According to the organisation, JGI is currently focusing its efforts on establishing an effective environmental education (EE) programme at the primary school level. The various elements of this programme focus on teaching the students basic ecological understanding and to encourage them to take the knowledge they have gained and use it to take action to help the environment. The goal of the programme is to ensure that every child leaves primary school with a good basic understanding of the environment so that they are able to make informed decisions concerning the environment. The four main components of the programme are material development, training workshops, fields centres, and the Roots and Shoots programme.

Material Development
According to the organisers, there is limited availability of environmental education (EE) materials in Uganda. JGI developed a set of Environmental Education Teacher's Guides, which aim to integrate EE into the current Ugandan Primary School Curriculum (UPSC). The aim of these guides is to help teachers to teach the elements of environmental education which are already contained within the National Curriculum and to further integrate EE into the various subjects within the curriculum.

The Primary 5 guide contains four units: Soil, Air, Water, and Forests; the Primary 6/7 guide contains five units: Africa, East Africa and the Environment, The World of Animals, The World of Plants, Natural Resources, Human Health and Sanitation. Each unit gives a complete lesson plan and some background information for teachers. According to JGI, it is designed in such a way that there is no need for a training workshop to introduce the guide. At the end of each unit there is a Roots and Shoots activity (see below) which takes the students from knowledge to action through a service learning project. The guide is accompanied by a set of posters, one for each unit. The posters are used as part of the lessons in the guide and are also a useful learning aid in themselves. In addition to the Teacher’s Guides, JGI are also promoting the distribution and use of a set of Environmental Story Books, titled the "What a Country" series, written by the late Ndyakira Amooti, a Ugandan environmental journalist.

Training Workshops
The purpose of the Environmental Education Training workshops is to build the capacity of teachers to better teach about the environment. It is also an opportunity to familiarise them with the JGI EE materials and other education programmes. The workshop content, delivered over 4 days, is designed to stimulate interest in the environment and the topic of EE, to provide knowledge about the environment, and to enhance methodologies that are effective in teaching about the environment as well as other subject areas. The main methodology used is “Cooperative Learning” based on the modules developed by the Uganda Program for Human and Holistic Development (UPHOLD) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Sports in 2005.

Field Centres
The purpose of the Forest Education Centres is to provide Environmental Education facilities which pupils can visit to learn more about the forest environment, its importance, and what people can do to help protect it. Half-day EE programmes are developed to be delivered from the centres. The centre staff are trained to deliver the programme and the centre is equipped with the necessary resources required for the programme. The half-day EE programme consists of a short forest walk and a number of activities inside and outside the education centre.

Roots and Shoots Programme
Dr. Jane Goodall founded Roots and Shoots in 1991 to engage and inspire young people through the planning and implementation of service-learning projects. Roots and Shoots groups undertake projects that involve care and concern for the environment, animals, and people. To introduce the Roots & Shoots programme in primary schools around the country, JGI worked in partnership with Wildlife Clubs of Uganda. Roots and Shoots is now a programme that Wildlife Clubs can choose to do within their already established groups. New groups participate in an introductory workshop and are supplied with a Roots and Shoots handbook containing information on how to run their group, activity ideas, and information sheets. Active groups receive a newsletter and a visit from the coordinator each school term.

Environment, Education, Natural Resource Management

According to the Jane Goodall Institute, intensive agricultural practices led to deforestation and, consequently, loss of critical habitat in Uganda. With the human population increasing at nearly 3 percent per annum, it was expected that deforestation would continue in the districts where the programme operates. It was critical therefore, that Ugandans fully understand the medium- to long-term consequences of their practices. It was estimated that approximately 200 chimpanzees were living outside protected areas in Masindi and Hoima districts. Approximately 500, 000 people reside in these two districts, where agriculture is the predominant economic activity.

To date, the primary school EE programme has had the following outputs:

• Over 6,000 copies of the Primary 5 EE Teachers Guide have been distributed.
• Over 650 copies of the ‘What a Country’ books have been distributed.
• Over 9,000 copies of the Primary 6/7 Teachers Guide has been distributed.
• 68 tutors have participated in the EE Training workshops.
• 270 teachers have participated in the EE Training workshops.
• Over 4 years 5,000 Primary 5 pupils from 20 schools have participated in the programme at Kalinzu Forest Reserve.
• Over 1,500 Primary 6 pupils from 11 schools have participated in the programme at Budongo Forest Reserve.
• A Roots and Shoots handbook specific to Uganda has been developed.
• 80 Roots and Shoots groups have been formed in schools.
• 8 Roots and Shoots groups have been formed in communities.
• 4 introductory workshops have been held.
• 2 advanced workshops has been held for active group leaders.
• 50 Roots and Shoots groups are currently active.