WHAT IS IT?
Escola Azul - Blue School is an educational programme with the mission to promote Ocean Literacy, implemented by DGPM – Directorate General for Maritime Policy.
With the Ocean still overlooked in the educational curricula, the Escola Azul programme aims to recognize, guide and stimulate schools that develop structured and interdisciplinary projects on this theme. The goal is to engage schools in addressing Ocean-related issues that are relevant to their communities and also at a global scale.
Starting with the understanding of the Ocean’s influence on us and our own impact on the Ocean, the goal of Blue Schools is to foster the development of critical thinking and initiative in students, encouraging them to translate their knowledge into effective changes in their relationship with the Ocean.
Whether through the involvement of local communities or with the participation of different partners, Blue Schools’ work on Ocean Literacy should aim for a social impact and not remain confined to the classroom. To facilitate these dynamics, the Escola Azul programme provides a diverse network of partners, that contribute with hundreds of marine education actions to the Blue Schools’ projects.
In 2017/18, Portugal became the first country to establish a national Blue School network. The Portuguese programme has since inspired similar initiatives internationally. It is also featured in the chapter "Fostering Ocean-Literate Generations: The Portuguese Blue School", included in a Springer publication on Ocean Literacy, published in June 2021.
In 2024, the Escola Azul programme was endorsed in the scope of the UN Ocean Decade (2021-2030).
Blue School Programme Brochure
