Muscat: A three-day workshop themed 'Education Laboratories' opened on Tuesday in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Omani National Committee for Education, Culture, and Science. It discussed the role of teachers in achieving sustainable development goals.
The workshop on 'Education for sustainable development' is being held in partnership with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO) at the W Hotel in Muscat. The workshop will conclude on October 5.
The workshop's opening session began under the auspices of Dr Abdullah bin Ali al Amri, Chairman of the Environment Authority. Present on the occasion were Dr Abdullah bin Khamis Ambusaidi , Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Education for Education, workshop convenors, educators, school administrators, curriculum developers, and supervisors.
The primary objectives of this workshop include introducing the importance of education for sustainable development, spreading community awareness about it, brainstorming to draw a road map for achieving sustainable development goals through education, building participants' capacities around the five action priorities related to education, and exploit the transformative power of education in enhancing the environment. Sustainable in all sectors.
The workshop commenced with an address by Amina bint Salim al Balushiyah, Secretary of the Omani National Committee for Education, Culture, and Science. She emphasised and affirmed that the Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Education, considers the fourth goal of sustainable development, related to education, of utmost importance. "Our national team comprising active members from various stakeholders such as government entities, research institutions, civil society organisations, and youth got recognition to monitor achievements in August 2021," she said.
Dr Al Balushi said that during a short period, the team implemented numerous national initiatives and projects, including submitting the Qatari initiative on education for sustainable development to Unesco and joining the global network on education for sustainable development launched last October.
"Additionally, they developed the national reference standards for the fourth goal for the years 2025 and 2030 and recently joined the Partnership for Education Upscaling launched by Unesco as one of the outcomes of the Education Transformation Summit." Dr Ahmed al Zanfali, Education Programme Director at ICESCO, echoed the importance of sustainable development in contemporary society. He emphasised the imperative to balance economic, social, and environmental development while utilising education as a powerful tool to tackle future challenges and shape a sustainable world.
Dr Abdullah Ambusaidi said the 'Education for Sustainable Development workshop is to raise awareness among educators and partners about the importance of learning about sustainable development, in addition to the sustainable development goals and what indicators we need to measure the educational system in the Sultanate of Oman.
The workshop sessions and working papers for the workshop will revolve around the role of teachers in achieving sustainable development goals through education, the importance of youth in building a sustainable society, establishing a safe, inclusive, fair, and sustainable school environment for all, instilling sustainable development skills in school and university students, and emphasising the importance of building learning cities dedicated to achieving all aspects of sustainable development.
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