As time passed and more schools joined the project, an “eco-schools network”
was established. Committees were established in several provinces. The committees
are comprised of teachers and principals who are involved in implementation of the
IPM curriculum as well as provincial education administrators. These committees
assumed responsibility for the managing the eco-schools network and organized the
recruitment of new schools. The criteria for accepting new schools include:
1. The prospective teacher(s) and principal should have a strong interest
in the curriculum as well as in the instructional approach.
2. The prospective teacher(s) will be allowed to attend relevant training
courses in the short-term as well as the long-term.
3. The principal commits to attending a specific portion of the training
course in order to foster understanding of the curriculum goals,
curriculum content, the instructional process, and his/her role in
supporting implementation by the teacher(s).
4. The school has access to rice fields and/or vegetables gardens.
5. The school committee has endorsed the school’s participation in the
program.
The recruitment process usually takes several months. The number of new
schools entering the program at any given time depends on the availability of funds
from both institutional and external sources.