OSCE promotes ‘green’ behaviour through education in Ukraine

KYIV, 21 April 2011 – The complete Ukrainian version of a multimedia tool-kit for environmental education in secondary schools was presented by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU) and the country’s Education Ministry in Kyiv today.

The educational material, known as the Green Pack, was developed in co-operation with the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe and is designed to foster environmentally friendly attitudes and environmental thinking among young people. The OSCE PCU helped adapt the educational materials to the Ukrainian context at the request of the Ministry of Education and Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine. The Ministry is facilitating the introduction of the Green Pack to the Ukrainian school system.

“Improving education on environmental challenges is a necessary and efficient way to increase our environmental security,” said Rene BeBeau, Senior Project Officer at the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. “We believe that education is crucial for preserving the world for future generations.”

The launch coincides with Ukraine’s marking of the 25th anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. One of the 22 topics discussed in the Green Pack covers the environmental and health risks associated with nuclear energy, drawing on Ukraine’s tragic experience 25 years ago.   

“Our planet increasingly suffers from natural and man-made disasters. Therefore, we have to equip our children with better knowledge on how to prevent and deal with environmental threats,” said Oleg Yeresko of the Ministry of education and science, youth and sports of Ukraine.

The tool-kit, consisting of a teacher’s handbook, a CD ROM, a DVD of short documentaries and features, and a dilemma game to stimulate discussion, is in line with the Ukrainian Education Ministry’s 2001 Concept of Environmental Education.

In addition to the Green Pack for secondary schools, the Green Pack Junior has also been developed for primary school students. The Green Pack Junior materials cover ten topics that demonstrate how society both depends on and affects the environment.

Since its conception in 2001, the Green Pack has been implemented in 18 countries in the OSCE region, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Slovakia and Turkey.