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UNESCO launches the Executive Summary of 2023 State of the Education Report for India: Seeds of Change in Gujarati Language
On 15 February 2024, UNESCO New Delhi launched the Gujarati language version of the Executive Summary of the 2023 State of the Education Report for India on education to address climate change in collaboration with the Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad.
The State of the Education Report (SOER) for India is the annual flagship report of UNESCO New Delhi and it is based on extensive research of national and international priorities in the field of education.
The fifth edition of its annual flagship report, Seeds of Change - UNESCO 2023 State of the Education Report for India on Education to address Climate Change delves into the role of education in tackling the increasingly complex and intensifying challenges posed by climate change. India, like many parts of the world, continues to bear witness to the dire consequences of climate change through climate disasters and biodiversity losses. The report was a collaboration with the Center for Environment Education, Ahmedabad. Education’s full potential to shape a generation that understands the gravity of this urgent issue and equip them with the tools to combat it must be realized now.
The UNESCO 2023 State of the Education Report analyses the situation in India from the perspective of these four pillars and presents how the country has mainstreamed climate change education into its education system. We have also highlighted best practices from many Indian States (including Gujarat) through several case studies. We hope that the report is widely disseminated amongst education stakeholders in the state of Gujarat.
At the launch event, Shri Kartikeya Sarabhai, Director, Centre for Environment Education, underscored the pivotal role of education, stating, "Education is the foundation of any transformative change, and in the case of environment, a lot of that change has to do with behavioural change. The only way this can be done is via partnerships, with teachers, organisations, and more."
Dr Vinod R Rao, IAS, Secretary- Primary and Secondary Education, Government of Gujarat was the Chief Guest of the event. Dr Rao said, "We as humans are just part of a much larger ecosystem and one should learn to co-exist. Green Schools is a high-priority area for us. We are planning to have environment labs in all schools of Gujarat."
The state launch event also showcased an engaging exhibition highlighting various initiatives taken to develop education to address climate change in India and Gujarat specifically.
The report shares ten concrete recommendations for education sector stakeholders, which we hope will facilitate immediate actions to enhance education’s role in addressing climate change. We also hope that the recommendations will inspire stakeholders in the environmental sector to further engage with education in their policy initiatives. The recommendations, as well as other resources can be accessed through the link here.
The Executive Summary of the Report can be accessed in 8 other regional languages including Hindi, Marathi, Telegu, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Kannada, Assamese, and Odishi.
UNESCO New Delhi Regional Office extends its gratitude to UNICEF India, British Council India, and the Mobius Foundation for their support and cooperation.
For more information, please contact:
Joyce Poan: j.poan@unesco.org
