ABSTRACT
Environmental education works to achieve the aims of environmental protection through improving a person's environmental awareness, knowledge, attitudes, skills, active engagement, and drive to better the environment. Through a systematic review of various published and unpublished papers, governmental documents, reports, policies, curriculums, and sample surveys of different governmental sectors, this systematic review aimed to ascertain the mainstreaming of both formal and informal environmental education in the curriculum, governmental structure, its effectiveness, and identify the gap that will need to be filled in Ethiopia. So, the objective of this review is to give a good synopsis of environmental education development, point out any gaps that will need to be filled, and provide insights into its future development. The legal environmental right established in the 1995 Ethiopian constitution served as the driving force behind official environmental education and environmental response. As a result, environmental science has been assigned as a separate or autonomous subject in grades 1-4, as well as in many higher education programs and specializations. On the other hand, in secondary cycle primary school (grades five up to eight) as well as secondary school; environmental education uses a cross-curricula approach in a few natural and social subjects, which is marginalized, and covers only a few topics (titles) of the subjects. Environmental clubs and experts in environmental matters are also available at all levels within the non-formal environmental education system, which spans the federal, regional, district, and other cross-sectional sectors. However, there is a gap due to a lack of professional human resources, monitoring, evaluation, commitment, and expanding best practices, as well as the absence of integration among sectors. As a result, the governmental structure, educational policy, and curriculum demand updates with adequate environmental education experts. Environmental content should be incorporated at the governmental structure and all educational levels with proper implementation, either as standalone subjects or as diffused or integrated on equal footing at every subject level. Additionally, more research on environmental education is required.
