Introduction
The South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) Ndlovu node has established an Environmental Science Education and Outreach Programme to coordinate environmental science outreach programmes to bring science closer to society. The impact of ecological processes both natural and human affects the livelihood of communities. An understanding of these processes help support schools and community programmes that aim at sustainable use of natural resources.The Environmental Science Education and Outreach Programme provides educator-support that enables educators and learners to engage in hands-on monitoring projects to demonstrate the use of science to gain knowledge that will help improve the quality of science teaching and learning at schools and to improve quality of life of communities.
The objective of Environmental Science Education and Outreach programme is hands-on and inquiry-based
learning which is in line with Natural Science Learning outcomes viz., Scientific enquiry and problem solving;
'Construction and application of life science knowledge and Life sciences, technology, environment and
society'. The Education Outreach Programme has positioned itself to play a significant educational role within
the context of Outcomes Based Education where teaching should engage learners in investigation,
data collection, analysis and inquiry-based teaching.