By S, KNA
Principal Secretary (PS), State Department for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Dr. Esther Muoria, Friday, joined community in her former ACK, Ciamanda Primary School in Runyenjes Constituency, Embu, to plant fruit trees in marking this year’s Mazingira Day.
The school fraternity and community planted over 2, 000 fruit tree seedlings, including hass avocado, mangoes, oranges and paw paws in the school compound and the neighboring schools.
The PS implored on parents to inculcate the culture of tree planting and nurturing among the young ones to embed environmental education in the hearts of young children, as well as assist the country attain the target of growing 15 billion trees by 2032.
She said the Government was leveraging on schools to achieve the target by taking advantage of the big population of learners.
“As Government, we want to leverage on schools as they provide an easy space for getting to our target of 15 billion trees,” she said.
She reported that schools should not be treated as places for learning alone, but gardens of inculcating other values such as patience, care, responsibility and the importance of nurturing life through tree planting and nurturing.
“That single act of planting a tree can grow into a lifelong commitment to protecting the environment,” she said.
She called on the community to make tree planting a tradition and not a one off event to progressively increase the country’s tree cover as a means of combating climate change.
The PS said protection of environment should be a sacred duty of every Kenyan for the sake of future generations
Consequently, PS Muoria said Mazingara Day should be treated as a call to action and reminder that the environment was the livelihood of the nation as it sustains the food and water consumed.
She said the responsibility to care for the environment was not confined to the government or experts, but a shared obligation for all Kenyans.