Catch them young! Inspiring climate action and activism through Ghana's basic school curriculum

Climate change has gained considerable attention in the last two decades. While studies affirm that people are worried about it, not all of them are willing to take action to support climate activism. Since the UN’s adoption of Agenda 2030, quality education has been observed as crucial to empowering citizens to take responsible actions and advocacy for a sustainable future. As countries around the world incorporate climate change content in the school curriculum, this paper assesses how Ghana, through its educational curricula, is kindling learners’ interests to take action for climate change and its impacts. Concurrent mixed-methods approach is used to analyze 23 curriculum documents. The outcome is discussed in line with Wals et al. theorization of sustainability education to conclude that Ghanaian learners are positioned to learn about climate change for instrumental, emancipatory and civic engagement purposes. Further research is recommended to ascertain the curriculum’s coherence with classroom practices.