From classroom to policy: Lessons from the Blue School stakeholder network

Ocean Literacy (OL) is increasingly recognised as essential for enabling informed societal participation in ocean governance and fostering sustainable relationships between society and the ocean. Yet many OL initiatives remain fragmented and project-based, often driven by educators, NGOs, or scientists, with limited structural involvement from socio-economic and policy sectors, including actors linked to the blue economy. The Portuguese Blue School programme seeks to address this gap by linking schools with a diverse network of partners, including NGOs, businesses, universities, and public institutions. Using a mixed-methods approach combining surveys and semi-structured interviews with programme partners, this study examines how these stakeholders perceive their roles, contributions, and challenges. Findings indicate that partners perceive their activities as contributing mainly to students’ awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward the ocean, while expressing greater uncertainty regarding long-term behavioural change. Different sectors contribute to distinct dimensions of Ocean Literacy: NGOs emphasise awareness and civic engagement, businesses link OL to sustainability practices, and public institutions bring policy perspectives. These complementarities highlight the strategic role of multi-sector partnerships in strengthening connections between Ocean Literacy, education, and the blue economy. The study argues that school–stakeholder networks can function as policy-relevant infrastructures by supporting the social conditions required for sustainable marine governance, while also showing that their long-term contribution depends on stronger institutional support, clearer policy alignment and more robust evaluation mechanisms.