ADC/CENN to Introduce NASA's Enviro-Education Platform in Georgian Schools
Worldwide science and education program, the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program, is to be implemented in Georgia. To officially open the program, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed online on April 22, ‘Earth Day’ between the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, represented by Minister, Mikheil Chkhenkeli, and CENN, represented by Executive Director Nana Janashia.
The participants of the online conference were welcomed by Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria in Georgia, Arad Benko, who discussed the importance of the implementation of the GLOBE Program in Georgia.
The GLOBE Program will be implemented with the financial support of Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) within the scope of the project - Promoting Sustainable Forest Management For Climate Resilient Rural Development In Georgia. By the end of academic year 2020-2021, 10 schools will have been retrained to participate in the program, and any teacher willing to do so will be able to use the instructional modules and educational materials, for GLOBE offers numerous significant online learning tools.
“It is rather emblematic that the foundation was laid for the initiation of an extremely important program in Georgia on International Earth Day,” said Minister Chkhenkeli. “For this, I would like to extend special thanks to ADC, NASA and CENN. The GLOBE Program covers very interesting topics, the knowledge of which, I believe, is essential for every educated person. GLOBE’s online tools will eventually enable us to cover all schools in Georgia. Online education is a highly relevant issue in the time of global pandemic. I am confident that program implementation will be a great success.”
The GLOBE Program is globally administered by NASA and incorporates school students of various grades, teachers and scientists in order to study the global environment. The program includes learning, environmental studies, observation, and sharing information with one another and with international scientific society.
Implementation of such a successful international informal environmental education platform in Georgia will support: creating broad opportunities for science and educational practice at public and private schools; connecting successful schools and people with international programs; creating new academic knowledge and preparation of information resources; and raising public awareness on global and local environmental challenges and ways of addressing them.
“The ADC has been supporting environmental awareness raising for youth for five years,” Ambassador Benko told GEORGIA TODAY. “The data and information management system, as well as the informal education modules (of which many are online) of the GLOBE program will greatly contribute to building the capacities of beneficiary schools. The GLOBE Program is an international science and education program that provides students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process. We believe that students will improve their understanding of the Earth's system and the global environment. Environmental awareness concerns all areas of the economy and the society. The youth are Georgia´s future and the future of Georgia depends on them!”