The British Council, in partnership with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, continues to address the global issues of climate change and girls’ education, by launching their latest programme called ‘Climate Change and Girls’ Education in ASEAN – a vicious or virtuous circle?’.
Climate Action and Girls’ Education are key global priorities. However, the key causal relationships between these two key challenges are much lesser known. The ‘Climate Change and Girls’ Education in ASEAN’ programme aims to strengthen awareness of the intersectionality of these two key challenges and to provide platforms for discussion and potential collaboration among young people, educators, sector experts and policymakers in 10 ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste with the intention that this will inform and inspire community and policy level engagement in the longer term.
Leighton Ernsberger, Director Education and English, British Council, said: ‘‘Many studies have shown that negative impacts from climate change are not equally distributed and are highly linked to poverty and gender inequality. The aftermaths of extreme weather events such as severe floods or out-of-season drought have devastating impacts on children and girls, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. With the prevailing inequality in gender, girls are less likely to go back to school where they can learn and acquire skills necessary to adapt to climate crisis.’
Countries that have invested in girls’ education have suffered far fewer deaths from droughts and floods than countries with lower levels of girls’ education. Girls’ education, particularly secondary education, has been identified as the most important socioeconomic determinant to reduce vulnerability to the impacts of weather-related disasters and extreme weather.”[1]
The programme consists of three main activities, aimed at young people, educational practitioners and policy makers across ASEAN countries to raise awareness of the positive and negative interconnectivity between climate change and girls’ education.
– Poster competition: we are inviting young people, aged 14 to 17, in 10 ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste to submit an infographic poster explain ‘your version’ of the causal relationships between climate change and girls’ education in a simple yet engaging style. Winners will receive an opportunity to join the ASEAN-wide online exclusive event and more. The competition is now open until 24 April 2022.
– School resource pack: This resource is designed for teachers and facilitators in education settings for young people aged 11-17. It can be used in mainstream school subjects and in English language classrooms. It aims to promote understanding and informed action around the issues and interlinkages between climate change and girls’ education. The English version of resource pack will be available for download from 25 March 2022. The resource pack will also be translated into 8 major languages of ASEAN; Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, Burmese, Filipino, Cambodian, Laos, Thai and Vietnamese, which will be available from early April.
– Policy dialogue event: an online event involving key stakeholders at country and ASEAN level to discuss the topic, consider ideas and solutions highlighted by the competition winners and explore areas for cross ASEAN collaboration. The event is scheduled in May 2022
For more information, please visit: https://www.britishcouncil.or.th/en/programmes/climate-connections/girls-education
