SCMP: Education should empower students to tackle real-world challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss. Yet according to Civic Exchange’s recent report, Hong Kong’s secondary schools still largely overlook sustainability.

This review of publicly accessible school development plans across 482 secondary schools revealed that 73 per cent did not mention sustainability. This highlights a troubling disconnect between the city’s education system and the global push for climate action and ecological awareness.

To close the gap between knowledge and action, Hong Kong educators should take their inspiration from innovative international practices.

One inspiring example is Indonesia’s UPTD SD Negeri Papela, a primary school that recently won the AIA Healthiest Schools Competition. Through a project titled “Ecolitera: The Trash Tells a Story”, students exchanged collected plastic waste for school supplies and transformed recycled materials into classroom furniture.

Old tyres became planters in a school garden, and organic waste was converted into fertiliser, benefiting local farmers. Reading and writing skills improved, while waste sorting and recycling became habits in the community.

This kind of cross-curricular innovation is what Hong Kong schools need. Sustainability education must not be limited to isolated lessons or occasional projects.

Originally published on SCMP on 2 Aug 2025.