Teaching unions in the United Kingdom have written to the country’s Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, raising concerns that current measures intended to teach pupils about climate change were not enough.
The education unions, comprising the NEU teaching union, the NASUWT teaching union, the NAHT school leaders’ union and the University and College Union, wrote to Mr Zahawi on Monday to say that the government’s draft plans on climate change teaching needed to be improved.
They added that teachers may feel “constrained” and “fearful” in their discussions with students out of fear of being seen as “partisan” under the current proposals.
It will be recalled that the Department for Education’s draft sustainability and climate change strategy was announced by Zahawi at a speech to the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow last November.
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His announcement, among other things, included news that young people would be able to undertake a Climate Leaders Award to recognise their work in protecting the environment.
The draft strategy which is due to be published in its final form in April – also suggests that all new schools will be built to be “net-zero in operation”, while programmes will be set up to help young people “retrain and upskill for green jobs”.
Additionally, it proposes a virtual National Education Nature Park, which will give young people “practical opportunities” to improve the natural environment.
But unions have said that while the Climate Leaders Award and National Education Nature Park were “positive initiatives”, the proposals do not go far enough to create “deep change in every aspect of our lives”.
The unions, quoting the wording of the strategy, said that “to achieve excellence”, it is not enough to “increase support, training and resources for teachers” within the confines of “science, geography and citizenship subjects”.
In their letter, the unions that the current draft of the strategy could make teachers “fearful” about having frank discussions with pupils about climate change over fears of being seen as “partisan”.
