Model teaches concepts such as sentience and ethics
Students in China can now study animal welfare thanks to a long-term project fronted by the RSPCA’s international team.
China’s Ministry of Education has published a new biology curriculum for secondary school students which includes the first-ever module on animal welfare. The module is the culmination of 10 years' work, led by the RSPCA, to encourage and support the development of an animal welfare component in science teaching across China.
“Incorporating animal welfare into China’s school curriculum represents a sea-change in the country’s attitudes to animals,” said RSPCA head of international, Paul Littlefair. “By introducing this new module, China’s Ministry of Education is acknowledging the widespread shift in the public’s views about how animals should be treated and is clearly signalling that animals deserve legal protection.”
The project began when the RSPCA was asked by leading Chinese academics to look at the existing biology curriculum standards and highlight areas which were not animal welfare-friendly. Following a survey of Chinese secondary school science students into attitudes towards animals, the charity supported the design and trialling in schools of an animal welfare module.
The module, which is now live, teaches students about the relationship between humans and other animals. It covers basic concepts such as sentience, assessing animal welfare, ethics and the welfare needs of pets, as well as farm, laboratory and wild animals.
“One of the RSPCA’s stated objectives in England and Wales is for animal welfare to be explicitly included in our own national curricula,” Mr Littlefair added. “Now China has beaten us to it, we hope that our education authorities will follow their lead so future generations continue to develop empathy for animals.”
Image (C) RSPCA
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