The teachers are part of SEAMEO's (South East Asia Ministers of Education Organization) Qitep in Science program, a Bandung-based intergovernmental organization that aims to train teachers across South East Asia in the fields of education, science and culture.

Program staff member, Heri Setiadi, said the teachers came from Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Timor Leste and Indonesia.

“We’re hoping the 'Environmental Education for Sustainable Development' concept the school currently implements can inspire these teachers and that they can adapt it to their home countries,” Heri said.

Wikrama Vocational High School has had numerous achievements related to environmental protection and several activities affiliated with SEAMEO’s program.

A biology teacher from Finantil Comoro High School in Timor Leste, Jenina Alves Marcal, said she liked Wikrama’s idea to utilize the school building's rooftop to plant organic vegetables and decorative plants, and then to sell the crops in the canteen.

Wikrama’s headmaster Iin Mulyani said that since the school was established in 1996, it had focused on being environmentally responsible.

“We try to be as thrifty as possible by, for example, not using air conditioners in the classrooms and optimizing the use of sunlight,” she said.

“We’re listed as a ASPnet School member under UNESCO. We received the Indonesia Green Award in 2012, 2014 and 2016. We were also named as an inspirational school this year,” she added.

Iin went on to explain that the school integrated environmental education into its daily intra and extra curricula activities. One of the activities was recycling rubbish into handcrafts. (vla)