EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (ESD)

Education for sustainable development is a major aspect of the policy of the French Ministry of Education. This topic is also part of the curriculum in French schools and secondary education institutions in France and abroad.

In schools’ programs, education for sustainable development is considered as a multidisciplinary field of study that enables students to tackle the world’s most complex challenges in its scientific, ethical, but also civic dimensions. 

• At preschool and primary school, the French curriculum raises the awareness of the youngest children through a variety of activities on the different forms of life and their evolution. Pupils also learn about the links between life cycles, health, and the preservation of natural resources and ecosystems.

• At middle school and high school, education for sustainable development and environmental questions are tackled by putting into context notions in mathematics, economics, social sciences, physics, chemistry, and life and earth sciences. The aim is not only to deepen students’ knowledge and understanding of the impact of human activities on the environment but also to raise the question of individual and collective responsibility, as well as of our commitment to protect our planet.

The educational community of the Lycée français de Varsovie (French School in Warsaw – LFV) has been involved for several years in projects dealing with sustainable development and environmental protection, such green camps for students, and thus established many partnerships with local organizations (Varsovie accueil, Fondation Veolia Polska, BNP Paribas Bank Polska, etc.).

Since summer 2020, our pupils and teachers in primary school benefit from a new pedagogical tool in sustainable development: a permaculture vegetable garden installed inside the school.

At the end of 2020, the LFV also undertook the revegetation of the playgrounds and leisure areas for the pupils of the primary school in Sadyba, by planting 68 fruit trees and bushes in the schoolyard (learn more).

In 2021, and as a result of the environmentally conscious actions carried out by the primary school, the French School in Warsaw obtained the Eko-Szkoła environmental label. This distinction, which is awarded each year by the Polish Foundation for Ecological Education (FDEE), rewards schools that work towards the protection of the environment and a greater ecological awareness among younger generations.

The school later solidified its commitment by enabling pupils in CM1 and CM2 to elect eco-delegates who would work alongside the school’s head office and the volunteers of the “Varsauvons la Planète” group for carrying out new sustainable projects.

The ambition of the Lycée français de Varsovie (French School in Warsaw – LFV) is to reinforce cooperation with local organizations involved in the promotion of good practices in sustainable development and biodiversity preservation.