KUANTAN, June 13 — Pahang Regent Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today revealed the target of having at least 50 per cent of educational institutions in the state being recognised as green schools or institutions through the Eco-Schools and Eco-Campus programmes.

His Majesty said this was one of the four cores outlined in the Pahang Greening Education Partnership Roadmap 2023-2030 which aimed to empower the younger generation with the knowledge, skills and values needed to deal with increasingly pressing environmental challenges.

"The Greening Education Partnership is an initiative of the United Nations (UN) aimed at delivering robust and comprehensive actions to prepare every student to acquire knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to face climate change.

"It was also established to inspire the country to continue empowering students with the skills needed for inclusive and sustainable economic development in the context of the transition towards a digital and green economy,” he said.

Tengku Hassanal said this in his speech during the opening ceremony of Pahang Eco-Schools at the SK Tunku Azizah here today, organised by the Green Growth Asia Foundation in collaboration with the state government and the Pahang Education Department.

Also present were Tengku Puteri Raja Tengku Puteri Ilyana, who is the Royal Patron of the Pahang Eco-Schools Programme and Tengku Puteri Raja Tengku Puteri Ilisha Ameera, while Minister Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail also attended the event.

The Eco-Schools programme, said Tengku Hassanal, was the most important element in making the roadmap a success and the best platform to set an example and increase awareness and recognition of environmental issues through education.

A total of 100 primary and secondary schools in Pahang will initially be involved in the Eco-Schools programme.

The plan also targets 100 per cent of the schools involved to integrate climate change education into the curriculum while 100 per cent of the higher education institutions involved will offer sustainable development management courses.

It also entails the principal or headmaster and at least two teachers from each school in Pahang attending the climate change education course as well as all schools in FELDA settlements under the programme to become education centres for sustainable community development.

Tengku Hassanal added that the Eco-Schools programme was the largest education programme for sustainable development in the world with 95 participating countries involving 20 million students and one million teachers.

The educational intervention for sustainable development, according to Tengku Hassanal, also makes youth the agents of change in building a net zero-carbon society.

His Royal Highness also urged all parties including government agencies, the private sector, international and non-governmental organisations to support, contribute and share their expertise to ensure the plan succeeds. — Bernama