Schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are playing a leading role in promoting sustainability concepts, increasing environmental awareness, and encouraging students to think scientifically towards achieving sustainable development. This is in line with the UAE’s preparations to host the COP28 climate conference in December 2023.
These schools have presented ambitious plans to integrate sustainability concepts into their curricula, aligning with 50 per cent of the UAE schools to be ‘Green Accredited’ initiative. They are also providing training programmes for teachers and school administrators to enhance their ability to disseminate environmental awareness and sustainability among students.
International schools in the UAE are also contributing to elevating the level of education and environmental awareness through multidisciplinary curricula that emphasise the importance of environmental preservation and active participation in its protection.
Lin Xiuqin, a Chinese Curriculum Specialist at the UAE Ministry of Education, told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the “100 Schools Project” curriculum for teaching the Chinese language includes environmental topics as an essential part of student education. This is achieved through innovative educational activities where students are introduced to vocabulary such as “sustainable development” and “environmental responsibility for all.” She also pointed out that the curriculum enables students to understand the connection between daily life and environmental preservation.
Xiuqin said that the Chinese language curriculum highlights several examples focusing on the theme of “travel” to encourage students to understand the importance of green transportation and environmental conservation, such as biking instead of using cars.
