PRESS RELEASE
The Children Take Action: Kiribati Launches Children’s Story Book in te-Kiribati
17 April 2013. Ambo, Kiribati - 6,000 copies of the children’s story book “The Children Take Action – a Climate Change Story” were today handed over to the Permanent Secretary for Education for delivery to all primary schools in Kiribati. The
Curriculum Development and Resource Centre (CDRC) will use the book to improve literacy skills in te-Kiribati and
English. In addition, the story book will help children learn, in a very simplified way, the basics of climate change
and its impacts on our environment. For example:
Jone didn’t know what climate change was and asked his grandfather to explain. Grandpa told Jone that the Earth’s
temperature is becoming hotter. “My temperature gets hot when I am unwell,” said Jone. “Yes!” said Grandpa. “The Earth
is becoming unwell too. There is less food for the birds and the fish. That is why they are leaving our island.” “What
is making the Earth sick?” Jone asked. “We are,” said Grandpa. “Gases from our cars, buses and factories are making the
Earth too hot.” “People are driving more cars and building more factories. So the Earth is getting hotter and hotter.”
“Just like putting too many blankets on me!” said Jone.
The story was developed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and 1500 copies were
printed with funding from the Australian International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative. The book has since been
translated into te-Kiribati and 6360 copies printed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)/Deutsche
Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region Programme
(SPC/GIZ CCCPIR on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ).
The CDRC had identified “Children take action – A Climate Change Story” storybook as an ideal resource to accompany the new syllabus and teacher guides currently being developed for Kiribati
primary schools. The new syllabus integrates key elements of climate change using education for sustainable development
principles to work towards the nation’s vision to “nurture our children and young people to become wise and worthwhile
citizens able to adapt to, and participate in, their changing world”.
“Kiribati and SPC/GIZ CCCPIR are setting a great example of optimising regional efforts,” said SPREP’s Communications
and Outreach Adviser, Ms Seema Deo. “We are happy to see the story book in demand and we encourage more of this type of
collaboration – adapting, translating and revising existing material will mean that we do not waste time duplicating
work across the region.”
Over the last two weeks the CDRC has consulted on the new syllabus on “Kiribati Community Studies” and “Environmental
Science” for classes 3 and 4 with the Kiribati National Expert Group on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management
(KNEG), representing all ministries and sectors.
The SPC/GIZ CCCPIR programme is supporting the syllabus consultations on education for sustainable development and
climate change. The overall curriculum review is being supported under the Kiribati Education Improvement Programme
(KEIP) of the Ministry of Education (supported by AusAID, UNESCO, UNICEF and NZAid).
ENDS