From September 2022, students in Northern Ireland schools will be able to get a qualification in climate change and environmental action. The qualification has now been approved by Northern Ireland’s educational chiefs.
For GCSE and A-level students they will be able to study towards a new OCN NI Level 2 certificate in Reducing Carbon Footprints Through Environmental Action.
The courses will be fully accessed by coursework, and they will contain a number of modules outlining many ways to tackle climate change and what is affecting it, including Carbon in Climate Change; Biodiversity Recovery; Tackling Single-Use Plastics; Fast Fashion; and Climate Campaigning.
In preparation for these courses there are currently 30 teachers that have completed the Carbon Literacy training course. The course was completely free and was funded by NI’s Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
Martin Flynn, the Chief Executive of the Open College Network Northern Ireland (OCN NI) believes that “the new qualifications, which will be available to schools and their students from September 2022, will prove to be an extremely popular choice with young people.”
This move in NI schools towards teaching children about sustainability and climate change is important, as it educates the next generation on how to help save our planet.
