The Regional Workshop on Improving Data Systems for Climate-Sensitive Education Planning is currently underway at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort, which ran from September 16 and ends today, September 19, 2025. Over the four-day event, education leaders and technical experts from across the Caribbean were engaging in critical discussions on how to strengthen education systems to withstand the growing impacts of climate change.
Backed by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the Climate Smart Education Systems Initiative (CSESI), the workshop aims to enhance climate-sensitive education data systems, integrate gender-responsive risk analyses, and advance long-term strategies for climate adaptation and environmental sustainability in the education sector.
Guyana is prominently represented at the workshop by a high-level delegation including Tonnica Dey and Dahvis Caldeira from the Planning Unit; Marti De Souza, Deputy Chief Education Officer (AHED); Volika Jaikishun, Deputy Chief Education Officer (Development); and Raja Gokhul from the Office of Climate Change in the Office of the President. Their participation reflects Guyana’s deepening commitment to embedding climate resilience into education planning and policy.
Alongside counterparts from Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Guyanese delegation is contributing to the development of a regional framework that not only prepares schools for environmental shocks but also ensures the next generation is equipped with the knowledge and tools to adapt to and mitigate climate risks.
This initiative dovetails with the Government of Guyana’s broader green development agenda, which has been anchored by the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030. The LCDS outlines Guyana’s pathway to balancing sustainable economic growth with climate action. Integrating climate considerations into the education sector reinforces this vision, ensuring that resilience is not just built into infrastructure and the energy sector but also into the human capital that will drive the nation’s future.
By aligning education with the national green agenda, the government is signaling that climate adaptation is not a siloed effort but a whole-of-society approach. Embedding sustainability and resilience into schools and curricula ensures that young Guyanese are not just beneficiaries of climate policy but active participants in building a future-ready, low-carbon economy.
