Why we need EVS in Ladakh’s schools

The recent transition of government schools from J&K BOSE to the CBSE curricula marks a significant step towards standardising education in the Union Territory of Ladakh. However, the lack of a dedicated environment science (EVS) subject in the CBSE curriculum poses a big challenge for students, subject teachers and society as a whole. This change not only impacts the quality of education but also undermines the efforts to build an environmentally literate society and undermines the government’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework. The absence of EVS significantly impacts ecologically-sensitive regions like Ladakh where environmental consciousness is not just an academic course but a survival imperative.

In my opinion, environmental science is the foundation for nurturing environmentally-literate minds. It instils concern and sensitivity about the environment in young minds from the very beginning of their lives in school. In turn they grow into sensible and nature conscious adults who act as environmental stewards. In an era defined by climate crises, biodiversity loss, and pollution, EVS equips students with the knowledge to understand ecological systems, sustainable practices, and their role in protecting the planet.

More specifically, Ladakh, which is one of the most sensitive and fragile ecological zones in the world with its unique landscape and biodiversity, is disproportionately affected by climate change. For Ladakhis, environmental stewardship is not a choice but a necessity ingrained in their way of life. Thus, the lack of EVS in the CBSE curriculum undermines this sense of urgency. In turn, Ladakhi students, who will inherit this vulnerable landscape, are being denied the tools to understand and address these challenges. The absence of EVS in school curricula risks creating a generation of disconnected students from the region’s fragility and sensitivity, which could accelerate its ecological collapse.

Key topics like conservation, waste management, renewable energy, and climate change are not abstract concepts but real-world issues that future generations must understand and address. Removing EVS deprives students of critical literacy in a field directly tied to their survival and well-being. Moreover, EVS fosters interdisciplinary learning. It bridges geography, biology, chemistry, and social sciences, while also encouraging students to think more holistically. It cultivates problem-solving skills, empathy for nature, and civic responsibility in young minds. These are qualities that are essential for building a sustainable society.

It is ironic that on the one hand global leaders and climate activists emphasise the urgency of climate action. And yet, on the other hand, policymakers and people who develop and frame school education curriculum are paradoxically downplaying the role of environmental science and environmental literacy. It’s like organising a green conference for carbon neutrality by using hundreds of flights, lavish hotels and energy intensive venues, which significantly increases the carbon emissions. Likewise people are blamed for causing climate change with their lifestyle choices even as students in schools are deprived of environmental education.

It is possible that the people who make decisions and develop curricula at Central Board for School Education think that other subjects such as biology and geography cover these topics. However, at the senior secondary level, EVS offers a more dedicated focus, understanding and builds a rational bonding of students and the environment. Integrating it with other subjects might dilute the message and effectiveness in the real world.

Students are in their adolescence in the secondary and senior secondary level and are more likely to be drawn towards modern, lavish and carbon-intensive lifestyles. They are living in an age in which lavish, extravagant lifestyles are superficially attractive and aligned with aspirational social status. Therefore they might prioritise things that are trendy and give them a false sense of satisfaction and belongingness to their peers. In such a situation where people value such standards and lifestyles, why should they care about the environment? Without a proper formal environmental education, how could we blame them of being careless and negligent of the environment and the impact of their choices? Their present choices and environmentally irresponsible habits will have long-term impacts in the future. Therefore an introduction to the importance of the environment is important for students at their age to help them connect with nature and understand its importance to their lives. Through this subject, they can understand and realise that sustainability does not mean one has to abandon modernity. Instead, one needs to redefine it to include environmental processes in our decision-making. This helps them realise that lavish lifestyles are not desirable in a world threatened with environmental collapse.

Since CBSE recognises the value of subjects such as home science, fashion design, music, beauty and wellness, yoga etc, then why not environmental science? This is a discipline that is critical to the survival of humanity and other life-forms. If yoga nurtures physical and mental wellness and music fosters creativity and cultural preservation, then EVS teaches harmony between humans and nature, without which there can be no creativity or cultural value. Without pure and unpolluted air, the breathing exercises done in yoga are futile. It’s a call for parity. This contradiction is not to diminish these subjects but to demand balance, equity and fairness.

Without a structured EVS curriculum, students are deprived of opportunities to engage with pressing environmental issues and they graduate without understanding their ecological footprint. Ladakh is a rural, ecologically vulnerable region where livelihoods are dependent on natural resources and such a gap in the education system can be catastrophic. It also dissuades students from opting for a career in the environmental sector. The absence of this subject at the secondary level creates an uncertainty in the minds of hundreds of students who have dedicated years to master the subject. In addition, the absence of EVS demoralises skilled professionals and wastes human resources such as in-service EVS lecturers, who are frustrated as they are compelled to teach subjects in which they have no expertise. It is also disrespectful of their subject specialisation.

Environmental education is also a global and national priority. India has committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals including SDGs 3, 6, 7, 13, 14 and 15, which can only be achieved through imparting environmental education to students. EVS aligns very well with national initiatives such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Jal Shakti Abhiyan and renewable energy campaigns. Carbon neutrality in Ladakh was envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it aims at restructuring development activities to minimise greenhouse gas emissions. This vision can only be achieved if the local populace is environmentally educated. This can be done only through their school education. By omitting EVS in schools, we undermine the government’s efforts of meeting the SDGs as well as the vision of making ‘carbon neutrality’ in Ladakh. The National Education Policy, 2020 also emphasises environmental awareness and critical thinking, and EVS is an ideal subject for it.

A lot of effort has been made to introduce this important subject in the CBSE curriculum at the secondary level in different ways but there has been no positive response so far. We, as lecturers of EVS in Ladakh, took up this issue with the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, former Member of Parliament, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, and the two LAHDCs but no one has been able to re-introduce environment sciences in the curriculum. We once again appeal to all authorities to reinstate EVS in Ladakh’s school curricula—the future of our planet depends on it. Let’s not teach our children to breathe deeply through yoga while ignoring the polluted air they inhale. Let’s not teach them to sing the music of rivers, while those rivers are dry and let’s not teach them about a glacier trek while those glaciers continue to disappear.

Editor’s note: We have withheld the identity of the writer(s) to protect them from any potentially negative reactions and to focus attention to the issue they have raised.