Environmental Education helps address "nature deficit disorder." - Dr.K.Govindaraju, Chairman, South Zone Board of Continuing Education (OZONE)

Trichy 9, Feb: Addressing in the inauguration session of workshop on Environmental education in SICE Community college for its students; Dr.K.Govindaraju, Chairman of South Zone Board of Continuing Education (OZONE) said Environmental Education helps address "nature deficit disorder." Further he said a recent study found that children today spend an average of 6 hours each day in front of TV but less than 4 minutes a day in unstructured outdoor play, leading researchers to discover a new condition specific to this current generation that they have called "nature deficit disorder." This extreme emphasis of indoor time spent in front of screens versus outdoor play and discovery has been correlated with negative psychological and physical effects including obesity, loneliness, depression, attention problems and greater social isolation due to reduced time with friends and family. What do increased study of science and nature and its increased outdoor time accomplish? Especially in the very young, it has proved in studies extremely beneficial for cognitive functioning, reduced symptoms of attention deficit disorder, increased self-discipline and emotional well-being.” He added ‘Our future relies on a well-educated public to be wise stewards of the very environment that sustains us, our families and communities, and future generations. It is environmental education which can best help us as individuals make the complex, conceptual connections between economic prosperity, benefits to society, environmental health, and our own well being. Ultimately, the collective wisdom of our citizens, gained through education, will be the most compelling and most successful’

Earlier Dr.K.Govindaraju enlightened the mission of OZONE and said that ’ South Zone Board of Continuing Education, (OZONE) provides support on capacity building of development institutions is on building knowledge attitudes and skills in the area of Programme management, organizational management, Communication skills and Information sharing. Most needs on capacity building are addressed through training programmes which again are structured based on participant profile. We try to be focused and provide good training inputs matching training needs with resource persons. As a resource centre, we try to be in touch with NGOs, training facilitators and institutions offering infrastructure support to training about the trainings/workshops organized by South Zone Board of Continuing Education, (OZONE)’.
South Zone Board of Continuing Education, (OZONE) provides Capacity Building Trainings in Micro Enterprise and Marketing Strategies for NGO, Best practices in Micro Finance, Basic Computer Training, Communication Training, Book Keeping and Accountancy, Finance Management, Donor /NGO Interaction, Gender & Health, Gender sensitization, Project Proposal writing, Logical Framework Analysis (LFA), Livelihood workshops, Report Writing & Documentation, Organizational Ethics, Superintendents Training-Social Welfare Department, Government Policy & Budget Analysis with regard to Social Welfare, Health & Education Funded by World Bank Small Grants Program, Tally –(Accounts software) Training, Volunteer promotion, Wasteland Development Workshop, Volunteer promotion, Brain storming workshop on Social Work Curriculum, Orientation Training to heads of NGOs on HIV/AIDS awareness , Disaster Preparedness & Management for PLFs,modular employable skills, watershed management and organic farming, continuing Education,etc.An interactive session was held where in participants and resource persons engaged in discussion about ways to fight the menace of HIV/AIDS. Earlier Coordinator Vanitha welcomed the gathering and project Director proposed vote of thanks for the inaugural session.ETNS