Climate change: Compulsory lessons on climate change and sustainability for Italian schools
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When the school year starts in September 2020, all Italian children will be getting brand new classes on climate change.
The Education Minister for Italian schools, Lorenzo Fioramonti, shared his plans on 5 November 2019.
He says hopes this change in the school timetable will teach children more about what's happening to the planet.
Teachers in every school year will lead lessons of 33 hours per year on climate change and environmental sustainability.
At first there will be specific lessons but the plan in the end is to include climate change plans of the United Nations into the entire curriculum.
What do you think of the idea? Would you like to see climate change on your school timetable? Have your say and leave us a comment!
Lorenzo Fioramonti, Education Minister for Italian schools
I want to make the Italian education system the first education system that puts the environment and society at the core of everything we learn in school.
How will the lessons work?
Once a week children will learn about climate change.
For younger children, climate change will be linked with stories, making it easier for them to understand the classes.
Older children will not just learn about it in the new lessons, climate change will also be talked about in maths, geography and physics.
Experts hope that talking about the issue across lots of classes will help children learn more about it and understand how they can help.
Teachers will use fairy tales to help younger children understand climate change
Why has Italy decided to have compulsory climate change lessons?
In 2015 a group of world leaders came together and made a deal called the Paris Agreement.
When they signed it, they made promises to teach more people, especially children, about climate change.
Mr Fioramonti cares a lot about the environment and wants to make a real difference.
The Paris Agreement
The 21st century citizen, must be a sustainable citizen.
He even got into trouble for encouraging students to go to protests about climate change, during school hours!
So far, Italy is the only country to make climate change and sustainability a compulsory lesson.
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