Sandwatch is a programme that has potential at both the school and community level, and SLGSR is working with other partners to test Sandwatch in the Indonesian context.
One of these partners is the GTZ supported Science Education Quality Improvement Project (SEQIP). SEQIP focuses on an integrated approach for science education at the primary school level with the emphasis on a “learning by doing” approach. Modules and lesson plans utilizing special equipment kits help students understand the topics specified in the Indonesian curriculum ranging from magnetism to the digestive system and from energy to water. SEQIP started in 1994 and has been successfully established in over 40,000 schools in the country. Primary schools in Indonesia are organized into clusters of six schools, and SEQIP modules, materials and training are provided to teachers in the core school who then share the knowledge with the teachers from the other schools in the cluster.
A module for Sandwatch is being developed currently and will be tested in the coming months.  Tentatively called Environmental Education for Rivers and Coasts, a module and lesson plans will be prepared for the basic Sandwatch methods such as observation and recording; measuring erosion/accretion, sand composition, waves and currents, plants and animals; recording human activities and debris; and solving environmental problems. This will be designed specifically for the science and social science primary school curriculum. The Environmental Education for Rivers and Coasts module will be tested in two primary schools and after being evaluated, support will be sought for expanding the initiative.     

 By Susian Chan and Farid Selmi GTZ supported project SLGSR, Banda Aceh, Indonesia