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, soil (pedosphere), and Earth as a system. 

Observations made locally are submitted to the GLOBE data and information system, and can be accessed freely online. 

The said measurements are combined with readings at automated stations to create a worldwide resource for conducting scientific inquiry; some measurements serve as ground truth for NASA satellite data products.

The GLOBE data and information system contains over 130 million measurements from more than 10 million students in 113 countries around the world since its operation begun in 1995. 

Since 2016, GLOBE has expanded its participation outside of the formal school setting to include individual citizens of all ages through a GLOBE Observer, GO, mobile app.