A Schools2030 educator from the Kyrgyz Republic is developing eco-friendly skills with students

Nuria developed the initiative Eco Firewood to encourage her students to tackle environmental issues, and to address the heating system issues in their village. She believes more emphasis needs to be placed on teaching students eco-friendly problem solving skills, as well as encouraging students to develop and improve their practical skills in using and applying basic mathematical principles and theoretical knowledge in practice. 

Students in grades 4-9 begin by focusing on recycling materials that would typically be discarded as being waste. The main focus being on paper waste from school and home, leaves, along with sawdust from woodworking areas. Nuria works with her students to combine these materials to create eco-friendly firewood. This process helps to prevent deforestation, teaching students ways in which to use waste materials as a source of fuel. Students develop confidence in their knowledge of ways to adapt to climate change, and how to raise awareness in their local area about the harm of carbon dioxide.

“Our primary goal is to instil an environmental culture in children. We also aim to extend this work at the local government and district levels. Eco-friendly firewood addresses several environmental issues for the local population.”

- Nuria Abdrakmanova, Osmonov School, Kyrgyz Republic

Originally lessons were theoretical, but Nuria found that students were not engaged, and only when transitioning to the practical part did students become fascinated with the topic. Students are delighted to be involved in a project with a real-world outcome. They are able to make firewood with their own hands using materials in their local environment. Nuria notes that students have improved their practical skills in using and applying basic mathematical principles, and theoretical knowledge in practice. They share their excitement for the project with their families, who equally share their enthusiasm, establishing community engagement in the project. 

“I believe we have made a significant contribution to environmental efforts regarding climate change processes. Other schools have expressed their desire to adopt and implement similar projects.”

- Nuria Abdrakmanova, Osmonov School, Kyrgyz Republic

Nuria recently led a seminar in preparation for PISA 2025 which was attended by heads of education from other district schools, which led to other schools showing an interest in the project. She also recently attended the Schools2030 Global Forum. She found the experience to be inspiring; particularly enjoying sharing ideas with colleagues from different countries, listening to their insights and learning more about their lived experiences as educators. She particularly loved discovering that no matter where the people she met lived, they all shared a common goal; to ensure the best outcomes for their students. 

Find out more about Nuria’s work on her Faved page here. Nuria would love to share more about her work with other educators around the world and find out how her innovation could work in other contexts! Please reach out to her through the Faved platform by leaving a comment on her page. Nuria has loved learning about other educators' work globally using the platform.