The inevitability of green transition and how to achieve and sustain it was at the core of presentations by environment experts at a staff professional development workshop organized by the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, on Thursday.
Tagged ‘Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)’, the event, a kind of train-the-trainers workshop and an Ogun State Sustainability Education Programme, featured industry experts from within and outside Nigeria.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Oluwole Sikiru Banjo, in his short remarks, described the workshop as a testament to TASUED’s resolve to equip its educators with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to become catalysts for societal transformation.
“By integrating sustainability principles into teaching practices, we are nurturing a new generation of responsible citizens and change agents capable of addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, and other interconnected global issues,” he said.
He commended the federal government, Ogun State government, UNESCO, and other stakeholders who had helped make the initiative possible, and pledged TASUED’s commitment to being at the forefront of educational initiatives that promote sustainability and societal wellbeing.
Mr Ademola Ogunbanjo, president/CEO of OANDO Clean Energy Limited, in his presentation, noted that a sustainable future requires environmental health, economic viability, and social equity.
Speaking on ‘ESD Competencies for Societal Transformation: The Green Transition and Capacity Development’, Ogunbanjo lamented that Nigeria has continued to rely on fossil fuels and unreliable energy systems, which he says have locked its economy into an unsustainable path despite abundant renewable potential.
He particularly bemoaned the fact that Nigeria had been playing catch-up in energy transition.
Developed nations, he noted, had leveraged gas for industrialization for decades – something Nigeria is just now waking up to – but those nations are discarding their use now for more effective options, especially in transportation.
Rather than being fixated on the use of CNG vehicles, for instance, Ogunbanjo suggested that gas, which Nigeria has in abundance, should be used only for powering charging stations, while more focus should be on the production and use of electric vehicles for transportation.
“Our current trajectory is not sustainable,” he said. “Change is pertinent to ensure the sustenance of the ecosystem. To live in a world habitable for the current and future generations, change is necessary.”
To engender the green transition, Ogunbanjo called for the adaptation of the existing curriculum in academia to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals.
Starting from early childhood education to tertiary education, he said, curricula should be made with sustainable development in mind.
He also called on academia to convene dialogues among stakeholders (government, lawmakers, think-tanks) to educate them on the problems and proffer well-thought-out solutions.
More than anything else, he said, universities should lead the charge by being early adopters of green technologies.
Another facilitator and Secretary General of the Nigeria National Commission for UNESCO, Dr Idowu Olagunju, emphasized the need for strong partnerships if educators are to achieve solid results in sustainability efforts.
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Speaking on ‘Strengthening Educators’ Capacity through Strategic Partnerships to Build Capacity for Environmental Sustainability and Green Competencies’, Dr Olagunju said apart from acquiring the requisite training, there must be partnerships to build educators’ capacity for environmental sustainability and green competencies.
According to him, it is essential to build partnerships with eco-schools, UNICEF ministries of education, Teach-for-All and local non-governmental organisations, United States and international schools, as well as Microsoft Education and Schools.
Other speakers at the workshop include Professor Gregor Torkar from Ljubljana University, Slovenia, and UNESCO Chair on Teacher Education for Sustainable Development. He spoke on ‘Transforming Futures: Enhancing Practice for ESD for 2030 through Action Research’.
Dr Marco Rieckmann of the University of Vechta, Germany, spoke on ‘Teacher Education for Sustainable Development: Introduction to TESD (What and Why) and Approaches to Incorporating Sustainability Education into Teaching and Learning Practices’.
Others are Mr Banji Odeyemi from the Innovative Educational Services, Vrije Universiteit, Brussel, Belgium, who spoke on ‘Ogun State Sustainability Education Programme: TASUED Teacher Professional Development on ESD (environmental sustainability and green competencies)’, and Dr Moma Enang, UNESCO Abuja, who spoke on ‘Climate Change Education through Greening Education Partnership and Education for the Green Economies’.
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