Siġġiewi Primary has managed to acquire the green flag award for the 7th consecutive time. This is a proud achievement for the school since the green flag is an international prestigious award for the success in environmental action and learning. The award is given for bringing about a marked positive change in the school.
In fact, Siġġiewi primary has been part of the Eco-schools programme for the last 14 years and the green flag award has been renewed for the continued commitment shown in the last two scholastic years. Throughout these two years the school has worked on the seven steps which form part of the eco-schools methodology such as setting up an eco-committee, doing an environmental review and developing an action plan amongst others.
The actions of the committee led by the children themselves mainly focused on waste management. The children lead an awareness campaign across the different year groups on sorting waste at school. They also planned and carried out a campaign for the school to stop using disposables and thus cutting down on waste generation. The main drive here was to stop using disposable cups with all members of staff bringing their own mugs. The children were the protagonists of these campaigns together with other complimentary activities they participated in. Through their work they managed to bring about a change in the school community. Yet perhaps an overall benefit of being part of the eco-schools programme is that the children are trained to question what is usually taken for granted, to speak up with ideas they might have, to evaluate and plan what can be done and all in all to see themselves as agents of change.
As a school we look forward to continue being part of the eco-schools programme to provide our learners with such opportunities and show our commitment towards sustainable education.
Ms Doreen Spiteri
Programme Coordinator
St Ignatius College, Patri Ġużè Delia, Siġġiewi Primary 