Training Course

The problem of climate change has recently gained a lot of attention on a global scale. Climate repercussions caused by the past’s failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions were inescapable. Some of the broad effects of climate change have the potential to exacerbate societal tensions, which could lead to conflicts at all levels of government, from local to international. Water shortages, altered agricultural cycles that jeopardize regional food security, disease-carriers brought on by climate change, and rising sea levels that will uproot coastal towns will all affect billions of people.

Even though the topic of climate change is frequently discussed in a global context, it is indisputable that the slightest role of various groups or stakeholders in anticipating its impact must be continuously pursued to achieve sustainable development. UNESCO as an organization that is at the forefront in promoting sustainable development, coordinates the implementation of the Global Action Program (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), as a follow-up to the United Nations Decade of ESD (2005-2014). UNESCO (2004) presented the Decade for Education and Sustainable Development (DESD) 2005-2014, which contains global efforts to use education or education as a tool to address challenges in the 21st century related to social, environmental, economic and cultural issues. It was stated that the issues of climate change, biodiversity, and reducing the impact of natural disasters would be the three main issues in supporting sustainable development through the educational process.  

ESD is an effort to encourage society to be constructive and creative in facing global challenges and creating a resilient and sustainable society. Education for sustainable development incorporates key issues on sustainable development into teaching and learning; for example, climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction, and sustainable consumption. Based on UNESCO’s ESD learning objectives, including the achievement of SDG 13 on Climate Change, the final objective of ESD is the implementation of pro-environmental activities in everyday life. Thus education does not only equip students with knowledge and skills, but furthermore aims to encourage them to implement pro-environmental actions also become environmental actors and use it as their contribution to Climate Change Solution. The learning objectives of the seventeen SDGs cover eight key competencies, including 21st century skills; and SDGs 4 is the main instrument for its achievement.  

SEAMEO QITEP in Science (SEAQIS) as a regional Centre in Southeast Asia which focuses on developing quality of science teachers, has brought environment and climate change issues through its training courses as well as Environmental Education for Sustainable Development (EESD) since its establishment in 2009. ESD provides an umbrella for many forms of education, and climate education fosters understanding of the complexities and interconnection of the various challenges posed by climate change. The training is designed to provide participants with knowledge on climate sciences and skills on inquiry-based science education. It is expected that this activity will support the SEA-CEP as an Asian network around climate change education. Furthermore, this program can be seen as a manifestation of the mandate given to SEAQIS which stated in the Seven Priority of SEAMEO Education Agenda 2015-2035. This training programme is expected to be an important part of improving the quality of science teaching and learning in schools with respect to the environment, ecosystem conservation, and their support for sustainable development.