Escola Azul was the first Blue School programme to be established worldwide. Our journey started in 2017 with a small sample of schools. Since then, Escola Azul has been providing guidance and recognition to Portuguese schools working on Ocean Literacy. Today, the programme has grown to include more than 500 schools all around the country.
We encourage school communities to understand and explore the Ocean’s influence on us and our own impact on the Ocean. The Escola Azul explore Ocean issues through structured and interdisciplinary strategies that aim for a social impact both with the participation of different partners and through the involvement of local communities.
Escola Azul is coordinated by the Directorate-General for Maritime Policy (DGPM), which ensures its implementation and development through a dedicated Ocean Literacy team. The programme has been tested and adjusted in a collaborative way since its inception and evolved into an Ocean Literacy community that brings together schools, teachers, students, partners, municipalities and local communities.
The programme's success at a national level has been worthy of international recognition: Escola Azul was recognized by UNESCO as a success story in the implementation of Ocean Literacy and was endorsed in the scope of the UN Ocean Decade. It has been an inspiration for the creation of similar networks all around the globe.
Contact person: Bernardo Mata
