Play raises schoolchildren’s awareness on littering

AMMAN — Seeking to instill environmental responsibility in the younger generation through art, the Ministry of Environment on Thursday relaunched the “Zaal and Khadra” play that tackles the issue of littering.

A pair of Jordanian comedians educated an audience of over 500 schoolchildren on the impact of littering on environment and wildlife at the first show held at Al Hussein Cultural Centre in Ras Al Ain.

Employing music, sound effects and dance, the actors conveyed messages on environmental issues in a “simple and funny way”.

Yara Houni, a fifth grader from a private school in Tlaa Al Ali, said that she enjoyed the play. “It is the first time that I watch a play or sit in a theatre. The play talked about throwing waste in the streets and leaving rubbish at forests, which I know are wrong practices because they pollute our environment,” Houni told The Jordan Times at the theatre.

A group of eighth graders came from Zarqa, 20 kilometres northeast of the capital, to watch the play with their teachers.

“I am very excited to watch the play because I am a member in the environment club at our school that raises awareness of students on environment problems,” 13-year-old Raya Shihab said.

“Zaal and Khadra” was first performed in April under a nation-wide campaign to address littering, according to ministry’s spokesperson Isa Shboul.

“The play toured more than 50 schools across the country with the attendance of thousands of children. When we announced that the tour was over, we received many requests to organise another tour to reach more schools,” Shboul told The Jordan Times on the sidelines of the play.

Over the course of this scholastic year, the play will be touring more schools and target more remote areas, Shboul noted.

In addition to the play, the ministry is also organising several activities to raise public awareness on littering and try to end the practice.

A clean-up campaign was launched in early April, covering 60 locations across the Kingdom. Government agencies, civil societies and school students participated in the campaign to remove litter in public places, a government official said on Thursday.

The ministry also distributed 1,000 trash bins across the country’s forests and is preparing an environment education syllabus in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, scheduled to be introduced into the national education system as of the next academic year.