Kiribati Teachers Take on Climate Change
The Kiribati Teachers’ College, together with SPC-GIZ, SPREP and UNESCO hosted a three day workshop on integrating climate change and disaster risk reduction into school curricula from 10-12 December in Tarawa. This is part of Kiribati’s on-going commitment to combat climate change by preparing i-Kiribati people for the changes that will be experienced in their environment in the future.
The workshop was opened by the Director of Education. . Carol Young (SEREAD/University of Auckland) and Mr Tevi Teaero (formerly USP) were engaged to facilitate the workshop, in particular to ensure that participants engaged in hands-on activities to reinforce knowledge and demonstrate possible teaching methodologies for strengthening teachers’ ability to integrate climate change and disaster risk reduction in the classroom.
Workshop participants came from the Kiribati Teachers’ College, primary and secondary schools from across Kiribati, and some church schools. Key focus areas included the state of knowledge about climate change and disasters in Kiribati and the Pacific, responses in Kiribati and elsewhere, as well as teaching tools and exercises that can be used in the classroom and the environment. Participants then focused on developing priorities for climate change learning in the different curriculum areas: languages, science and mathematics, social science, arts and sports.
The recommendations from the workshop participants will be utilised to guide KTC’s development of teacher training modules on climate change and disaster risk reduction, with the aim that all primary and junior secondary i-Kiribati teachers can deliver and integrate climate change content within their teaching program.
This work will complement the redevelopment of the national curriculum that is currently underway led by the Ministry of Education’s Curriculum Unit to integrate content and skills relevant to adapting and mitigating the impacts of climate change and natural disasters within the school curriculum. The new curriculum has already been developed and endorsed for years 1 and 2, with the Ministry working on a scope and sequencing from this foundation through to year 12. Over the coming 5 years, redesigned curricula will progressively be released for each year. This work is also being supported by donors GIZ and AusAID, with technical inputs from SPC-GIZ, SPREP and UNESCO.
The efforts of the Kiribati Teachers’ College will ensure that all teachers are equipped with skills and tools to teach the new curriculum.
The workshop was closed by the Permanent Secretary for the Office of the President, the Government Department that leads and coordinates Kiribati’s efforts in responding to climate change and natural disasters.
The workshop report will be added to the UNESCO website once approved by Kiribati Teachers’ College. For further information contact us apia@unesco.org
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