A UCL project has published policy-relevant research evidence from primary school girls and their teachers, to improve climate change and sustainable development (CCSD) education in Egypt. 

These insights revealed five opportunity areas through which policy makers and educators can improve CCSD education across the Egyptian curriculum and empower one of the least represented demographics - girls in Egypt’s under-privileged urban areas. 

Egypt’s coastal and Nile Delta cities are among the most environmentally precarious in the world, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ranking the Nile Delta as one of the three deltas most vulnerable to sea level rise in the world. Women and girls tend to be more vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, which exacerbates inequalities.  

Meanwhile Egypt’s Education Sector Plan 2023-2027 calls for quality and equity in primary schooling, by integrating climate education into all school curricula at primary level. By raising girls’ voices in CCSD education and boosting their empowerment to do something about climate change’s impact on their futures, the research supports Egypt’s inclusivity as an economy and society. 

The project, Climate Action and Sustainability for Schooling in Egypt (CLASS), worked closely with the Al Azhar Schools Network and the British Council, with funding from the British Academy. 

The CLASS project used surveys, drawing activities, and interviews to discover the needs and perspectives of 501 girls in Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city. They explored the girls’ knowledge and understanding of climate change, their experiences of CCSD education and classroom practice, and their sense of empowerment for climate action.  

Many of the participants conveyed knowledge and awareness of climate change, often focused on local events they had personally experienced, such as extreme weather. They frequently depicted climate change as a shift from a healthy to a damaged environment, mainly caused by human activities like pollution, with awareness of serious consequences for both people and nature. 

The project’s surveys with 738 primary school teachers and focus groups (24 teachers) provided insights to teachers’ perceptions of CCSD education and their professional development needs. The findings further reveal a strong desire from both students and teachers for more comprehensive climate education. Girls particularly request more engaging pedagogies for teaching it. 

The centralised, nationalised schooling system in Egypt means that all teachers follow the same curriculum through use of a standard textbook for each subject at each grade. The research sought to understand how the current curriculum, textbooks and teaching methods support girls’ learning, and how effective these are for empowering them and their teachers. 

On Tuesday, 15 July the project team shared the findings at a policy round-table event, hosting a panel discussion to discuss the implications for policy and practice across Egypt as well as opportunities for the broader Middle East and North African region. The panel was formed of: Amr Ramadan Hassan (Egypt representative on the Arab Youth Council for Climate Change), Dr Chris Berry (FCDO), Professor Elaine Unterhalter (UCL Centre for Education and International Development), and Christine Özden (Global Director for Climate Crisis Education, Cambridge University Press and Assessment). 

Based on the evidence, the project team’s report recommends five opportunity areas for improvement: 

  1. Strengthen CCSD education within science, and embed it across all curriculum subjects. 

Girls and teachers requested a greater breadth of CCSD-related lessons across all subjects. Teachers noted that although the current curriculum was excellent, the curriculum’s density limited the time available for these topics. Girls also asked for textbooks with simpler explanations, more colourful illustrations, and storytelling. 

  1. Support girls’ learning and emotional wellbeing through participatory teaching 

Climate change is a deeply emotional issue for many girls, who expressed feelings of sadness, fear, and anger about environmental degradation and an uncertain future. They wished for teachers to be kinder and more attentive to their learning needs, and to approach CCSD education in creative, sensitive ways. 

  1. Develop girls’ agency by providing meaningful opportunities for engagement, action and impact 

While most teachers (73%) worried about Egypt’s environmental future, many believed their students did not share this concern. However, the research showed almost all girls had some knowledge of pro-environmental actions—like rubbish collection and recycling—and a willingness to act.  

The young participants found it empowering to take part in this research, as it gave them a platform to express their genuine views and be heard. 

One participant said, “I felt happy because someone came in and asked me about my feelings”, while another conveyed, “This is an opportunity which I won’t have again. I wrote down what I want - my suggestions - and was happy.” [Sentence Starter 8].” 

  1. Cultivate girls’ emerging identities as climate action advocates to enhance their agency and influence 

Most girls believed they could make a difference through climate action, with even more expressing a willingness to act, such as keeping the environment clean, caring for nature and advising others how to do so. 

One participant reflected, “I feel that girls, who were looked down upon in the past, are capable of changing the world” [Sentence Starter 2]. Girls also expressed pride in their country, Egypt, which encouraged them to feel environmental responsibility and ecological empowerment. 

  1. Provide all teachers with professional development related to CCSD 

The majority of teachers were aware of climate change with 91% agreeing there is clear scientific evidence for global warming. While they generally felt confident teaching about climate change, only 36% of teachers reported having participated in any relevant training. A significant number (68%) had taken the initiative to teach themselves about the topic and strongly desired more formal training to support their teaching. 

Read the full report and executive summary for the researcher’s suggestions on how educators and policy makers can reach these five goals.  

The project is led by UCL’s Professor Eleanore Hargreaves with a research team based at the UCL Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education (CCCSE): Professor Nicola Walshe, Dr Richard Sheldrake, and Joy Perry. The project’s Egyptian Co-Investigator was Dr Dalia Elhawary (Alexandria University).

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Copyright of Dr Dalia Elhawary.