Vanuatu experience

By Ben Kedoga, NBC PNG

 

9 July 2013, Nadi, Fiji - Vanuatu is taking the issue of climate change (CC) and disaster risk management (DRM) into its classrooms, as part of its national response against climate change.

Vanuatu’s Director Education Services Roy Obed spoke on Vanuatu’s initiative during the Education on Disaster Risk Management and Climate change side event.

He said they are using the Vanuatu Education Road map priority areas to capture the CC and DRM issues within their education curriculum.

The Vanuatu Education road map stems from the Vanuatu Education Sector Strategy.

“The education road map came to an end last year and they are embarking on a new programme. Vanuatu is now mainstreaming climate change and disaster risk management in our education curriculum as a move to integrating the responses to climate change and disaster risk challenges in the country. It is critical that climate change and disaster risk management is integrated into the country’s national education curriculum, assessment and teacher training.”

Obed says that integrating climate change and disaster risk into the country’s national education curriculum is critical, especially in year seven to ten.

Despite the advances Obed says they are still facing challenges to further improve the learning and teaching of CC and DRM in the schools, and that they still needed support from partners and other stakeholders.