Training in Education for Sustainable Development Reaches 400 Teachers in Myanmar

In the schools surrounding Myanmar’s Bagan Archaeological Area, 400 teachers joined trainings on teaching materials to integrate education for sustainable development (ESD) into the basic education curriculum. As part of the project “Strengthening Schools for Education for Sustainable Development”, funded through a private-public partnership with Panasonic Corporation, UNESCO, and the Ministry of Education, seven school regions in Nyaung U township, Mandalay Region, Myanmar hosted three-day trainings for teachers from all grade levels from 20-27 August 2017.

Opening remarks given at the teacher training hosted by Bagan High School in Nyaung U, Myanmar

Teachers gathered in trainings to discuss what education for sustainable development is, and what is the role of the teacher in sustainable development. A comprehensive understanding of education for sustainable development (ESD) developed, including contributions such as: “education for our children’s future” and “to become a full individual including communication with others, relationship building, and economic development.”

Teaching materials including teacher guidebooks with activities for ESD linked to the curriculum and associated visual aids were developed as part of the project. Demonstrations of integrating the teaching materials into lesson plans were done by 92 mentor teachers and school headmasters, trained as trainers in June 2017. The mentor teachers and school headmasters led sessions using the teaching materials to teach ESD in diverse subjects, from geography to Myanmar language to science. The training concluded with the first ESD learning community meetings, led by mentor teachers, to take place monthly within each of the seven school regions.

Teachers pose with their teaching materials following a demonstration of an ESD activity integrated into a science lesson

The trainings build on previous project activities, such as the distribution of 450 solar storage systems donated by Panasonic Corporation to 130 schools in the area of the Bagan Archaeological Area. The goal of the project is to pilot greater integration of sustainable development perspectives into the education system in Myanmar, both in what content that is taught as well as how it is taught, in order to empower Myanmar’s learners to rise to both the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century. 

Main photo caption: A mentor teacher leads discussion of the components of education for sustainable development identified by training participants