Dr. Wajdan Al-Aqab, President of the Kuwaiti Society for Environmental Protection, affirmed that “her proposal submitted to the Minister of Education, Engineer Jalal Sayed Abdulmohsen Al-Tabtabai, regarding the inclusion of material on (November 6th – the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict) in the educational curricula, is entirely consistent with the Ministry of Education’s initiative, efforts, and rapid steps towards better education for our children at all educational levels, especially the initiative to develop curricula and overcome obstacles to their preparation and printing, following the success of the dedicated teams working on preparing and reviewing these curricula.” Dr. Al-Aqab noted… In a press statement today, Al-Aqab commented on the Ministry of Education's intention to include November 6th, the day the last burning oil well was extinguished, in the school curriculum, saying it was a commendable step that documents the efforts and environmental heroism of the Kuwaiti firefighting team in protecting Kuwait's environment and natural resources, and highlights the importance of education and awareness in preserving environmental rights. She added, "We believe that education is the foundation of nations' progress, and the strength of their foundations and values can only be formed through diverse and flexible curricula that connect the subject matter to the student's life and history." She continued, "However, the association looks forward to a positive response to its proposal, submitted to the Minister of Education last November, to include material on the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict in the school curriculum. This would provide reliable information about the largest environmental disaster the region and the world witnessed during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Including this topic in the curriculum would enhance environmental awareness and the values of peace and responsibility, and its content could be covered in Arabic language, science, and social studies courses." She stated that the proposal to include November 6th as an international day in the curriculum serves to affirm Kuwait's right to demand recognition from the United Nations. By adopting it as an international day and passing on this global achievement of the State of Kuwait to future generations, which highlights the prominent role of the State of Kuwait in changing the world for the better and how it transformed a national occasion into an international one that showcases its difficult experience and how it overcame it to become a lesson for the world in initiative, perseverance, patience, and resilience.” Dr. Al-Aqab emphasized that “this proposal aligns with the association’s interest in making this year’s theme ”The Impact of Education on Preserving Environmental History.“ The proposal includes the association’s initiative to include the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict among international days, reflecting the strong influence of Kuwaiti civil society organizations in expressing the conditions of society and acting in its best interests. This is in addition to the cooperation between government agencies and the vision of civil society, and the support for the public interest, which was led by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs with professionalism and steadfastness until it obtained the approval of the United Nations under Resolution 56/4 in 2001.”.
