The Scottish Government has announced that it has launched a new action plan that will ensure sustainability is a focus of the education system.
Featuring 25 new actions that will contribute to the ambitious commitment to ensuring that schools and early learning settings in Scotland are sustainable by 2030, Learning for Sustainability is building on nine months of collaboration alongside children, young people, and their educators.
Some of the actions that are featured in the report include:
- Developing new LfS related qualifications with programme owners so that achievements and learning on LfS are fully recognised.
- A new commitment to take further steps to support Outdoor Learning.
- Creating a new portal which will act as a one stop shop for learning and educators to share examples of LfS in action and to signpost to relevant resources and professional learning opportunities.
- Establishing a LfS Mentor Network for educators to encourage collaborative leadership, provide peer support and share approaches on embedding LfS in the curriculum.
- Setting up a children and young people LfS Leadership Group to ensure meaningful collaboration with learners throughout the implementation of this refreshed action plan.
Jenny Gilruth, Scottish Education Secretary, said:
“Perhaps more than any other group, our children and young people recognise the importance of climate and social justice. I have heard from many of them that they are looking for bold initiatives to transform their learning environment – Learning for Sustainability is designed to achieve just this.
“Their new Target 2030 ambition within the strategy is about placing sustainability at the heart of the education system, revolutionising what and how students learn, how the setting manages its physical environment and resources, how stuff and learning relate to each other, how they work with their local community and how they reach out and connect to the wider world.
“This strategy is about building a powerful movement for change and the 25 actions within the plan have been carefully selected following extensive collaboration with children and young people. I look forward to seeing how children, young people, learning and educators embrace this new strategy and how the Scottish education system changes to meet the challenges of tomorrow as a result of this inspirational work.”
Coined in Scotland, the term Learning for Sustainability is now being utilised more in other countries as a way for learners, educators, and wider communities to take a cross-curriculum approach to sustainability. This is ensuring that sustainable development, outdoor learning, and global citizenship are being used to effectively improve learning experiences and help achieve wider environment goals.
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