An overview of the consultation workshop (Photo: VietnamPlus) Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc has stressed the importance of education for sustainable development to solve humanity's challenges associated with sustainability at a consultation workshop on the national education.
The consultation workshop was jointly held by the Ministry of Education and Training and the UNESCO Hanoi Office on November 24.
The Education for Sustainable Development for 2030 is promoted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) around the world, particularly in countries that are highly vulnerable to climate change.
Deputy Minister Phuc stated that education for sustainable development equips learners of all ages with knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to address intertwined global challenges including climate change and biodiversity loss, unsustainable resource use, and inequality.
He shared that the Government of Vietnam has devised policies to increase the quality of education and training. However, to make education and training a driver for sustainable development, more things need to be done, he said.
To implement Vietnam's commitment at the UNESCO international conference on education for sustainable development in 2021, the ministry has built a national education for sustainable development initiative for 2030. This is a strategy to strengthen existing efforts and promote coordination, towards nationwide impacts.
Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc speaking at the consultation workshop (Photo: VietnamPlus)
He added that sustainable development is not only about economic and social development and protecting the ecological environment. It is also about ensuring basic human needs, including development for the happiness of humanity. Therefore, Vietnam set a target of building happy schools.
Miki Nozawa, education team leader at the UNESCO Hanoi Office, said Vietnam is one of the pioneer countries in declaring commitments to implementing the new global framework on education for sustainable development for 2030 at the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development held in May 2021 in Germany.
According to her, education for sustainable development can equip learners from preschool with important knowledge, critical thinking, and teamwork skills to solve sustainability challenges.
Miki Nozawa, education team leader at the UNESCO Hanoi Office (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Therefore, education for sustainable development has become more important than ever. UNESCO is pleased that the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam has initiated a national education for sustainable development initiative for 2030 and that many stakeholders are willing to participate in this process, she said.
Participants at the workshop discussed the current situation of education for sustainable development in Vietnam and gave opinions to the draft national education for sustainable development initiative. They also agreed on the next direction, an inter-sectoral coordination mechanism to implement the initiative.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, education for sustainable development is a very extensive field. It needs the engagement of relevant parties for activities to be implemented sustainably and effectively. Initiatives will be feasible and effective with the support and participation of relevant stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Science and technology, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and other related ministries and sectors.
In addition, it is necessary to coordinate with organisations, especially non-governmental organisations, businesses and local communities in activities, particularly large-scale, national strategic ones./.
