Gabon First Lady says Education should create leaders who love the environment

Gabon First Lady, Sylvia Bongo Ondimba is of the opinion that education should create leaders who love the environment. She posits that in the last 50 years, the educational systems in most sub-Saharan countries have been a mix of hybrid curricula copied on a Eurocentric approach not adapted to the realities of indigenous pupils, their strength and their weaknesses. So most systems used one-size fit all approach. Neither the students environment nor their origin were taken into account. she said she believes that the one-size fits all model is antiquated and that to create tomorrow"s active citizens, the entire philosophy of the educational system should be aligned to the future vision of a country.

Gabon, she said has embarked on a strategy, that of becoming an emerging-diversified economy by 2025. Their growth, she said, will be based on sustainable forestry, agriculture, plus higher value mining and extraction industries. This, she thinks requires a new kind of education that will create a generation that has the skills to lead Gabon.

She said she founded  Ecole Ruban Vert, an institution whose education was based on sustainability, in line with the central vision of the government's vision for the future of Gabon  which is sustainable development and building a green Gabon.

Finally, she said her hope for Ecole Ruban Vert can inspire other nations to adopt similar approaches and create a generation of sustainably minded leaders. According got her, for too long, education in Africa has been viewed as needing to 'catch-up' with the West, but through projects like Ecole Ruban Vert, Africans can show how Africa can lead as well.

Reference: Tme