Empowering Teachers, Advancing Geoscience Education: The GEFO Programme

The Geoscience Education Field Officers (GEFO) programme is an educational initiative established under the Education Committee of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) to strengthen and promote geoscience teaching at primary and secondary school levels across Europe and beyond. Launched in 2019, the GEFO programme was conceived in response to a recognised need for improved professional development for teachers of geoscience-related subjects, many of whom have limited academic training in Earth sciences despite curriculum requirements to teach such content.

At its core, the initiative appoints and trains experienced in-service and retired teachers, as well as researchers, to act as GEFO within their respective countries. These officers are responsible for developing and delivering interactive, hands-on workshop sessions designed to support the teaching of key geoscience topics embedded in national curricula. The workshops emphasise practical activities that can be implemented in school classrooms or laboratories, making use of cost-effective materials and internationally recognised educational resources, such as the Earth Learning Idea repository (https://www.earthlearningidea.com/), and the EduMed Observatory (https://edumed.unice.fr/).

The programme began in April 2019 with the appointment of six GEFO from France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, India and Morocco, supported by the EGU and partner organisations including the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) and the International Geoscience Education Organisation (IGEO). These individuals were selected for their expertise in geoscience education and received initial training to prepare them for their roles.

This initial phase proved successful, with 21 workshops delivered across the six founding countries during the first year of activity. In 2022, building on this foundation, the programme was significantly expanded to include additional officers in a broader range of European countries, managed by the EGU, while participation in non-European contexts was extended and coordinated by IUGS-COGE. This expansion strengthened the reach and impact of the GEFO programme, fostering a growing network of education advocates who share best practices and contribute to a common vision for geoscience education.

Beyond workshop delivery, EGU GEFO members also contribute to teacher conferences and webinars, sharing insights into teachers’ perceptions and needs and actively promoting geoscience literacy worldwide. Currently, the EGU GEFO programme is represented in eleven European countries and continues to grow. Further expansion is planned for 2026, with three additional countries expected to join, alongside efforts to consolidate the international network and align activities with broader educational frameworks and international objectives, such as the European Green Deal and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Overall, the GEFO programme represents a sustained and adaptive effort to support teachers, enrich geoscience education and ensure that learners have access to high-quality instruction in Earth sciences, thereby contributing to informed global citizenship in the face of contemporary environmental challenges.