Summary

The Blue School Capacity-Building Training – Africa & Caribbean Regions is an initiative of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC–UNESCO), developed under the umbrella of the Ocean Teacher Global Academy (OTGA) and aligned with the Ocean Literacy With All (OLWA) programme and the Global Blue Schools Network (GBSN).

This course is developed under the framework of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) and contributes to UNESCO–IOC’s mandate to strengthen Ocean Literacy, capacity development, and equitable access to ocean knowledge. Africa and the Caribbean include many countries where marine education infrastructures, teacher training systems, and ocean-related resources remain limited. Strengthening Ocean Literacy in these regions is essential not only for educational quality, but also for community resilience, climate adaptation, blue economy opportunities, and sustainable development.

By providing a common global framework adapted to local realities, this training responds to the Decade’s call for inclusive and transformative capacity development. It aims to reduce global inequalities in access to knowledge, support national institutions in creating sustainable Blue School networks, and empower educators to act as agents of change in their communities. Through multilingual resources, South–South collaboration, and shared lighthouse projects, the course helps create enabling conditions for long-term sustainability and regional ocean stewardship.

This initiative also supports the Ocean Literacy with All (OLWA) programme, fostering communities of practice that integrate science, education, and local knowledge. By strengthening coordination mechanisms and supporting culturally relevant learning, the course contributes to building a Decade Legacy where Ocean Literacy is embedded into national education systems and supported by sustainable partnerships.

Purpose

To develop capacities of national/regional coordinators and teachers in Africa and the Caribbean to implement, expand, and sustain the Blue School Programme using a shared global framework adapted to local realities.

Learning outcomes

The course aims to strengthen participants’ understanding of the Blue School model, integrating Ocean Literacy and ESD principles, while providing coordinators with practical procedures to establish and scale national networks. It also seeks to equip teachers to design certification-ready Blue School projects, promote regional collaboration through the Blue Helpdesk, and reinforce the implementation and visibility of lighthouse projects. Overall, the training contributes directly to IOC’s broader mission of ocean empowerment and capacity development.

The course has specific objectives tailored to coordinators and teachers.

For coordinators, it aims to support the design of national coordination structures, the development of school onboarding and monitoring processes, the establishment of national partner networks, and the drafting of three-year action plans with clear indicators.

For teachers, the training focuses on helping them integrate Ocean Literacy and ESD into their practice, develop Blue School projects aligned with certification criteria, collaborate across disciplines, and implement lighthouse projects in their school contexts.

Course content for the teacher pathway

M1: course structure and introduction 

M2: What is a blue school? 

M3: Becoming a Blue School 

M4 : teacher testimonies 

M5: Partner Network and inspiring projects 

M6: Lighthouse training – junior coastal monitoring  

Course content for the National and Regional coordinators pathway 

M1: course structure and introduction 

M2: What is a blue school? 

M3: Building a national Coordination team

M4 : Engaging and supporting schools 

M5: Partnerships and lighhouse projects

M6: planning, monitoring and evaluation

Language of instruction

English, Spanish, Portuguese

Instructors

Raquel Lorenz Costa (IOC–UNESCO)

Natacha Moreira (Oceano Azul Foundation)

Hugo Jesus (Oceanário de Lisboa)

Andira Guzman

Bernardo Mata

Caroline Schio

Oluwabunmi Yetu-Ande

Paola Diaz Canales

Stacey Alvarez

Stephanie Waniko

Veronica Relano

Viviane Mello

 Bernardo Leal