The recent transition of Govt. schools from JKBOSE to the CBSE curriculum marks a significant step towards standardizing education in the Union Territory of Ladakh. However, the lack of a dedicated Environmental Science (EVS) subject in the CBSE curriculum poses a significant challenge, primarily for both students and subject teachers, and generally for the whole populace. This change not only impacts the quality of education but also undermines efforts to build an environmentally literate society and the Government’s own vision of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is unjust not to mention that this lack of EVS significantly impacts ecologically sensitive regions like Ladakh, where environmental consciousness is not just an academic pursuit but a survival imperative.

Environmental Science is more than a subject—it is the foundation for nurturing environmentally literate minds. Instilling in young minds, from the very beginning of their life in schools, the concerns and sensitivity of the environment and nature creates sensible, nature-conscious, and responsible environmental stewards when they grow into adults. In an era defined by climate crises, biodiversity loss, and pollution, EVS equips students with the knowledge to understand ecological systems, sustainable practices, and their role in protecting the planet.

Specifically, if we talk about Ladakh, one of the most sensitive and fragile ecological zones in the world with its unique landscape and biodiversity, it is disproportionately affected by climate change. For Ladakhis, environmental stewardship is not a choice but a necessity ingrained in their way of life. Yet, the lack of EVS in the CBSE curriculum strikes a hard blow to this urgency. Ladakhi students, who will inherit this vulnerable landscape, are being denied the tools to understand and address these challenges. This lack of EVS risks creating a generation disconnected from the land’s fragility and sensitivity, which could accelerate ecological collapse.

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Key topics like conservation, waste management, renewable energy, and climate change are not abstract concepts but real-world challenges that future generations must address. Removing EVS deprives students of critical literacy in a field directly tied to their survival and well-being. Moreover, EVS fosters interdisciplinary learning. It bridges geography, biology, chemistry, and social sciences, encouraging students to think holistically. For young minds, it cultivates problem-solving skills, empathy for nature, and civic responsibility—qualities essential for building a sustainable society. But the powerful irony is that, on one hand, global leaders and climate activists emphasize and voice the urgency of climate action, yet on the other side, policymakers and curriculum framers paradoxically downplay the role of environmental science and environmental literacy. It’s like attending a green conference for carbon neutrality, yet using hundreds of flights, lavish hotels, and energy-intensive venues, thereby increasing carbon emissions. Likewise, people are blamed for causing climate change, yet students in schools are deprived of environmental education.

Perhaps the CBSE curriculum framers think that other subjects like biology and geography cover these topics, but at the senior secondary level, EVS offers a dedicated focus, understanding, and builds a rational bond between students and nature. Integrating it into other subjects might dilute the message and effectiveness in the real world. At the secondary and senior secondary levels, where students are in their adolescence, they are more prone to being drawn toward modern lavish lifestyles. They are in a modern, trendy era where lavish, extravagant lifestyles are superficially attractive, and aligning with these trends gives them a socially standardized status. Therefore, they might prioritize things that are trendy and give them a sense of false satisfaction and peer belongingness. In such surroundings, where people value and standardize those lifestyles, why would they care for the environment? Without proper formal environmental education, how can we blame them for being careless and negligent toward nature? Their present choices and environment-care-free habits may have long-term impacts in the future. Therefore, an introduction to the importance of the environment at this age connects it to their lives. Through this subject, they can understand and realize that embracing sustainability does not mean abandoning modernity but redefining it, proving that caring for the planet is both cool and crucial. Let them realize that lavish lifestyles lose their shine in a world plagued with environmental collapse.

If the CBSE recognizes the value of subjects like home science, fashion design, music, beauty and wellness, and yoga, then why not Environmental Science—a discipline critical to humanity’s survival? If yoga nurtures physical and mental wellness and music fosters creativity and cultural preservation, then EVS teaches harmony between humans and nature, without which no creativity or cultural values can be protected. Without pure and unpolluted air, yoga’s breathing exercises are futile. It’s a call for parity. This contradiction is not to diminish these subjects but to demand balance and equity.

Without a structured EVS curriculum, students lose opportunities to engage with pressing environmental issues and graduate without understanding their ecological footprint. For rural and ecologically vulnerable regions like Ladakh, where livelihoods depend on natural resources, this gap in education is calamitous. Students lose hope in opting for careers in environmental professions. Losing this subject at the secondary level creates uncertainty among hundreds of students who dedicated years to mastering the subject. This loss of EVS demoralizes skilled professionals and wastes human resources. The in-service EVS lecturers are also frustrated with their profession, as they are compelled to teach other unrelated subjects outside their expertise, which is neither practical nor respectful to their specialization.

Environmental education is also a global and national priority. India has committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG-3, 6, 7, 13, 14, and 15, which can only be achieved through environmental education for students. EVS aligns perfectly with national initiatives like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Jal Shakti Abhiyan, and renewable energy campaigns, among many others. Carbon-neutral Ladakh was envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and it aims to plan future development activities to minimize carbon emissions. This vision can only be achieved if the local populace is environmentally educated, which can only be done through schools. By omitting EVS in schools, the government undermines its own vision of SDGs. The NEP 2020 also emphasizes environmental awareness and critical thinking, for which EVS is a perfect fit.

Many efforts have been made to introduce this important subject into the CBSE curriculum at the secondary level through different deliberations, but no positive response has been shown. We, as Lecturers of EVS in Ladakh, took this issue to the Hon’ble LG of Ladakh, our Ex-M.P., and both district councils, yet none seem interested in caring for our environment.

It is once again a hands-folded request made through this article to the concerned authorities to reinstate EVS in school curricula—protecting the planet begins with environmental education. Let’s not teach our children to breathe deeply through yoga while ignoring the polluted air they inhale. Let’s not teach them to sing the music of rivers while those rivers run dry, and let’s not teach them glacier trekking while our glaciers disappear.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Voice of Ladakh or its editorial team.