SDG 4: Quality Education | SDG 13: Climate Action
Institutions: Ministry of Education | Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change | NITI Aayog
UNESCO reports that 96,000 schools in 93 countries have so far adopted green-school practices, but warns that progress remains insufficient ahead of COP30. It is calling on governments and education systems to target 50 % of schools in each country becoming “green” by 2030. The organisation is rolling out a new online dashboard under the Greening Education Partnership (GEP) to monitor four key action areas: greening schools, curricula, teacher training and communities. UNESCO emphasises that education must go beyond awareness — every learner must be equipped with knowledge and skills to participate in the green transition.
For India, this global call-out reinforces the need to embed climate resilience and sustainability into the school system — not just through infrastructure (e.g., energy-efficient buildings, clean-air classrooms) but via curriculum redesign, teacher capacity building, and local community transformation. With India’s extremely large school network (over 1.5 million schools), aligning with the 50 % green-school target can amplify the country’s climate-education momentum, support its National Education Policy goals, and form part of its broader Just Transition and Green Skills agenda.
What is a “green school”? → A school that integrates sustainability across its facilities, operations, curriculum and local community engagement in line with UNESCO’s quality standards on greening education.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What enabling mechanisms (financing, monitoring, incentives) are required to reach the “50 % green schools by 2030” benchmark?
Follow the full news here: UNESCO calls for urgent action to accelerate green schools