Today's Edition
DINA JOUNI (DUBAI)
Discussions are ongoing during COP28 with partners to generalise the application of the environmental sustainability framework in various educational systems locally and internationally, Dr. Amna Al Dahak Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Care and Capacity Building Sector at the Ministry of Education, said in an interview with Aletihad.
Al Shamsi pointed out that this is part of the Greening Education Hub themed “Legacy from the Land of Zayed” to highlight the importance of education in addressing climate issues and including education in the official discussions during COP28.
‘’The Ministry worked to develop a framework for environmental sustainability across all curricula, because the concepts of climate education by their nature should not be linked to a single subject, but rather connected to all academic subjects to consolidate these concepts and the values and skills associated with them in the mind of the student,’’ Al Shamsi told Aleithad from the Greening Education Hub at Expo City Dubai.
The Ministry has worked on preparing this framework since signing the agreement with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in 2019, on the basis of which several areas of cooperation were developed, including developing the curriculum framework, she added.
Al Shamsi noted that since the announcement of the National Green Education Plan in cooperation with various partners at the national level, and a number of international organisations such as UNESCO and UNICEF, work has been done to develop the principles of this plan to be consistent with the framework, which serves as the foundational line for all initiatives.
‘’To be able to apply this framework in various schools across the UAE in public and private education, and in cooperation with partners, the Ministry worked to develop several guides and tools that were developed with the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy and Masdar City’s Youth 4 Sustainability and other initiatives to enable the curriculum framework to be implemented clearly and effectively within and outside classrooms and to link it to various civil society institutions,’’ Al Shamsi added.
Regarding the Greening Education Hub, she noted that its interior and exterior design mimics the local environment of the Emirates, and the Hub will focus on introducing ways and means that highlight both the role of education in adopting a comprehensive and integrated approach to enhance the capabilities of adapting to climate change, and the role of teachers as a positive change agent to reduce the climate change impacts.
‘’As for the Greening Communities Zone at COP28, it represents a platform for learning about community initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable practices in education, and integrating all relevant partners and actors, including parents, NGOs and companies, into the management and implementation of these initiatives. The zone will also present models of partnerships between schools and communities, which have provided space for constructive communication between concerned parties to share experiences and collaborate to address sustainability challenges at the community level,’’ Al Shamsi said.
