Climate Change Education in Sri Lanka

Climate Change Education became a talked about topic in Sri Lanka after President Ranil Wickremasinghe made his speech at the COP27 last year. He proposed to establish an International Climate Change University in the country with an auxiliary institute in the Maldives. This was with the objective of a global think tank for knowledge exchange among scientists, environmentalists, researchers, policymakers, and students from around the globe.

Moreover, during the interim budget speech, President Wickremesinghe stated, “Sri Lanka needs to encourage private investment to provide educational opportunities to foreign students. Many countries in the world have opened educational opportunities to international students in a manner to build their foreign reserves. For example, in the South Asian region, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal have already opened up their countries to foreign students to build up their foreign reserves.”

Maria Laura Vinuela, from UN Climate Change, “Formal education should give people an adequate understanding of climate change, the environment, and how to live and act more sustainably,” she says. “They will then be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to take action, live more sustainably, change consumption and production patterns, and participate effectively in policy-making to promote low-emission, climate-resilient societies, and sustainable development.” Climate Change Education, or CCE, evolved in the early 2000s as countries discovered that this phenomenon threatens the planet and its life.

Climate Fact Checks Team dug deep into the potential Sri Lanka has to introduce CCE into the local education system and the gaps that need to be filled to implement it successfully. 

CCE in the formal education system of Sri Lanka

There are various types of schools for primary and secondary education. In addition, some schools offer both primary and secondary education. These schools include government schools; private schools; Pirivenas (Buddhist centers); International schools.

In primary education, children are taught subjects in the four subject fields of the national curriculum: language, mathematics, environment-related activities, and religion. However, in the environmental studies subject, the curriculum is more focused on related general knowledge, allowing students to pass a competitive exam, the Grade 5 scholarship.  Kids must be made aware of the current status of the global and national environment, which allows them to prepare for future challenges. Better yet, the knowledge delivered needs to include these contexts.

Secondary education in Sri Lanka lasts eight years and comprises 2 phases: junior secondary, grades 6-9, and senior secondary, grades 10-13. The subjects included in secondary school deliver information on climate change to the students included in subjects like geography, science, social studies, and health studies. However, the required prominence is only given to some aspects of climate change, especially when it comes to innovative thinking, which allows for combating its impacts.

Senior secondary studies become even more focused as the students face 2 competitive exams, Ordinary Level in grade 11 (age 16) and Advance Level in grade 13 (age 18), which decides their destiny more times than others. However, as neither of these exams gives prominence to environment-related challenges, kids would only pay attention to them if they have a deep passion for the subject.

The State University System in Sri Lanka offers various graduate, and post-graduate degrees focused on Environmental Sciences, including Climate Change. Yet only a handful of the youth gets the opportunity to study the subject deeply, which should be included in the knowledge base of all citizens.

The National Curriculum Framework for Secondary Education in Sri Lanka has included a section on general education (pg. 15 – 16) which defines the ultimate goal to Create a citizen ready for the challenges of and beyond the 21^st Century and to contribute to the process of sustainable national development and peace of the country.  

Even though the literacy rate of Sri Lanka was recorded as 92.38 in 2020, Climate Literacy is very poor as many are not provided the necessary platforms to be educated on it.

One of Its kind Climate Change University

Climate change has become a topic of discussion for every government worldwide. Accordingly, several universities are at the forefront of providing higher education on different aspects of climate change. Accordingly, the top 7 Universities to learn about Climate Change in the World were named in 2020 by the CEO World Magazine.

1. Duke University
2. University of Oxford
3. Harvard University
4. Stanford University
5. University of California
6. University of Queensland
7. Imperial College of London

However, no University in the world is dedicated to only Climate Change-related courses, which President Wickremesinghe proposed.

Is CCE a practical solution in Sri Lanka?

CCE has already been introduced to formal education, both primary and secondary, in some countries around the world. For example, in Ethiopia, the National Curriculum Framework (2020) includes environment and climate change in all study subjects for Grades 1 to 12 as a cross-cutting issue. It is supported by the guide Integrating Climate Change into the Ethiopian Curriculum (2019). In Zambia, the National Climate Change Learning Strategy (2021) commits to integrating climate change in learning and teaching materials from early childhood care and education to secondary school. In addition, the United States of America is one of the first countries to adopt a Climate Change Education Act (2021). Read more about how CCE has been implemented worldwide, Archived here.

However, a report by the union Education International which represents millions of teachers worldwide, says that many countries need to pay more attention to commitments to provide climate change education. Its research says that out of 95 countries that have submitted new or updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as part of their commitment to the Paris Agreement’s goals, just 24% specifically mentioned the education of young people. Furthermore, it says that none call for compulsory Climate Change Education (CCE) as part of their national climate strategy. The updated NDC of Sri Lanka, too, does not include a sector for education.

In addition, several gaps were observed between the existing education/administration system and the implementation of CCE in Sri Lanka. A PESTEL Analysis was conducted to identify these gaps accordingly;

1. Political: Instability and corruption would limit the relevant authorities from focusing on implementing CCE 
2. Economical: Considering the current economic crisis and inflation, it would require much funding, and Sri Lanka cannot afford CCE.
3. Social: People’s interest levels towards climate change are abysmal, considering there are more significant problems of concern that they face daily (food crisis, minimum wage, prizes of basic needs).
4. Technical: Sri Lanka needs to be technically updated in terms of Climate action.
5. Environmental: The constant fear of extreme weather events and mismanagement of the existing environment makes it hypocritical to teach CCE.
6. Legal: Strong policies and regulations must be in place and properly implemented.

Can CCE bring new hope to Sri Lanka?

Regardless of the gaps in the existing system, it is always vital to implement an education system that includes practical knowledge of climate change, which will be helpful for future generations to be more resilient. In addition, Sri Lanka needs to successfully create awareness among school students regarding Climate Change and allow kids to be innovative in combating it while being resilient to its increasing impacts. Then, we can be hopeful for the future, knowing we left the country in the hands of a  better generation to come.