Staff
All teachers and school principals to be trained as part of the ‘Greening Capacities Initiative,’ ahead of COP28
Abu Dhabi, Oct 12, 2023: The UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) has partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to launch the ‘Greening Capacities Initiative.’
Through this partnership, both parties will launch and execute three joint programmes, namely Educators Training, Net Zero Heroes, and the Children’s Art Competition. The Ministry of Education and UNICEF will announce all the details of these initiatives and their outcomes ahead of COP28 (climate change conference) scheduled from November 30 to December 12 at Expo City Dubai.
The ministry aims to prepare every learner with the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes to tackle climate change and promote sustainable development and to achieve this it aims to facilitate professional development for every teacher and school principal in the UAE, in cooperation with UNICEF.
The ministry aims to transform 50 percent of all the UAE’s schools and campuses to be green accredited; and provide training to more than 2,800 educators and 1,400 principals.
These programmes aim to create a meaningful impact, empowering students and educators to navigate climate change and work towards a better environmental future.
Dr. Amna Al Dahak Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary of the Care and Capacity Building Sector at the Ministry of Education described this as another step towards achieving the ministry’s vision of fully integrating sustainability and the climate agenda within the UAE’s education system and in line with the country’s national policies and the objectives of the UAE Centennial 2071.
“This partnership will empower educators to raise climate change awareness among learners. It will also nurture environmental awareness and sustainability skills, preparing learners to lead the UAE’s future sustainability effort,” says Al Shamsi.
Al Tayyeb Adam, Representative of UNICEF in the Gulf Region, says, the role of education, encompassing curricula, teacher training, and school initiatives is vital in in driving positive changes toward greater environmental sustainability and combatting the repercussions of climate change.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that all children and youth receive climate education and actively participate in climate change discussions and decisions at local, national, regional, and global levels.” says Adam.
