The Ghana Commission for UNESCO has commenced a three-day stakeholder engagement to develop and implement Ghana’s Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Country Initiative.
The ESD is an initiative of UNESCO that requires member countries to develop and implement towards the attainment of sustainable development through education by 2030.
Thus, the ESD places emphasis on the role of education in achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The initiative has five priority action areas; advancing policy, transforming learning environments, building capacities of educators, empowering and mobilizing youth, and accelerating local-level actions.
Mrs. AMA Serwah Nerquaye-Tetteh, Secretary General, Ghana Commission for UNESCO, at the stakeholders meeting, said the initiative was necessary to increase the quality and relevance of learning as a viable contribution to the advancement of sustainable development.
“That is why UNESCO is guiding all Member States to refocus education and learning on sustainable development outcomes by using the ESD Implementation Framework.
“Member States are asked to assess and re-align the goals, values, and outcomes of their respective education systems,” she added.
Mrs. Nerquaye-Tetteh said the initiative when developed and implemented would enable UNESCO to track Ghana’s performance in education.
She said activities and initiatives being undertaken by individuals and institutions to improve the sector needed to be streamlined and harnessed into developing the composite ESD initiative.
Meanwhile, after the three-day input into the development of the ESD initiative, a draft report will be sent to the Minister of Education for validation and implementation.
The initiative would enable the country to become an official member of the ESD-Global Network 2030 which facilitates the implementation of the initiative.
