Desertification learning kit in summary
CODEP, within the awareness raising campaign about desertification, has issued a comprehensive learning kit on desertification designed for 7-8 grade students from project eco-schools.

The kit is an illustrated an compilation of consistent information relevant to major factors leading to desertification. It consists of Teacher’s manual, Student’s book and textbook, picture cards, board game and a Promise tree. As a trial, the kit will be used at eco-schools during school civic education hours, so that a concrete teaching and learning methodology is agreed and set. Inception teachers’ training on the use of the kit is provided to UB eco-schools. The two major NGOs, implementing an eco-school concept, will be also obliged involve local eco-schools in the trainings.

Out of these trainings, in May, the teachers will be committed to provide a detailed reporting about whether the kit was useful, whether the students were attracted with it, what sorts of lacks were observed to improve it, and whether there are needs and demands to have similar tool elaborated for other grade students.

Learning kit objectives:
Raise an overall awareness of the schools about desertification and its relevance to other natural factors
Improve and motivate teaching and learning process
Stimulate positive influence of the children to their parents’ concern in environmental issues, like desertification 

According to eco-school teachers current training materials, which provide basic knowledge about certain environmental issue, are limited with few definitions and facts that are less user-friendly and have more teacher-centred method of teaching and learning process.

Initially, the task was quite demanding although specialized training methodologists and science experts were available. Nevertheless, due to common efforts and concrete guidelines from CODEP international backstopping, the team was able to issue a product that is comprehensive, provide consistent knowledge and provoke a mutual teaching and learning link between the teachers and the students. 

Next following learning kits are indented to be merged with an updated civic education programme that the Ministry of Education of Culture and Sciences plans to develop. However, upcoming elections and probable changes in the institutional setup of government institutions and funding issues may hinder the process. Therefore, bearing in mind that the kit is a comprehensive tool rather than an official training manual, CODEP, in order to gain time, will go on with the elaboration of consecutive series of the kit.