Explore
Participate
Change
The Primary Colors of Education Conference reflect NEPC’s working approach based on EXPLORING education with the aim of creating adequate recommendations and proposing evidence-based solutions, PARTICIPATING in international debates about education and advocating for participative policymaking and proposing effective and sustainable CHANGE in education systems.
Background
Since its founding, the Network of Education Policy Centers has connected education policy researchers, practitioners, and advocates from across Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe, championing evidence-informed, equitable, and democratic education. This conference marks two decades of that shared commitment.
NEPC’s 10th Primary Colors of Education conference addresses the reality that the global environmental crisis is not a distant threat but a defining condition of our era. It emphasizes the urgent need for humanity to reconnect with nature and aligns with many educators and scholars calling for schools to foster an appreciation of nature, justice, and sustainability. Since schools are central institutions of community life, they hold both the responsibility and the power to respond. By shifting school culture, the initiative seeks to enhance processes and practices based on eco-justice education, thereby positively impacting the well-being of human and non-human entities now and in the future, and inspiring hope and motivation for a sustainable tomorrow.
The 10th NEPC Primary Colors of Education Conference brings together school leaders, educators, researchers, and community representatives from across Europe to share knowledge, challenge assumptions, and build the professional capacity necessary to lead schools toward ecojustice.
Three Conference Themes
Nature Connection
Restoring the interdependence of humans with the land, air, water, and all species we share this planet with — embedding a lived sense of ecological belonging into school culture and curriculum.
Planetary Boundaries Alignment
Challenging the patterns of hyper-consumption and commodification that exploit natural and human resources — and redesigning school governance, environment, and learning for true sustainability.
Polycentrism
Embracing multiple centers of authority and diverse perspectives — ensuring that decisions affecting communities, ecosystems, and future generations reflect equity, participation, and distributed power.
Across the three conference days, participants will engage with science-based frameworks, share school-level practice, and work collaboratively on planetary stewardship planning — transforming not just individual classrooms but whole school cultures. The program draws on the Lead for EcoJustice professional development methodology, integrating experiential learning with deep reflection and school and wider community-based action.
