Thursday, 6th June 2024 – In a special 30th anniversary celebration webinar titled “Greening Schools to Greening Communities – Celebrating 30 years of Eco-Schools and Young Reporters for the Environment!”, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) announced the recipients of the FEE Teacher Award. This announcement comes a day after World Environment Day, when UNESCO launched their Green School Quality Standards and Green Curriculum Guidance as part of the UN’s global initiative, ‘The Greening Education Partnership’.
As the international community focusses on the global commitment of the Greening Education Partnership to ‘Green every school and get every learner climate ready’, this award aims to recognise the efforts of outstanding teachers from the global network who promote and integrate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in their schools and communities.
The 17 awarded teachers from 11 countries have all been involved in one of FEE’s three educational programmes for at least 5 years, to be eligible the institution in which the teacher works must have received either a Green Flag Award, LEAF Award or has produced a YRE competition finalist/winner at the national level.
The 17 teachers were chosen for their exemplary practices which integrate ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) into every aspect of school life, or what is known as a whole institution approach (WIA). This involves including climate change as a cross-cutting theme across various curriculum subjects, employing hands-on, experiential learning techniques, and fostering community and home involvement. The award-winning teachers were praised by the judges for their long-term dedication, comprehensive curricular linkages, and creative teaching methods including gamification, challenge-based learning, and cross-curricular projects. Additionally, their ability to engage students of different age groups, from young children to older students, and instil critical life skills was recognised. While teachers are characteristically modest in reporting their achievements, their leadership, impact on student behaviour and learning outcomes achieved were outstandingly visible in the stories and projects they shared.
The seventeen awarded teachers for 2024 Cohort are:
Cheng Bee Selim-Dela Peña, Bahamas
Edd Moore, England
Kwesi Boahene-Acheampong, Ghana
Erika Tušek Vrhove, Croatia
Svjetlana Celinšćak, Croatia
Chong Hoo Fong, Malaysia
Lew Yin Yin, Malaysia
Ramona Mercieca, Malta
Octavio Cesar Jauregui Tapia, Mexico
Maria Soledad Del Rosario Logozzo, México
José De Jesús González Luna, México
Olivera Lučić, Montenegro
Aziezah Essop, South Africa
Esther Mlungi Stanslaus, Tanzania
Gülperi Fatih, Turkey
Nafiye Sicacik, Turkey
Sevil Ercan, Turkey
“The Eco-Schools and Young Reporters for Environment programmes are both in their thirtieth year. Through the FEE Teachers Award, we aim to highlight professional excellence, celebrate achievements, and spread inspirational stories amongst stakeholders. This is not a competition awarded to a select few, it is the recognition of teachers’ efforts and a celebration of their work and the impact they have had every day over the last 30 years.”