Why Bangladesh Needs a Green Education Framework Now 

Published on: July 21, 2026 

Climate change is no longer a distant threat for Bangladesh. It is already inside our classrooms. Schools close because of heatwaves. Floods wash away learning materials. Children drop out when their families are displaced. This is why the idea of a Green Education Framework matters so much for us. It is not just about teaching students what climate change is. It is about changing how our whole education system works — what we teach, how we teach, how we build schools, and how schools connect with communities.

So, what does a Green Education Framework actually mean? At its heart, it is a plan that puts sustainability at the center of education. The most popular example of a global model is UNESCO's Greening Education Partnership (GEP), which was introduced at UN Transforming Education Summit 2022. It is based on four pillars: Greening schools; Greening the curriculum; Greening teacher training and system capacity; and Greening communities. In a nutshell, there are four aspects to it. Schools must be able to be built in a climate friendly and disaster recovery way. Climate & environment issues should be integrated across all subjects and not solely in science. Teachers should know how to teach and be confident in doing so these topics. And schools ought to cooperate with their local communities on concrete actions in the environment. UNESCO analysed 100 national curriculum frameworks and found nearly half (47%) of national curricula frameworks did not mention climate change at all. In the meantime, fewer than one-third of the teachers surveyed said they were adequately prepared to teach about climate change, and 95% said it's important to include the subject in lessons. Not more than 45% of teachers felt confident to teach about climate action in the classroom (UNESCO, 2021). But the answer has been coming in quickly. UNESCO has now more than 80 countries collaborating with more than 1300 organizations in the fields of youth organisations, civil society and UN agencies in the Greening Education Partnership. The goal of the partnership is to have an accreditation system for green schools in place in each member country with at least half of the schools, colleges and universities being certified as green schools by 2030. There are some lessons to be learned from some countries. Environmental issues are taught gradually and finally introduced in renewable energy and STEM projects in the national curriculum for South Korea. The “One Student, One Tree” initiative is a Moroccan initiative that places students directly in reforestation. Now running in 95 countries, the whole-school, seven-step model of the Eco-Schools program is facilitated in schools (Foundation for Environmental Education). The examples demonstrate how students do things, rather than just read about things is the key to green education.

Let's have a look at home. Bangladesh is one of the country’s most at risk to climate change out of this world. Bangladesh has been ranked in the "very high risk" category of the World Risk Report 2024 with a score of 27.73, which is much higher than the 12.89 score that is considered "risky". Bangladesh is 15th in the UNICEF's “Children's Climate Risk Index”, where countries are ranked according to their vulnerability to climate change. The effects on education are immediate and tremendous. UNICEF report Learning Interrupted (January 2025) reported that only in 2024, climate-related events interrupted schooling for 33 million children in Bangladesh. In April and May, schools were closed all over the country because of heatwaves which lasted for up to two weeks. Then, Cyclone Remal and then heavy floods. In one year, some children lost up to eight weeks of learning. The BANBEIS 2023 report takes it another step, with almost 16,000 schools being impacted by climate-related disasters during the year, resulting in loss of learning and damaged buildings. The education system is under stress and these shocks are coming on top. Two out of every 3 Bangladeshi children are unable to perform basic counting after primary school and one in two can't read at grade level (UNICEF). During disasters, families are forced to relocate and many children do not go back to school. Additional risks for women are related to girls, such as early marriage.

The positive side is that Bangladesh already has taken first step. It was one of the first countries to sign up to the Greening Education Partnership (GEEP) which is aiming to cover 50% of the country's educational institutions with the greening programme by 2030. Eco-Schools and Young Reporters for the Environment are emerging in these programs. So where exactly can the framework be applied in our education system? There are several clear entry points. Start with the curriculum. Climate topics can be woven into Bangla, English, math, social science, and religious studies — not kept inside a single science chapter. UNESCO's Greening Curriculum Guidance (2024) offers age-wise learning outcomes from age 5 to 18+, which the NCTB can adapt for our textbooks. Then comes school infrastructure. New schools in coastal and flood-prone areas can be built as cyclone shelters with solar power, rainwater harvesting, and raised foundations. Existing schools can be retrofitted step by step.

Teacher training is another entry point. Institutions like NAEM and NAPE can add climate education modules to their regular training, so every new teacher enters the classroom climate-ready. The framework also fits well into madrasah and vocational streams. Green skills — solar technology, waste management, climate-smart farming — belong naturally in technical and vocational education, preparing our youth for green jobs. Finally, schools can lead their communities. Tree planting, plastic-free campaigns, and disaster preparedness drills can turn students into change agents in their own villages and neighbourhoods.

Of course, the road is not smooth, and we need to be honest about the challenges. Money is the biggest one. Of Bangladesh's total climate budget, the education sector receives only about 8.61%, and it is unevenly spread. The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education allocates 7.06% of its 2024–25 budget to climate-relevant projects, but the Secondary and Higher Education Division allocates just 1.77% (The Business Standard, 2025). Secondary schools are almost left out. Teacher readiness is low. Like the global picture, most teachers here have never received training on climate education. Without confident teachers, even the best curriculum stays on paper. Exam pressure is another barrier. Our system rewards memorization for board exams, so hands-on, project-based climate learning struggles to find space in the timetable. Infrastructure gaps are huge as well. Thousands of schools in char, haor, and coastal areas lack basic facilities, let alone green features. Retrofitting them all will take years and serious investment. And coordination is weak. Education, environment, and disaster management ministries often work in separate lanes. A green education framework needs them to move together.

Looking ahead, Bangladesh should turn its GEP commitment into a clear national roadmap. That means a few practical moves. First, have adopted a national Green School Standard, based on the UNESCO model, and simple checklists that even rural schools can follow. Second, safeguard and invest in the climate share of the education budget, particularly for secondary schools. Finally, ensure that climate education is an integral component of all teacher education, pre-service and in-service. Fourth, begin in the most at-risk districts. Upazilas which are exposed to climate change and are coastal and flood prone should be served first as the children of these upazilas miss the most school days. This is very positive, as a recent national climate risk analysis was conducted for the education sector, under the leadership of the Ministry of Education together with UNICEF and UNESCO. Finally, put students at the center. Green clubs, young reporter programs, and school-based climate projects cost little but build lifelong habits.

Bangladesh did not cause the climate crisis, but our children are paying its price, 33 million of them in one year. A Green Education Framework will not stop the floods or the heatwaves. But it can prepare a generation that knows how to adapt, protect, and lead. The world has given us the blueprint. Bangladesh has signed the commitment. Now the real work begins, one classroom at a time.