A group of teachers have sent petitions to their local governments arguing for the inclusion of sustainability education in curriculums, reports RÚV.
As of now, sustainability is included only has a peripheral topic, but many teachers believe it should be at the core of education. The presence of climate anxiety in children is increasing and sustainability education is a way these fears can be addressed.
“Education for sustainability is such a way to increase students’ ability to cope with tasks in a changing world,” says the project manager at the Iceland Environment Association (Landvernd), Margrét Hugadóttir. “Now we are facing a number of challenges and we are empowering students to take on these tasks. We’re focused on finding solutions and rethinking our future, and we want to show kids that the future can be bright and we can all make a difference.”
Local authorities must include sustainability education in local education policies to ensure that it is a part of the curriculum and receives the necessary time and resources. Several schools are already teaching sustainability education, but may not have enough resources and time allocated to it by the local government.
“It is often the case that this is an extra project if time and money allows, so we want to emphasise that this can be the core of the school’s work,” says Margrét.
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