Kenyan first lady urges teachers to raise environmental awareness among students

Kenya's First Lady, Margaret Kenyatta, on Thursday called on teachers to adequately equip students to enable them engage with the pressing environmental issues of the 21st century.

The first lady, who joined heads of the prestigious G-20 League of Schools for a conference in Nairobi, said young people should develop skills to enable them tackle environmental challenges.

"As a global community, we need young people to develop the skills they need and access the necessary resources to support conservation efforts and further engage in the environmental policy making process," she said.

The first lady said there is need for young people, irrespective of what career paths they choose to pursue, to begin thinking about how they are going to drive development and how they will implement their innovations in a way that is environmentally sustainable.

She said the world is witnessing the emergence of a more bold and visionary young generation that is ready to build a better world through progressive experimentation with new ideas, questioning the status quo and defying dogma.

"We are seeing a generation that is willing to take chances and chart their own paths," she said, adding that educators need to direct this passion, support their interests and empower them to be catalysts of change.

The conference brought together delegates from across the world to discuss key issues facing global educators and their roles as leaders in the sector.

The G-20 Group of Schools is a global organization that brings together heads of the world's leading institutions for an annual conference. It is the first time the conference is taking place in East Africa.

The association includes schools from 20 countries.

Kenya, Ghana and South Africa are the only countries from Africa that are represented in the G-20 group. Kenya's Brookhouse School is the youngest member. Endit