EVALUATION REPORT

Project № 2240116044 «School of environmental education for implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in the Republic of Belarus»

International Sakharov Environmental Institute of Belarusian State University (further – ISEI BSU)

I. Evaluation submitted by the Republic of Belarus.

II. Number and title of request№ 2240116044 «School of environmental education for implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in the Republic of Belarus» (further – project).

      Contribution received from UNESCO: 10 000 US dollars (РР 2022-2023).

      Evaluation of the project and implementation activities.

      The project has been implemented at ISEI BSU during 2023. For decades, the Institute has headed the Public Council of the Base Organization of the CIS states-members in environmental education and supports projects aimed at solving environmental education issues in higher education institutions of the Republic of Belarus and the CIS states-members.

One of the project implementers was UNESCO chair «Radiation and environmental management».  

The project was of an applied nature. Lecturers of higher education institutions, methodologists, teachers of Biology, Chemistry, and special disciplines, students of gymnasiums, secondary schools, colleges, associated UNESCO schools in the Republic of Belarus participated in the project. The percentage of women and girls was 60%.

      III. Project goal was achieved.

School of environmental education for lecturers of higher education institutions, teachers, schoolchildren, and students of gymnasiums, colleges was created following the Sustainable Development Goals until 2030. The first stage of the School took place.

School of environmental education united the efforts of scientists and practitioners in environmental education to solve sustainable development issues through a single educational system to build environmental functional consciousness.

The main project goals haven’t changed, but the range of issues to discuss has expanded. In addition to the stated goals, others were also achieved. Approaches to training lecturers and teachers have been updated.

      Key project objectives were completed during the project implementation:

– comprehensive testing system to monitor the level of environmental and functional competencies of teachers, and students of secondary education institutions, test the efficiency of methodological materials;

– electronic and printed teaching manuals were published certified by Training and Methodological Department in environmental education («Phytotechnologies for restoration and improvement of the urban environment»; «Urbanization and public health») and distributed to project participants;

– developed an electronic set of educational and methodological materials for advanced training in the formation of environmental knowledge in higher education institutions and schools; in the educational process at school and extracurricular activities to build environmental and functional consciousness of schoolchildren. The developments and their efficiency were tested and assessed by the project participants;

– there was share of experience, and best practices of the CIS states-members in the implementation of environmental education policies:

– 40 teachers and 25 lecturers took part in seminars, conferences, and workshops within the project implementation to expand competencies in environmental education;

– improvement of interuniversity cooperation with active involvement to the project of 20 young lecturers of environmental major from universities of the Republic of Belarus and 30 teachers from schools and gymnasiums;

– there was enhancement of interaction between the Republic of Belarus and the CIS states-members in science, education and cooperation of UNESCO chairs through the participation of their representatives in the School activities.

      Key project elements:

      I stage: Programs and methodological support for 2 (two) educational seminars and conferences for lecturers, teachers and schoolchildren in building of environmental consciousness of students were developed.

      II stage: Two seminars for schoolchildren in environmental knowledge broadening were held.

Training methodological conference for methodologists of the departments of natural mathematical and technical activity, the international and regional cooperation, and coordination of methodological work of Minsk City Institute of Education Development took place.

      III stage:  Round table «Environmental education in the CIS countries» with the participation of the UNESCO chairs in Belarus and the UNESCO chairs in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan (remote participation) was held.

      IV stage: Materials of the events were reviewed; reports and presentations for posting on the Institute’s website were prepared:

      V stage: The results of the project implementation and practical activities of lecturers, teachers, and schoolchildren were analyzed; teaching materials were posted on the Internet.

      Project partners:

– The National Commission of the Republic of Belarus for UNESCO;

– The Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus;

– The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus;

– The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus;

– Educational institutions of the Republic of Belarus;

– Mass media (republican and local).

      Geographical coverage of the project: the Republic of Belarus (Minsk, Zhdanovichi), the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Uzbekistan.

      Results achieved within the framework of the project:

      The project implementation resulted in the achievement of its goal and key objectives. 

      Experience gained through methodological support preparation (electronic set of training methodological materials; publication of teaching manuals in environmental education; development and use of testing systems) was summarized;

      Competency level of teaching staff in ecology and environmental education was increased.

      Experience gained by teachers and lecturers was introduced in the process of education of children and young people.

      The project also contributed to:

  •  achieving SDG 4. Qualitative education; SDG 13. Combating with climate change;
  •  implementing the principles of gender equality (more than 60 % of the participants are women and girls);
  •  distributing information about UNESCO among the public, teachers and young people;
  •  promoting ideas and values of education for the sustainable development among the population, educators and youth (schoolchildren, students), and popularization of environmental education principles;
  •  studying the level of environmental consciousness of students as the basis for further participation of young people in solving environmental issues;
  •  further development of UNESCO chair «Radiation and environmental management».

      Issues discussed during the activities allowed the participants to gain additional competencies in environmental education for training young people in the field of continuous environmental education.

      In the future, the project topics will be implemented in Belarus and contribute to the development and introduction of advanced educational environmental programs, innovation approaches, interactive methods to develop interest in environmental issues among young people and aspiration to gain deeper professional knowledge in this field.

      Published within the framework of the project:

  •  teaching manuals (90 cop.).
  •  flash-disks (50 cop.),
  •  calendars (50 cop.) (environmental calendars with UNESCO logo reflecting significant events related to environmental protection).

Materials distributed to the participants of the events. Teachers and schoolchildren, who participated in seminars and round table, were awarded certificates of participants, diplomas and teaching manuals by ISEI BSU. Training methodological pictures and video materials on current environ-mental issues were provided to the participants.

      Description of implementation of the key project elements and the achieved results:

I stage of the School (December, 2023): Programs and methodological support for 2 (two) educational seminars and conferences for lecturers, teachers and schoolchildren in building of environmental consciousness of students were developed.

      Within the objective, expert group of scientists and consultants working in the field of environmental education were formed. Among them:

– Chernetskaya Alla, PhD in Agricultural Sciences, Head of General Biology and Genetics Chair of ISEI BSU, expert in environmental education, author of more than 30 scientific publications and articles on this topic. Her research interests: «Biology of cell». Genetics; «Urban ecology». Phytotechnologies for restoration and improvement of the urban environment.

– Kopitsa Vladimir, PhD in Biology, Associate Professor of Environmental Monitoring and Management Chair of ISEI BSU, his research interests: «Ecology», «Nature management economy», «Protection of flora and fauna», «Protection of atmospheric air and ozone layer», «Fundamentals of Biochemistry and Toxicology», «Environmental regulation and risk assessment», «Engineering and environmental protection structures».

– Golubev Alexander, PhD in Biology, Professor of Environmental Monitoring and Management Chair of ISEI BSU. Expert in «General ecology», «Human ecology», «Hydroecology», «Population ecology», «Modern issues of natural science». Author of more than 200 papers in this field including monographs and textbooks.

– Bodilovskaya Olga, Associate Professor of General Biology and Genetics of Chair ISEI BSU. Her research interests «Biology of cell». Genetics. Within the project, she was an expert in «Modern concepts of interaction of society and nature».

      Expert group took part in the development of 4 programs in the project activities: two for schoolchildren, one for teachers, and one for round table within the project.

      Materials for presentations were developed. All materials had been prepared in advance and had been published before the seminars and conference:

      II stage of the School: On December 15, 2023, within the project, the workshop for students of general secondary education institutions was held at «Minsk City Educational and Health Center «Leader». 8-10 grade schoolchildren from secondary education institutions of Minsk (about 60 schoolchildren) took part in the workshop.

      On December 22, 2023, another workshop took place at Republican Center of Ecology and Local History. Lecturers gave open lectures for schoolchildren to build environmental knowledge.

      On December 27, 2023, in International Sakharov Environmental Institute of Belarusian State University within the project, a conference for methodologists was held.

      The methodologist of the highest category of Minsk City Institute of Higher Education and methodologists of International Sakharov Environmental Institute of Belarusian State University participated in the conference.

      Within the project, leading scientists-experts in environmental education conducted master classes on the peculiarities of teaching environmental disciplines in secondary school and universities.

      The participants discussed the following topics: «Modern concepts of interaction of society and nature», «Natural resources as limiting factors for human survival», «Ecology. Body and environmental factors».

      Chernetskaya Alla, PhD in Agricultural Sciences, Head of General Biology and Genetics Chair of ISEI BSU was an expert and moderator of the events.

      Publications and materials of UNESCO chair «Radiation and environmental management» of ISEI BSU (it can be found on the Institute’s website) were used in the project events:

      III stage of the School: On December 20, 2023, to enhance teaching staff competencies of secondary and higher education institutions within the project, the round table «Environmental education in the CIS countries» was held with the participation of UNESCO chairs operating in the Republic of Belarus as well as UNESCO chairs from Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan (remote participation).

      The representatives of the National Commission of the Republic of Bela-rus for UNESCO, the Republican Institute of High School, the Republican Center of Environmental Expertise and Advanced Training, UNESCO chairs from Belarus and the CIS countries participated in the event.

      Participants heard a brief report on the activities of UNESCO chair «Ra-diation and environmental management» (ISEI BSU) in 2023 and a report on the implementation of the project «School of environmental education for im-plementation of Sustainable Development Goals in the Republic of Belarus». Germenchuk Maria G., Head of UNESCO chair was a reporter. She noted that the project corresponds to the national interests of the Republic of Belarus in education, goals of the State program «Education and youth policy» for 2021-2025, goals of the Program of continuous education of children and young people for 2021-2025, comply with the Legislation and international obliga-tions of the Republic of Belarus.

      At the end of the event, the participants noted that within the project, a fruitful work is being carried out to develop and distribute innovative solutions and scientific practical experience in environmentally oriented training on the way of green educational institution development.

      IV stage of the School: materials of the events were reviewed; reports and presentations were prepared for posting on the Institute’s website (section UNESCO chair).

      2 electronic and printed teaching manuals were published («Phytotechnologies for restoration and improvement of the urban environment»; «Urbanization and public health»).

      V stage of the School: The results of the project implementation and practical activities of lecturers, teachers, and schoolchildren were analyzed; teaching materials were posted on the Internet. The project results were reported and approved by the Council of ISEI BSU.

      Raising awareness of the UNESCO activities on the national level:

  1. Publication of the project materials on the Internet, websites of educational institutions and social networks.

Examples: more than 15 publications can be found on the Institute’s website and social networks of ISEI BSU.

  1. Inviting the public to participate in the School activities.

Examples: Public representatives including representatives of educational institutions, mass media, and experts were invited to all events of the project:

  1. Materials developed within the project are distributed to teachers and schoolchildren (the participants of the project) as well as posted on the website of the Institute:

      The project stages and results can be found on the website of ISEI BSU. The project was also presented at the international and republican scientific conferences, in printed publications for teachers and schoolchildren.

      Consultations with the UNESCO field offices. Assistance with the project implementation from the Bureau:

Preparation and implementation of the project was carried out in constant consultations with the National Commission of the Republic of Belarus for UNESCO and its experts. Representatives of the National Commission both contributed to the development of project information materials and took part in the project activities.

      IV. Were or will any additional activities be carried out? Did the project lead to any long-term plans?

      The project contributed to the development of environmental worldview from secondary school to the completion of studies in the system of postgraduate education, updated approaches to the issue, promoted professional training of teachers and lecturers in the field of ensuring environmental and radiation safety.

      In the future, the project results will be implemented in the country and will contribute to the development and introduction advanced educational environmental programs, innovation approaches, interactive methods to develop sustainable interest in environmental issues among young people and aspiration to gain deeper professional knowledge in this field.

      The project results will be presented by ISEI BSU academic staff at scientific practical environmental conferences in 2024. Teaching manuals published during the project transferred to ISEI BSU library and distributed to the participants of the project. The project results were implemented into the educational process. The implementation certificate is attached.

      VI. Additional information:

      Certificates of the project participants;

      Diplomas of the project participants:

      Agenda of workshops, conference and round table.

      ISEI BSU funds were additionally used to implement the project. In particular, rental of halls and rooms for workshop, equipment, work of staff, the Internet costs and other expenses.

      At the end of the project, the participants noted that innovative solutions and scientific practical experience of environmentally oriented training for developing “green” educational institutions were developed and introduced within the project.

      The participants highly evaluated the project events, proposed to hold such workshops regularly.

      Thus, the project № 2240116044 «School of environmental education for implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in the Republic of Belarus» was successfully completed.            

Director of ISEI BSU

___________O.I.Rodzkin

Project manager № 2240116044 «School of environmental education for implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in the Republic of Belarus»

 

___________M.G.Germenchuk