After years of persuasion by environmentalists and nature lovers, the UK government has announced plans for a new qualification.
The new exam - which will be taken by students at the end of their secondary school years in tests called GCSEs, when children are aged around 12 years old - have been unveiled by UK education minister Catherine McKinnell.
She told parliamentary peers it would help kids to “understand and respect the natural world and contribute to the protection and conservation of the environment locally, nationally and internationally”.
The government plans to consult on course content later this year, ahead of the GCSE’s introduction in schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Environmentalist Mary Colwell, who has been campaigning for the new course for over a decade, said on social media that the news had moved her to tears. “Only through knowing and understanding the natural world will we be able to live in harmony with nature, which is crucial for our future,” she said. “This is one step towards creating that nature-literate society. Suddenly, the future seems a little brighter.”
“Education is the most important thing we can do for the planet at the moment. To start to create a society that knows and understands the natural world is the biggest step forward we can take,” she said. “David Attenborough said we need to fall in love with the Earth again. This is one way of helping the next generation do that because it will show them the wonder of it.”