Malawi develops primary school climate change curriculum

The Government of Malawi has published a ‘Climate Change Sourcebook for Primary School Teachers’ in support of its National Climate Change Learning Strategy, developed under the One UN Climate Change Learning (UN CC:Learn) Partnership. The Sourcebook, 22,300 of which have been distributed thus far, promotes integrating climate change education into schools with the goal of shifting an entire young generation of Malawians toward climate-friendly practices, attitudes and behavior.

The creators of the book expect that the skills and knowledge students will gain will prepare them to both mitigate climate change and prepare for its adverse effects. The seven units of the book cover: background information on climate change; the effect of greenhouse gases (GHGs); human activities contributing to climate change; its impact and effects; mitigation; adaptation; and suggested actions to take.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Malawi Institute of Education (MIE), the Environmental Affairs Department, academia, teachers and primary education advisers partnered in creating the Sourcebook, which complements an educational poster on climate change that was distributed to all primary schools throughout the country.

UN CC:Learn is a One UN partnership involving 33 organizations that supports countries in designing and implementing results-oriented and sustainable learning to address climate change. The Secretariat for UN CC:Learn is hosted by the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).