Strengthening Climate and Environmental Education for Carbon Neutrality... Establishing Dedicated Agencies and Platforms

Announcement of Climate and Environmental Education Support Measures by 6 Ministries
Expanding Ecological Transition Education to All Subjects
Utilizing Schools as Carbon Neutral Learning Spaces

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Ecological transition education, which was previously reflected only in some subjects, will be expanded to all subjects. Schools will be utilized as centers for carbon-neutral learning and regional hubs.

On the 7th, six ministries including the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea Forest Service, and Korea Meteorological Administration, along with 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education, announced the "Support Plan for School Climate and Environmental Education to Overcome the Climate Crisis and Practice Carbon Neutrality."

Currently, ecological transition education is reflected only in related subjects such as social studies, science, environment, and ethics. In the 2022 revised curriculum, it will be incorporated so that students can learn it in all subjects. Participation and experiential education activities that help develop climate response capabilities, such as environmental clubs, reading, and volunteer activities, will be supported.

For student-tailored school environmental education, experiential education using school gardens and school forests will be implemented in kindergarten and elementary schools, while middle and high schools will provide classes linked to the free semester system and high school credit system.

Teacher training universities such as colleges of education and teacher training colleges will be encouraged to organize and operate carbon-neutral education courses, and teachers' environmental sensitivity and expertise will be strengthened through expanded online and offline training.

To establish schools as centers for carbon-neutral learning, the number of carbon-neutral focus schools will be expanded from 5 this year to 40 in 2023, and carbon-neutral pilot schools will increase from 102 to 340 in two years.

The government has established an institutional foundation to strengthen climate crisis response education by revising the Framework Act on Education and enacting the Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality.

The Ministry of Education plans to expand the environmental education support system with metropolitan and provincial offices of education and establish dedicated institutions and operational systems (platforms) to support school environmental education. The support organizational system will be strengthened through regular policy councils between central and local governments.

The Ministry of Education increased the budget for ecological transition education and climate, environment, and sustainable development education from 3.7 billion KRW this year to 5.8 billion KRW next year.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye said, "We will work together with related ministries and metropolitan and provincial offices of education so that future generations can actively empathize with climate and environmental crisis issues and grow into environmental citizens who take social action on their own."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.