Education for Sustainable Development and Role of Educational

Institutes

Seema Yadav

and Daman Deep Kaur Gulati

The Bhopal School of Social Sciences, Bhopal, India

Keywords: Sustainable Development, Environmental Sustainability, Educational Institutes.

Abstract: Education is a crucial instrument that young people and future generations can utilise to address the social

issues that the current generation has caused. Through problem-solving, education alters people's behaviour

and consciousness, enabling them to pursue their own well-being as well as the sustainable well-being of the

Earth and communities. Both Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Education for Sustainable

Development Goals (ESDG) were formed, building on the Millennium Development Goals and SDGs. A

more effective alternative to the ESDGs currently in vogue for universal education is one that emphasises

non-anthropocentric ethics and, more practically, regrowth as two major measures for tackling

unsustainability. One of the most important guiding concepts in education is sustainable development, which

is a duty and a problem for higher education in particular. Higher Education for Sustainable Development

(HESD) seeks to impart knowledge and foster competencies, values, and attitudes that enable and inspire

students to actively contribute to sustainable development. Education must be linked to larger structural

transformation processes taking place in each of these three areas of the economy, culture, and polity if it is

to have a really transformative impact

1 INTRODUCTION

Classic development models are contrasted with

sustainable development. Sustainable development

is integrated into the 2030 Agenda (Sánchez-

Carracedo, Moreno-Pino, Romero-Portillo, &

Sureda, 2021). The SDGs and sustainable

development are frequently seen in policy agendas

as being transformed through education (Tikly,

2019). To advance sustainable living, democracy,

and the welfare of people, education at all levels and

in all fields must be fundamentally reoriented

(Cebrián, Junyent, & Mulà, 2021). University and

college business schools have responded with new

pedagogical approaches as businesses and other

organisations increasingly acknowledge society's

need for better social and environmental

sustainability (Hoveskog, Halila, Mattsson,

Upward, & Karlsson, 2018). (Hoveskog et al., 2018)

outlines and assesses a pedagogical approach to

developing and innovating business models with the

goal of enhancing students' understanding of

sustainability, as well as their capacity to apply what

they have learned to actual business modelling for

growth. The addition of Education for Flourishing

to Education for Sustainable Development is

beneficial. In the majority of business administration

courses, (Hoveskog et al., 2018) advocate the use of

this methodology to educate the issues and solutions

relating to sustainability. Development education,

education for sustainable development, and global

citizenship education are all purposeful educational

interventions that deal with global justice and

sustainability challenges. The engineering field's most

practical exercises, instruments, and skills that support

SD in the curriculum and are a part of ESD (Acosta

Castellanos, Queiruga-Dios, & Álvarez, 2021). ESD

encourages a perspective on quality education that is

more concerned with promoting lifelong learning and

developing the skills, values, and competencies of

learners to become agents of change rather than only

emphasising quantitative learning outcomes and

national standards. Active learning techniques that

encourage group problem-solving, democratic

dialogue, and experiential education are used in ESD.

All students should have the information and skills

necessary to promote sustainable development,

according to the Sustainable Development Goals

outlined by the United Nations. The importance of

integrating education for sustainable development

Yadav, S. and Gulati, D.

Education for Sustainable Development and Role of Educational Institutes.

DOI: 10.5220/0012501200003792

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 1st Pamir Transboundar y Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR 2023), pages 687-691

ISBN: 978-989-758-687-3

687

(ESD) ideas into all educational levels is reflected

in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

ESD is viewed as a crucial component of high-

quality education, and all educational settings, from

early childhood to higher education as well as

informal and non-formal education, may and should

support the growth of sustainability competencies

(Cebrián et al., 2021). Understanding problems that

need to be solved and essential steps among varied

viewpoints can lead to social change, and ESD has

been researched as a way to encourage such change.

2 WHAT IS EDUCATION FOR

SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT (ESD)?

The United Nations published its 10-year "ESD for

2030" policy in 2019. The Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations have been

included into Education for Sustainable

Development (ESD) at numerous schools all around

the world. Education for Sustainable Development

(ESD) has its origins in the history of two unique

fields that have attracted the attention of many

stakeholders, including the United Nations. These

fields include education and sustainable

development. The main goal of education for

sustainable development is to provide students with

the capacities and competencies to apply newly

acquired knowledge, skills, and values towards

addressing and overcoming issues in the actual

world. ESD is not simply about incorporating SD

knowledge into the curriculum's contents; it is also

heavily focused on educational practise, or the E in

ESD (Cebrián et al., 2021). Learning for change is

the goal of education for sustainable development,

which is geared towards whole system perspectives.

This involves concentrating on interdisciplinary and

cross-curricular teaching strategies and making

more of an effort to connect classroom learning to

real-world application. ESD must be viewed as an

essential component of high-quality education,

ingrained in the idea of lifelong learning: all

educational settings, from early childhood to higher

education, in formal, non-formal, and informal

education, have the power and responsibility to

promote the development of sustainability

competencies (Cebrián et al., 2021).

Since they will be the teachers who train the future

professionals, it is crucial to enhance the Education

for Sustainable Development that university

students receive (Sánchez-Carracedo et al., 2021).

ESD aims to promote skills that enable people to reflect

on their own behaviour, taking into account the social,

cultural, economic, and environmental effects of those

activities from both a local and global viewpoint

(Cebrián, Junyent, & Mulà, 2020). Researchers and

decision-makers have long been interested in education

for sustainable development (ESD) (Badea, Şerban-

Oprescu, Dedu, & Pirosşcă, 2020). Education for

sustainable development (EfSD), which prepares the

next generation to act as change agents, is required to

address the "wicked problems" of sustainability (Bach

Q. Ho, 2021).

The teaching of engineering must emphasise

sustainability. Engineering students need to develop

their ability to think strategically and comprehend the

need to put their future professional endeavours in the

context of sustainable solutions in order to create a

better society (Sánchez-Carracedo & López, 2020).

Engineering education for sustainable development

(ESD) is crucial for the development of change agents

and transformative leaders who can advance the laws,

plans, and techniques that make it possible to create a

more sustainable future (Sánchez-Carracedo & López,

2020). Engineering education for sustainable

development (ESD) is crucial for preparing future

engineers to act as agents of change and transformation

and to advance the strategies, methods, and policies that

make it possible to create a more sustainable future. All

17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined in

the 2030 UN Framework for Sustainable Development

must be accomplished through engineering (Sánchez-

Carracedo & López, 2020). Multi-stakeholder solutions

are necessary to address significant societal issues and

advance sustainable development. Education for

sustainable development (EfSD), which prepares the

next generation to be change agents, is required to

overcome the difficult issues of sustainability (Bach Q.

Ho, 2021). ESD has the potential to be successful; yet,

they also demonstrate that there isn't a single answer

that can solve all problems and that educational

practises must be tailored specifically to the audiences

they are intended for. The goal of sustainable

development (SD) is to integrate social and economic

advancement with environmental protection. The report

Our Common Future, often known as the 1987

Brundtland report, introduced the idea to the general

public in the 1980s. Up until that point, environmental

protection had been the main concern due to important

environmental issues including pollution. It was

emphasised with the SD notion that environmental

issues should be addressed in relation to social and

economic problems . The SDGs and afterwards the

ESDGs, with their unreflective encouragement for

growth, condone ongoing environmental plunder,

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depriving millions of species of their right to flourish

and impoverishing future generations (Kopnina,

2020). ESD must be all-encompassing, taking into

account the intellectual, emotional, social, physical,

and other facets of the human experience while

fostering harmonious interactions between

individuals and their surroundings. In comparison to

the conventional learning environment, it places a

significantly more emphasis on democratic learning,

emotional wellbeing, and the development of

relationships.

3 EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES

AND EDUCATION FOR

SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT (ESD)

A significant number of the world's future leaders

are influenced by universities. Business schools are

starting to provide courses in business models and

business model innovation that not only emphasise

profit-normative aims but also emphasise social and

environmental goals (Hoveskog et al., 2018). The

primary goal of universities is to improve levels of

SD and high-quality education by educating

students and the future workforce in all areas of

research and in innovative environmentally friendly

technological ideas (Acosta Castellanos et al.,

2021). The global sustainability agenda has a major

influence on higher education for sustainable

development (HEfSD). The sustainable

development goals (SDGs) are actively being

implemented in HEfSD policy, curriculum, and

practise by many higher education institutions,

which are charged with preparing the next

generation of sustainability leaders with knowledge

and essential skills. The potential for adaptive

ability to be used as a shared learning target to

deepen and functionalize the connections between

high-quality education, education for sustainable

development (ESD), and education for disaster risk

reduction (DRR). In order to improve sustainable

learning and improve pedagogical design, five

pedagogical characteristics of learning for adaptable

capability are introduced. Learning for adaptive

capacity supports pedagogical design, strengthens

learning processes for competency development,

and may be in line with the main objectives for

achieving high-quality education for sustainable

development. This is done by implementing a well-

developed curriculum, improving the standard of

teaching practises, creating a secure and productive

learning environment, and encouraging cooperative

and transformative learning.

Universities serve as the primary drivers of the SDGs

since they encourage a shift in societal behaviour

through technical and economic advancement while

also being environmentally conscious (Acosta

Castellanos et al., 2021). Academic standards are raised

by incorporating ESD into the curricula (Acosta

Castellanos et al., 2021). Several governmental and

academic voices in the field of education for

sustainable development have emphasised the

significance of taking a holistic approach to the idea of

sustainable development. To ensure progress in the

development of values, skills, and behaviour connected

with sustainability, it is important to promote relevant

teaching methodologies and evaluation tools as well as

the personal dimension of sustainability competencies

in higher education (Cebrián et al., 2020). The

promptness has so far been insufficient to modify

institutional and cultural norms in the case of higher

education, despite the fact that many international

organisations and institutions show a visible

commitment to promoting sustainable development

(Badea et al., 2020). Through the eyes of critical theory

and eco-pedagogy, (Kopnina, 2020a) challenges the

Education for Sustainable Development Goals

(ESDG). Internationally, education for sustainable

development (ESD) is regarded as a crucial component

of children's and young people's entire education

(Samuelsson & Lindström, 2022).

4 ISSUES WITH EDUCATION FOR

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

(ESD)

The demand from critical pedagogy and eco-pedagogy

to change education so that it is both critical and

emancipated may provide far more than the SDGs'

optimistic denial or the uncritical pursuit of economic

development (Kopnina, 2020). Business students that

are engaged in promoting environmental sustainability

have developed some important concepts as a result of

the crucial subject Politics, Business, and Environment

(Kopnina, 2020). The assessed textbooks lack ESD

alignment, and thus do not promote understanding of

or engagement with the various SDGs' immediate

contexts, as specified by UNESCO. To close the gaps

in social sustainability that now exist in HEfSD, there

has to be stronger connections between social and

environmental issues. In order to implement a balanced

vision in favour of the environment, technology, and

economy within the field of engineering, it is required

Education for Sustainable Development and Role of Educational Institutes

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to conduct more study and publish more literature

on a national and global scale.

5 EDUCATION FOR

SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT AND ITS

STRATEGIES

In order to support human life while preserving the

environment, the economic realm is envisioned as a

system of relationships, institutions, and processes

concerned with the production, consumption,

distribution, and circulation of products and

services (Tikly, 2019). In order to expand their

knowledge of sustainability challenges, students

must be autonomous learners who draw upon their

own experiences and social situations. This is

required by ESD, which requires a learner-centered

approach (Hogan & O’Flaherty, 2021). (Kopnina,

2020) offers new perspectives on how "ecological

justice" might serve as the overarching principle

that underpins both society and the economy.

Important sustainable development topics and

concepts must be systematically included into all

formats and levels of teaching and learning as part

of ESD. Climate change, food security, disaster risk

reduction and management, biodiversity, poverty

reduction, sustainably produced goods and services,

water quality, health, extinction of plant and animal

species, waste management, and resource efficiency

are a few of these challenges. Education policy

needs to be radically reoriented and linked to larger

processes of economic, cultural, and political

transformation in the interests of social and

environmental justice if it is to play a

transformational role in connection to sustainable

development.

(Bach Quang Ho & Inoue, 2020) clarified the

factors that encourage students' knowledge

diffusion from the perspective of network

externalities and concentrated on education for

sustainable development (ESD) on a field trip. They

came to the conclusion that ESD on a field trip can

help solve social issues and achieve sustainable

development by encouraging driving network

externalities and expanding networks. Education

aims to equip students with the action competence

they need to engage with such important agents of

change (Pauw et al., 2015). Field visits that

introduce students to different stakeholders in the

real world are effective, but since sustainable

problems lack obvious solutions, cooperative

learning (CL), in which students share knowledge, is

also helpful (Bach Q. Ho, 2021). In the real-world

EfSD, teaching accurate, pertinent, and usable

knowledge is crucial, and knowledge acquisition is

primarily accomplished through implicit learning.

Implicit learning lessons are challenging to create,

though. Despite the fact that explicit learning does not

directly advance information acquisition, implicit

learning must be integrated with it. Since it results in

knowledge gain, self-efficacy should be the targeted

learning outcome. It's crucial to focus on knowledge

acquisition through implicit learning and self-efficacy

enhancement through explicit learning if you want to

help students grow their civic engagement through

real-world EfSD utilising Cooperative Learning (Bach

Q. Ho, 2021).

ESD is distinguished by its focus on a democratic and

participatory educational process with Designing

teaching and learning in an interactive, learner-

centered style that promotes exploratory, action-

oriented, and transformative learning (Samuelsson &

Lindström, 2022). An important result of ESD is action

competence for sustainability. The findings of this

study provide credence to the claim that ESD is an

effective teaching strategy for helping students enhance

their action competence for sustainability (Olsson,

Gericke, & Boeve-de Pauw, 2022). The holistic aspect

of ESD teaching can be improved over time through

teacher professional development programmes, which

will also help students develop their action competence

for sustainability (Olsson et al., 2022). Regular school

teachers can have an impact on students through their

participation in a long-term ESD teacher professional

development programme (Olsson et al., 2022). A more

effective alternative to the currently popular ESDG for

universal education is one that emphasises non-

anthropocentric ethics and, more practically, declines

as two major measures for tackling unsustainability

(Kopnina, 2020). Living in a society that is more

sustainable has been highlighted by policymakers.

Developing future citizens who are capable of acting to

address Sustainable Development concerns is the goal

of education for sustainable development. ESD

encourages concrete, regionally pertinent, and

culturally appropriate lifelong learning opportunities

for everybody. It addresses content while taking into

account context, local concerns, and global issues,

accommodating the concept of sustainability's dynamic

nature. In order to encourage students to continuously

investigate, ESD must be achieved by effectively

adjusting the instructional materials, methods, and

tactics using information technology.

Active learning, teamwork, and perseverance are

important facets of transformational education. Active

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classrooms may call for group or team projects.

When students leave the classroom, they will be

working in a setting that typically calls for

teamwork or a team leader. The idea of struggle is a

crucial component of transformational teaching.

Research on Education for Sustainable

Development (ESD) has seen a significant increase

in interest in recent years. In order to better

comprehend the variety of ESD approaches and the

issues they provide, a full re-evaluation of this

discipline is necessary. In spite of the scientific

agreement on climate change and global warming,

and in defiance of the EU parliament's declaration

on the climate crisis, many powerful politicians and

financially sound businesses that sell non-

renewables continue to deny the irreversible

changes. Stakeholder awareness is a significant

barrier to real-world implementation of the key

issues on ESD.

6 CONCLUSION

Education is essential for ensuring that all students

have the knowledge and abilities required to support

sustainable development. By 2030, the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations

goals to protect the environment, eradicate poverty,

and improve the opportunities for all people. A

long-term ESD teacher professional development

programme can benefit students by utilising the

efforts of ordinary school teachers who participate

in it. Therefore, ESD encourages skills like critical

thinking, creating better future possibilities, and

working together to reach decisions. It also calls for

significant adjustments to the way that education is

provided. There is a need to work strategically and

simultaneously on a programme that helps people

such as academics, non-academics, schools,

teachers, institutions, and the government that

consider various ways to incorporate environmental

and sustainability concerns into practise at different

levels, such as in the educational system through

local, institutional, national, or international ESD

professional training and learning. It suggests a

variety of strategies to accomplish these goals,

including utilizing domestic resources to improve

livelihoods and reduce poverty, modernizing the

agricultural sector while diversifying the economy

by growing the service industry, and promoting

industrialization based on science, technology, and

innovation. In this regard, education is implied to

have a significant role which has contradicting

consequences.

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