By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Founder of the Green Schools International Foundation and National Project Coordinator of the Green Schools Project in Nigeria, Mr. Unyime Robinson, has commended commitments by Ministers from member countries of the Greening Education Partnership (GEP) to take further action on greening education in their respective nations.
They made the commitment at the just concluded COP29 in Baku Azerbaijan.
Mr Robinson who is a member of the Greening Education Partnership advocated for greater ambition in translating these pledges into concrete, actionable steps.
“This requires accelerating political and financial support for greening education, alongside increased overall financing for the education sector. Particular focus should be placed on targeted investments in green transitions, research, and innovation,” Mr. Robinson stated.
The Greening Education Partnership is an independent and inclusive community of practices on the role of education in tackling climate change. It is led by national governments, intergovernmental organizations, youth, civil society organizations and private sector, among others. The Secretariat is hosted by UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris. Nigeria is a signatory to the Greening Education Partnership.
Working in partnership with African Centre for Environment, Agriculture & Rural Development and Green Schools International Foundation, a non profit organizations working towards education sustainability, Nigeria has developed and validated the National Implementation Framework for Greening Schools Project guided by UNESCO publications on Green Schools Quality Standards and Green Curriculum Guidance.
The framework was developed through a rigorous three step process of initial drafting by a team of experts, followed by feedback from the committee; Revisions of the document to incorporate suggestions and recommendations from stakeholders, and Finalization and validation of the document.
The framework outlines a comprehensive roadmap to transform schools into vibrant hubs of sustainability, innovation and community engagement.
As part of the scaling up plan, three schools- Federal Science & Technical College, Orozo, Government Secondary School, Wuse Zone 3 and Police Secondary School, Dei Dei, Abuja FCT have commenced Green Schools project implementation. The activities include the inauguration of Green Champions ( Eco club) and the establishment of fruit orchards through trees planting initiatives.
With the National framework developed and validated by education and environmental stakeholders, as well as the establishment of the National Committee, the project is now poised for full implementation including the planned National launch of the Greening Schools Project.
For the first time in COP history, education took center stage at the conference. A High-Level Meeting was organized by the COP 29 Presidency in collaboration with Azerbaijan’s Ministries of Science, Education, Health, and Labour, alongside UNESCO, ILO, and UNICEF. The meeting focused on investing in human development to build a climate-resilient future.
At the event, Ministers from member countries of the Greening Education Partnership (GEP) pledged to take further action on greening education in their respective nations. A joint statement was issued emphasizing the importance of synergistic collaboration across sectors, including education, environment, health, jobs, children, and youth, under the overarching theme of human development to foster global climate resilience.
Additionally, Azerbaijan’s Ministries of Science and Education, in collaboration with UNESCO, hosted a Ministerial Roundtable and the second Annual Meeting of the Greening Education Partnership. The discussions centered on the role of education in advancing COP 29’s priorities, which include Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), climate finance, and the implementation of the Greening Education Partnership at the national level.
