▼ Nagoya to host education confab to promote sustainable development
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JAPANTIMES
An international conference on education for sustainable development is set to begin in Nagoya on Tuesday.
The ministerial-level meeting, organized by UNESCO and the central government, is expected to draw officials from about 80 countries and regions.
They will discuss how to promote ESD and adopt an declaration on Nov. 12, the final day of the conference.
ESD is designed to impart skills and knowledge that can help more people play key roles in solving global issues such as environmental protection, disaster and conflict prevention, and building sustainable societies. It was proposed by Japan at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002.
In Japan, the education ministry has included the importance of environmental protection and other related issues in the curriculum guidelines for elementary, junior high and high schools.
All public elementary and junior high schools in the western Tokyo suburb of Tama have introduced ESD in classes since fiscal 2009. Across Japan, a total of 705 schools — the largest number in the world — have become UNESCO-associated schools to serve as bases for promoting ESD.
However, a Cabinet Office opinion poll in August found that about 80 percent of respondents were unaware of ESD. One education ministry official argued this was partly because the term is hard to understand.
A series of major disasters in Japan in recent years, including the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, have made more Japanese aware of global warming and disaster prevention issues.
An international conference on education for sustainable development is set to begin in Nagoya on Tuesday.
The ministerial-level meeting, organized by UNESCO and the central government, is expected to draw officials from about 80 countries and regions.
They will discuss how to promote ESD and adopt an declaration on Nov. 12, the final day of the conference.
ESD is designed to impart skills and knowledge that can help more people play key roles in solving global issues such as environmental protection, disaster and conflict prevention, and building sustainable societies. It was proposed by Japan at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002.
In Japan, the education ministry has included the importance of environmental protection and other related issues in the curriculum guidelines for elementary, junior high and high schools.
All public elementary and junior high schools in the western Tokyo suburb of Tama have introduced ESD in classes since fiscal 2009. Across Japan, a total of 705 schools — the largest number in the world — have become UNESCO-associated schools to serve as bases for promoting ESD.
However, a Cabinet Office opinion poll in August found that about 80 percent of respondents were unaware of ESD. One education ministry official argued this was partly because the term is hard to understand.
A series of major disasters in Japan in recent years, including the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, have made more Japanese aware of global warming and disaster prevention issues.
- November 4, 2014
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