GEMS Education has become the first school in the world to become fully UN climate change certified, with 30 senior leaders and all 300 teaching staff to lead as climate change teachers, accredited by UN CC:Learn in partnership with Harwood Education.

All students at GEMS Kindergarten Starters will now have the opportunity to be taught by 300 Climate Change Teachers throughout their school. The course is designed to equip educators across all age groups and disciplines with the knowledge and confidence to deliver lessons on climate change. Students will cover a range of topics including climate change science, gender and environment, children and climate change, cities and climate change, and human health.  

GEMS Kindergarten Starters principal Asha Alexander said: “By training our teachers to educate children about the impact of climate change, we will enable them to be responsible citizens of the future. Completing this course has given our teachers confidence in their own understanding of the issues and in their position as a UN accredited specialist Climate Change Teachers, to teach children effectively.

“GEMS is already leading the way in climate change education, which is embedded across our courses, inspiring students and staff to learn about the wide range of issues generated by this pressing global issue. As we prepare to tackle the climate emergency, this is a fantastic opportunity for us to be the first school in the world to fully deliver and support the UN Sustainable Development Goal of having an accredited Climate Change Teacher in every school throughout the UAE.”

All Climate Change Teachers, accredited by UN CC:Learn in partnership with Harwood Education, are added to the Interactive World Map of Climate Change Teachers and invited to join the ‘educcateglobal’ social site where teachers are building and sharing a cross-curricular climate curriculum based on thousands of lessons and content items designed to ensure children receive the very best groundbreaking lessons on Climate Literacy, Sustainability, the Green Economy, Adaptation and Mitigation and even the Legal Framework of Climate Change as set out by the IPCC.

This move by GEMS Education also comes in regional alignment with UAE Government initiatives on sustainability, with regards to the National Environmental Education and Awareness Strategy 2015-20121, in its drive to educate youth to progress the UAE to a sustainable future and improve the community’s commitment to sustainability and environmental protection.

All ancillary staff, teaching staff and students at GEMS The Kindergarten Starters will continue to be trained further in effective waste management at the school, alongside several other in-school initiatives to be undertaken that will become part of the core curriculum.

Marwa Alimaher Meheia, head of Arabic and Islamic Studies at GEMS The Kindergarten Starters, who is one of three Arabic teachers from the school to become the first Arabic teachers in the world to qualify as Climate Change Teachers, said: “It is an honour to have qualified in climate change as it should be so close to everyone’s heart, I am looking forward to imparting knowledge onto my students.” – TradeArabia News Service