web DeskThe Department of Climate Change and Environment has launched an environmental education activity guide, Climate Change and Biodiversity, which is a teacher’s guide for doing learning activities with children, emphasizing hands-on practice to prepare them to adapt to future climate and environmental changes.
Dr. Pirun Saiyasitpanich, Director-General of the Department of Climate Change and Environment, revealed that the role and mission of the department is to drive the country in accordance with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), both Mitigation and Adaptation, in various dimensions covering all levels from business, industry, agriculture, and in parts related to promoting public participation, which is in line with the implementation of Article 6 or Article 6 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with the main content related to promoting education, training, and campaigning to raise public awareness of climate change. The important targ
et groups and necessary for creating knowledge and understanding about Climate Change are children and youth at all levels. The department has continuously emphasized and worked in the education sector, such as the Eco-School project and the Zero Waste School project to support the main agency, the Ministry of Education, in building the potential of educational personnel to be able to organize learning activities that are not just learning to learn, but learning must be able to apply in daily life, or Climate Literacy.
The Department of Climate Change and Environment has collaborated with UNICEF Thailand, which prioritizes children and youths, and has the same direction as the Department to drive Climate Education for Thailand. They have jointly produced teaching materials, an environmental education activity manual, climate change, and biodiversity: Active Learning on Biodiversity and Climate Change, to facilitate teachers teaching about Climate Change so that they can apply or integrate it into their teach
ing. It will help teachers open up their perspectives on teaching about the environment and Climate Change in a fun way, so that children can learn together. It focuses on learning about the impacts of climate change and biodiversity, especially in their own local areas, allowing them to learn in real areas, and take action to solve problems using nature as a learning medium, creating environmental awareness, a sense of consciousness, and gaining hands-on experience, or what is called Active Learning, ready to adapt to climate and environmental changes.
It is hoped that this environmental education activity guide will be a part in developing human resources to have knowledge, understanding, and be responsible for the world, the environment, and be aware of the changing world situation, especially Climate Change, and be ready to adapt to future climate and environmental changes.
Mrs. Severine Leonardi, Deputy Director of UNICEF Thailand, said that UNICEF Thailand, as a United Nations agency with the mandate
to protect children’s rights, including environmental rights, sees that the important foundation for raising awareness among children and youth about Climate Change starts with education and basic understanding of the impacts, coping strategies, and how to create changes to reduce the impacts. As a key partner in co-creating this handbook, it is considered a good starting point for driving Climate Education for Thailand and there are still plans to continue working together in the future.
Ms. Rattana Saengbuapuan, Director of the Office of Educational Innovation Development, said that the Ministry of Education places importance on learning about Climate Change by promoting the inclusion of content or development as a curriculum in the education system, including adjusting the structure of the core curriculum, various competency bases of learners to be in line with 21st century skills that are linked to the climate change situation. The Environmental Education Activity Manual is a teaching medium that is very
useful for the education system because it facilitates teachers who teach about Climate Change to be able to apply or integrate it into teaching and learning very well. It also helps to enhance learning power, create awareness and consciousness of children and youth at all levels, leading to adaptation to climate change in the future. -512
Source: Thai News Agency
