This past Monday, February 13, 2023, a high-level workshop attended by the Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports and the twelve regional academies of education and training (AREFS) directors was held at the Hassan II International Center for Environmental Training, the academic entity of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, chaired by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa.
This workshop sought to take stock of the national meeting held on January 30, 2023, at the same venue, in which 94 regional and provincial coordinators of education for sustainable development, along with program jury members, reflected, with support from professional coaches made available for the day by long-time Foundation partner, Cooper Pharma, on avenues to practically enhance the Eco-schools, Young Reporters for the Environment and Global schools programs.
The various proposals that came out of the six working groups included, among others, the holding of an annual workshop to open each school year, the expansion of the Foundation’s three programs to all levels of education, the search for support partners and local expertise, the strengthening of networking activities, a competition on innovative regional educational tools, etc.
The high-level workshop enabled the Foundation to first share its approach with the Minister, that is to raise environmental awareness among future generations from preschool to high school, in order to empower the adults of tomorrow as daily actors for Sustainable Development and second to outline the roadmap of Foundation programs, in accordance with the Ministry’s roadmap for educational renaissance threefold student, teacher, school approach.
This approach to education for sustainable development was also presented in the Center’s four multipurpose and connected spaces, open to educational gardens for green classes where teaching is carried out in practical terms with extra-mural activities such as initiation to permaculture. Two Eco-schools and young reporters for the environment from the Rabat Salé and Kenitra region took part in training sessions and animations on sustainable development, in presence of the Minister and the twelve directors.
Participants also toured the Hassan II International Center for Environmental Training, its ecological and smart building as well as its gardens.
