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UNESCO launches new initiatives for greening education in classrooms

Posted 08 Jun 2024

2 min read

UNESCO launched two new tools – new Greening Curriculum Guidance (GCG) and new Green School Quality Standards (GSQS) – under Greening Education Partnership.

  • New GCG: A practical manual providing, for the first time, a common understanding of what climate education should consist of and how countries can mainstream environmental topics across curricula, with detailed expected learning outcomes.
  • New GSQS: It sets the minimum requirements on how to create a green school by promoting an action-oriented approach. 

About Greening Education Partnership

  • It is a global initiative comprising 80 member states and supports countries to tackle the climate crisis by harnessing the critical role of education.
  • Objective: To ensure all learners acquire knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and action to tackle climate change and to promote sustainable development. 
  • Pillars of Green Education:
    • Greening Schools: To ensure that all schools achieve green school accreditation and address climate change through their teaching, facilities and operations.
    • Greening Curriculum: Integrate climate education into school curricula, technical and vocational education and training, workplace skills development etc.  
    • Greening Teacher Training and Education Systems' Capacities: Integration of climate education in building school capacities. 
    • Greening Communities: Strengthen community resilience through community learning centres and learning cities.

Education and Climate Change 

  • 50% of 100 countries in recent UNESCO survey have no mention of climate change in their curriculum.
  • Around 70% of young people could not explain climate disruption.
  • A higher level of education tends to be associated with a higher probability to engage in adaptation action.
  • Increasing girls’ education can mitigate climate change indirectlythrough its impact on demographic growth.
  • Tags :
  • NEP 2020
  • UNESCO
  • Greening Education
  • Greening Education Partnership
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