UNESCO 2019 Forum on Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizens opens in Hà Nội

 

Delegates attend the UNESCO 2019 Forum on Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizens on Tuesday in Hà Nội yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – After ten years of implementing the United Nations-launched education programme for sustainable development (from 2005-2014), today education for sustainable development (ESD) is the key of Agenda 2030 with 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Phùng Xuân Nhạ said.

At the opening ceremony of the UNESCO 2019 Forum on Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizens on Tuesday in Hà Nội, he said: "What has been done is only the beginning to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030."

The forum "Learning and teaching for a peaceful and sustainable society: from Early Childhood Education to Primary and Secondary Education" was jointly organised by the Organisation for Education, Science and Culture of the United Nations (UNESCO), Ministry of Education and Training, and the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO.

The minister said: “In the next phase, every student needs to learn about sustainable development from basic trained teachers, through educational programmes and appropriate investment resources.”

“Of course, it is not possible to quickly come up with optimal solutions,” he said, “but making the right commitments and goals will help put us in the right direction.”

The minister said since 2013, Việt Nam has begun to implement education reforms in a fundamental and comprehensive way.

“One of the important milestones is that the National High School Education Programme approved in December 2018 that was based on the development of the quality and capacity of learners, and helps students have the necessary skills for the 21st Century,” he said.

“The goal of Việt Nam is not only to integrate sustainable development into education but also to mobilise education as a means to comprehensively implement all sustainable development goals.”

However, the minister said that there were still many issues and questions that Việt Nam faced in implementing this programme.

These included how to ensure education reaches and serves everyone? How to update the curriculum and standards to meet future development needs? How to turn learning into a lifelong journey? How to support creativity and innovation? How to improve the quality of teacher training?

The minister emphasised these questions were not only for Việt Nam but also for other countries.

“What the education sector is doing for sustainable development will be an answer to these issues,” he said.

Participants have the opportunity to share innovative, feasible approaches to address existing problems and fully exploit the potential from three areas of learning (perceptions, emotions and behaviours) to meet the objectives of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.

More than 350 delegates including leaders, policy makers, experts and educators from over 100 countries around the world attended the forum. The forum, including seven plenary sessions and four group discussion sessions, will end today. VNS