RCE Greater Dhaka - 2019
Location
Bangladesh
See map: Google Maps
BD
Creating values for a Low Carbon Society through Education for Sustainable Development in RCE Greater Dhaka
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
Uttara Model Town
Ecosystem(s):
Target Audience:
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.
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’.
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.
Relationship to other RCE activities:
Higher Education projects of the following RCEs:
RCE Penang, Malaysia
RCE Greater Western Sydney, Australia
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 |
---|---|---|
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 |
Fig Tree plantation activity in the school.jpg (94.66 KB) | Fig Tree plantation activity in the school | Muhammad Rehan Dastagir |
Pedagogy-Dastagir-RCE Dhaka .jpg (95.47 KB) | Pedagogy-Dastagir-RCE Dhaka | Muhammad Rehan Dastagir |
Volunteer Teaching by Undergrade.jpg (59.42 KB) | Volunteer Teaching by Undergrade | Muhammad Rehan Dastagir |
References and reference materials:
(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
Disaster Risk Reduction
Indirect
Traditional Knowledge
Direct
Agriculture
Indirect
Arts
Indirect
Curriculum Development
Direct
Ecotourism
Indirect
Forests/Trees
Direct
Plants & Animals
Direct
Waste
Direct
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
Update:
No