RCE Greater Dhaka - 2019

Location

Bangladesh
BD
Creating values for a Low Carbon Society through Education for Sustainable Development in RCE Greater Dhaka
Basic Information
Title of project : 
Creating values for a Low Carbon Society through Education for Sustainable Development in RCE Greater Dhaka
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Greater Dhaka
Contributing organization(s) : 
Centre for Global Environmental Culture (CGEC)
IUBAT Institute of SDG Studies (IISS)
WWOOF Bangladesh
FEPPCAR
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Mohammed Ataur Rahman
Organizational Affiliation: 
IUBAT—International University of Business Agriculture and Technology
Format of project: 
Manuscript
Language of project: 
English
Date of submission:
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
SDG 4: Quality Education and Lifelong Learning Opportunities for All
At what level is the policy operating?: 
National
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Asia-Pacific
Country: 
Bangladesh
Location(s): 
Dhaka and its surrounding areas
Address of focal point institution for project: 
4 Embankment Drive Road, Uttara Model Town
Uttara Model Town
Ecosystem(s):
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Bangladesh is a tropical monsoon country in South Asian Region. It is a funnel-shaped deltaic floodplain of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna, Karnofuli, Shangu and Matamuhuri rivers meets to the Bay of Bengal. The northern and eastern Boundaries are the hills of eastern Himalayas and Arakan and Lusai ranges respectively. Huge monsoon rainfall brings silt and organic matters to the downstream and made the most fertile region of the world with the highest population. Although it is economically advancing very fast but environmental degradation is a serious issue especially in the urban and periurban areas. Most of the cities are highly polluted.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
To feed huge population ( 170 million) in a small land area ( 144,570 sq km) short-term benefited technologies especially high inputs depended on ones, excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, deforestation ( only 17% forest cover) in and around the region, change of the landscape, unplanned urbanization and industrialization especially textile, dyeing, hide and skin and medicine industries etc. have polluted the environment especially the air, soil, water-bodies and thus the ecosystem services are becoming less functional and affecting human health as well as other lives. These enforced huge rural population especially from the vulnerable coastal zone to migrate to Dhaka megacity. It is also regarded as one of the most unlivable enclosed coastal megacity in the world.
Contents
Status: 
Ongoing
Period: 
February, 2019
Rationale: 
To save the earth from the trending global warming scenario, carbon emission must be reduced significantly in this new millennium. But achieving this target is a huge challenge and the real progress of the Kyoto protocol has not been achieved since the last 20 years. This is why a major social movement is necessary to realize the danger of environmental catastrophe and building up a collective effort for a ‘low carbon society’. Regional Centre of Expertise, RCE Greater Dhaka has been working on this target and implementing Environmental Education program since 2011. The context of enabling a low carbon society is somehow difficult and different in developing countries in contrast to a developed one. The developed country where the literacy rate is higher and people are well aware of the terminology of ‘low carbon society’. But in a developing nation like Bangladesh, people are not well aware of it and even do not care for individual resource consumption habit for minimum environmental impact. As a result, creating values for changing individual and social attitude towards a ‘low carbon society’ needs systematic education.
Objectives: 
The main objectives of the project are developing values among undergraduate students on low carbon initiatives through ESD course. In this measure, a course curriculum has been developed and ESD course was introduced in the host IUBAT University of RCE Greater Dhaka. So far more than 10 thousand undergraduates have been trained on ESD. Moreover, this education has been expanded to society through youth volunteering in 100 schools every year.
Activities and/or practices employed: 
RCE Greater Dhaka as an academic institution is pursuing environmental education for ‘low carbon society’. International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT) is the host of Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Greater Dhaka. It has been taking various steps, based on the Global Actions Program (GAP) of UN to support sustainable education. The sustainability practices include here are energy saving, wastewater reuse, waste management, tree plantation, reduction of carbon footprint, greening the campus, etc. RCE Greater Dhaka as a pioneer institution playing a crucial role in disseminating sustainable education to students, youth and community. This requires a combined effort of academicians, student body and stakeholders. RCE Greater Dhaka has a nationwide impact for playing as a model educational institution for sustainable activities in Bangladesh and for training resource persons (such as students with the value of sustainable development) those will take a leading role on the environment.

RCE Greater Dhaka is the centre of volunteering hub to many primary and secondary schools and colleges and slum dwellers. Under the youth mobilization program, 100 schools have been selected for volunteering. The goal of volunteering is to educate the students of all schools and colleges on ESD practices to produce environmentally conscious citizens fully aware of the values of ‘low carbon society’. Based on this students are learning transferable skills for spreading environmental awareness and linking to the community. Thus knowledge and values from the centre are disseminating to the community through active youths that ultimately enables ‘low carbon society’.
Size of academic audience: 
10,000+
Results: 
On creating values for a low carbon society the centre already taught more the 10,000 undergraduate on ESD skill. This is an ongoing effort and a pedagogy driven course curricula have been developed through a joint publication of UNU-IAS and UNESCO Bangkok in 2019. Every year 100+ schools volunteering program is taken for educating the school-going children. Numerous NGOs such as Jono-Sikkhaloy, Bangladesh National Cadet Core, Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) and Green Savers Association are actively working with this education program of RCE Greater Dhaka. In this way RCE Greater Dhaka is paving the way for ‘low carbon society’ in the country by orienting and creating values of ESD in Bangladesh through ESD course, pedagogy, linking schools on ESD and working with various NGOs of the country.
Lessons learned: 
In a developing country like Bangladesh knowledge and value creation is very crucial in comparison to other developed countries for a low carbon society. Undergraduates could be taken as a young environmental entrepreneur who takes leadership in their working field and expands environmental awareness.
Key messages: 
With national-level inclusion of ESD in text book every university of the world should take steps to integrate ESD as a course in their respective institutions. In creating values of low consumption of natural resources educational institutions can play the leading role in the society.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
Higher Education projects of the following RCEs:
RCE Penang, Malaysia
RCE Greater Western Sydney, Australia
Funding: 
This project is a RCE Greater Dhaka funded volunteer work.

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon Fig Volunteer teaching in the slum area of RCE Greater Dhaka.jpg (113.5 KB) Fig Volunteer teaching in the slum area of RCE Greater Dhaka Muhammad Rehan Dastagir
Image icon Fig Tree plantation activity in the school.jpg (94.66 KB) Fig Tree plantation activity in the school Muhammad Rehan Dastagir
Image icon Pedagogy-Dastagir-RCE Dhaka .jpg (95.47 KB) Pedagogy-Dastagir-RCE Dhaka Muhammad Rehan Dastagir
Image icon Volunteer Teaching by Undergrade.jpg (59.42 KB) Volunteer Teaching by Undergrade Muhammad Rehan Dastagir
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere 
Indirect
SDG 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture 
Indirect
SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages 
Indirect
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 
Direct
SDG 6 - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 
Indirect
SDG 7 - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 
Indirect
SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all 
Indirect
SDG 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation 
Indirect
SDG 10 - Reduce inequality within and among countries 
Indirect
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
Direct
SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 
Direct
SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 
Direct
SDG 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 
Indirect
SDG 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss 
Direct
SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 
Indirect
SDG 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development 
Indirect
Theme
Disaster Risk Reduction 
Indirect
Traditional Knowledge  
Direct
Agriculture 
Indirect
Arts 
Indirect
Curriculum Development 
Direct
Ecotourism 
Indirect
Forests/Trees 
Direct
Plants & Animals 
Direct
Waste 
Direct
Global Action Programme (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development – Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 1 - Advancing policy 
Direct
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
Direct
Priority Action Area 3 - Building capacities of educators and trainers 
Direct
Priority Action Area 4 - Empowering and mobilizing youth 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
Direct
Update: 
No