This sustainable development project seeks to support the implementation and monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The project “Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Educational Institutions in Ecuador” will support thirteen educational institutions in Ecuador. These institutions are part of the provinces of Pichincha, Imbabura, Manabí, Napo, Zamora Chinchipe, and Guayas. According to the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (National Biodiversity Institute) (Inabio), this project will help meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The objectives are planned to be achieved through citizen science, which is a way of creating knowledge based on the active participation of the communities in the entire research process, in different sectors and disciplines. The purpose of this project is to seek solutions to social problems, both nationally and globally. This project is possible thanks to the efforts of Germany and its Ministry of Environment, which have a very strong line of cooperation on climate change issues.
Other sustainable development objectives of the project
Another objective of this initiative is linked to the development of citizen science oriented to the environmental sector. To this end, actions will be implemented in three areas: energy, water, waste, and green infrastructure; on which mechanisms and strategies will be developed to determine, evaluate, and act upon different types of problems, geographic and cultural dynamics, as well as other social and environmental factors.
In this regard, Lorena Peñaherrera, undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, says that it is an honor for the institution to be involved in this project. Since they have determined the need to implement actions that address environmental difficulties, through the education of children and adolescents at the national level.
In 2013, UNESCO adopted the Global Action Program on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The objective was to propose a new educational framework focused on the relationship between humans and nature, as the main aspect of the world’s educational systems by 2025.
Most of the educational actors in Ecuador are not familiar with this program; therefore, its implementation and execution requires external technical support. It is also necessary to train teachers in methodological strategies to address it in the educational sector.
Finally, the Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana (International Iberoamerican University) (UNIB) offers the Master in Education with a specialty in the Organization and Management of Education Centers.
Source: German support for sustainable development education in Ecuador
