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BETT 2023: Cambridge takes on climate challenge at EdTech summit
Christine Özden, our Global Director of Climate Education, championed the role of quality education to tackle global challenges at the world's foremost EdTech show.
Our first ever climate director, Christine Özden, led a packed programme of engagement by Cambridge at BETT 2023, showcasing ways to close the global education gap and to help young people address challenges such as climate change. Technology is a vital tool to achieve that goal.
Disrupted education
With global challenges including pandemics, war and climate change causing disruption, finding ways to address the global equity gap in education has been a key topic this week.
Christine was a key participant in a BETT Roundtable event, 'Bridging the global equity gap in education', hosted in collaboration with global inclusion partner HP.
She brings expertise from across Cambridge University Press & Assessment in supporting students across the world to progress with qualifications during the pandemic, working with education ministries in places affected by conflict such as Ukraine, and most recently, helping to give young people the knowledge skills and understanding to address climate change and to build a more sustainable world.
Christine said:
Quality education is one of the most important solutions to the biggest global issues we face and we have a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to be part of such solutions.
Student voice and innovation
Quality education, or SDG4, is one of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As judge of a new UK-wide competition for BETT 2023 which provides a platform for students' ideas for the SDGs, Christine celebrates empowering young people to tackle climate change. The 'Design4SDGs Design Challenge' asked students, aged 9 to 14, to help find solutions to two other United Nations SDGs: SDG3 - Good Health & Wellbeing, and SDG13 - Climate Action.
The competition encourages the young participants to show critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication in finding solutions. Christine explained:
The competition aims are close to my heart and to the work of our organisation - these skills are crucial for climate literacy and climate action.
The finalists came from 11 schools from across the country. As the finalists made pitches onstage in the main BETT Arena in front of the judges, Christine applauded their commitment. "The quality of the final entries and the innovative spirit and engagement from students has been amazing."
The three winning schools were:
- Sandbach High School, Cheshire, for SDG3 - Good Health and Wellbeing (Challenge 1)
- Denbigh High School, Luton, for SDG4 - Quality Education (Challenge 2)
- Denbigh High School, Luton, for SDG13 - Climate Action (Challenge 3)
Christine, Cambridge's first Climate Education Director, presented the award to "Team School Vampires" from Denbigh High School, winners of the SDG13 Climate Action challenge, for their excellent campaign to educate the public about climate change.
In her comments to the young students from Galley Hill Primary School in North Yorkshire, who won a special prize, Christine said: "You said something I'm going to take away. I loved it! You said 'Given them intent, not instructions'. That's my quote of the day, that's brilliant."
And in further Cambridge engagement at BETT 2023, our team from English, which supports millions of students around the world to improve their English language skills, joined Microsoft to showcase their innovative Minecraft: Adventures in English with Cambridge.
