When I was young, my house in Ujong Pasir, Malacca was a stone’s throw away from the nearby beach. Many happy hours of my childhood were spent picking up shells, chasing crabs along the seashore and generally being a nuisance. Many a time, I received an earful from my mother for bringing home marine creatures, which had washed up on the beach. It ignited my lifelong love of the sea and its marine life.
Alvin Jeyanathan Chelliah, passionate diver and conservationist, spent many hours by the beaches of Terengganu during his school holidays, snorkeling in Pulau Perhentian and over time developed a love for reefs and their teeming marine life.
Today he and his wife work for Reef Check Malaysia, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), dedicated to the conservation of marine eco-systems.
“Having worked in marine conservation for the past 14 years, I believe marine conservation is important and we need to bring it to the classroom, so students in schools start young and understand how they need to protect the environment and ensure it exists for the next generation,” he said.
Environment classes and the need to protect marine life
Currently Alvin runs environmental education programmes with local schools on Pulau Tioman, where he is based with his wife, and two children who live on Tioman.
“The majority of Malaysians depend on the sea for their source of protein, which includes fish, crabs, prawns and squid. Marine tourism is also important to Malaysia. Thus the need to educate our children on marine life, the ocean, how to respect the ocean and not treat it as a dumping ground, also the value of mangrove swamps and how they contribute to protecting our coastline,” added Alvin, who feels Malaysia needs to bring the subject of “Our Environment” to students in primary school.
Another passionate advocate for the environment, Dr Louisa Shobhini Ponnampalan co-founded MareCet Research Organisation, Malaysia’s first and only NGO dedicated to the research and conservation of marine mammals in 2012, based in Langkawi and Selangor.
MareCet also launched a children’s story book titled, “Mummy, Where’s my Dorsal Fin?” to promote the natural wonders and beauty of Langkawi.
She believes there remains a big lack of awareness amongst most Malaysians about the perils that are being faced by our marine environment and our marine life.
“This lack of awareness includes not realising how our actions and consumption habits on land are impacting things that are important to us,” said Louisa who developed a love for dolphins from a young age, which spurred her ambition to eventually become a marine mammal scientist.
The impact of “Man and the environment” on students
“Environmental education as a whole is missing from our current national curriculum. Back in 1994, when I was in standard 6, there was a subject known as “Alam dan Manusia.” When translated, it means “Man and the environment”.
“That’s where I first learnt about recycling, environmental issues and its importance, and it had a profound impact on how I viewed the environment. Unfortunately, 1994 was the last year the subject was taught and was later replaced by “Sains” in 1995. This new subject, Science did not include environmental science or conservation-related topics.
“It has remained so till today. This needs to change, and while many government schools across the country now have environmental clubs and some schools are more eco-conscious. They do compost, while banning single-use plastics in their canteen and set up water refill stations, but more needs to be done,” said Louisa.
She said MareCet has a project known as “Whales-on-the-Wheels Mobile Marine” Exhibition, which travels across schools, bringing the ocean to the doorstep of students.
“The faces of the children light up when they view the exhibition and its highlights,” she said.
She feels environmental education should be taught weekly.
“There is a need to foster the next generation of eco-conscious citizens and environmental stewards, if we are truly to become an advanced country.
“We are nothing without the natural environment that provides and supports so much of our lives,” she added.
“The role it plays is crucial for our survival.”
