Education for Sustainable Development for Nepal
Context
Despite majestic natural beauty and
biological diversity, the country never colonized and sustained its identity
throughout the history. The weak point to it was it remained comparatively isolated
from the rest world. The country is striving to sustain the regained democracy
after major political disturbance, which include the travel from monarchy (of
over three decade) to civil war (over a decade). The present sociopolitical and
socioeconomic status and ongoing changes clearly reflect more challenges ahead.
The developmental challenges get
reflected in an individual to the National Policies. The practices and
scenarios shows development dynamism has very less or no meaning to our
contexts. Sustainable (SD) simply stands a developmental jargon to the country.
Although we have expressed our commitment for SD in various global forums, we
are not able to formulate a clear policy to address it. This is verification
that Sustainable Development issue is not understood to its practical
implications.
Contrast to this, there exist sustainable
practices through indigenous/inherent knowledge system. This makes the nature
always nurturing and balance. Modernity must thank those people of nature,
striving really hard and away from so called ‘development’ making sustainable
development. Which, the Annex 1 world has taken recently. If we could refine
and propagate various indigenous knowledge practices and system, there exist
much sustainable practices. The cultural diversity and religious practices
itself have many deep-seated sustainable values. Nothing could stand as
education to bring changes in people’s behavior. The time ahead is more
challenging for all societies. Responsive environment behavior cum social
behavior and sustainability of such behaviors are one of the major concerns of
present time. And it is believed that education can only take this
accountability.
Education
is understood in different sense but in general education refers to mainstream
education. Different studies had revealed education at different levels serve for
different interests to individual’s and the society. It is believed that the
foundations of behaviors are led at early schooling. The school basically
comprises learners, curriculum, and teacher as the core components. Behavioral induction
and reinforcement of positive behavior thereby sustaining desired behavior is
one of the major aims of education. The humanity at this stance must induce responsive
environment as well as social behaviors for sustainable future.
We
have been facing many problems related to different issues; natural resources, governance peace, conflicts, behavior, livelihood and lifestyle etc. It is
difficult to predict where the world would lead in absence of good environment
and society.
Coming
to one mostly quoted saying of Einstein “The significant problems we face
cannot be solved by the same level of thinking we used when we created them”.
This strikes a question in mind, what enables you to think at different level?
Yes, the answer is ‘Education’. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is
emerging adjectival education which encompasses to address these issues. Human
thoughtfulness has brought good alternative to address the challenges ahead. ESD
goals and priorities would definitely bring the changes. Though the country
have some components of ESD as hidden and integrated curriculum, still a lot left
to adequately address and implement ESD to our settings. On this regard this paper
attempts to discuss on ESD scope and its integration to Nepalese contexts.
Shifting Paradigm of Sustainable Development: Historical Preview
The interlacement of nature and
human is so immense that human existence cannot be imagined in isolation. The
experience and practices of human has verified that every individual is a part
of a society moreover biological society and cannot be seen in isolation The
wholeness and interconnectedness of entities within the planet ensures
stability of the system. And only the stable system can feed the humanity as
well as others. We are now in a stake to communicate the integral relationship
between human, society and nature. Communicating and responding responsibly to
this relationship is a crucial action to the well being of planet inhabitants. This
in fact is a sustainable practice.
Sustainable development is knowledge
inbuilt and foresee for better future gained from experiences and reflections
of our practices. Sustainable development is a multifaceted address to the
challenges which development has brought to today’s world.
The term sustainable development got
spread after its use by IUCN (1980) in ‘World Conservation Strategy’ and more
in practice after United Nation’s Commission on Environment and Development
also known as Bruntdland’s Commission’s Report (‘Our Common Future’, 1983-1987).
The early definition focus was quite narrow to natural resources. Sustainable
development was defined as “meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs”. The concept focuses on improvement of life and
living standards without destroying the nature. People’s thirst to development drove
them to personal benefits and as by product to this appeared as environmental
problems. This could be the reason why Sustainable Development focused in environmental
issues.
Though
the initiation of Sustainable Development was to be more responsive to
environment and resources, now it is developing as a separate paradigm. Sustainable
Development addresses wider area. ‘Agenda 21’ an action plan document released
in ‘The Earth Summit’ (1992) is taken as action plan for SD. The document in
its 27 principles incorporates the components for development for twenty first
century. This incorporation and address brought a new height to Sustainable Development.
The progress in this direction has been continuous. Now Sustainable Development
is characterized by its various attributes. Bhandari and Abe (2003) stating one
major characteristic as, “It is an interface of the three “E’s”… They are not
mutually exclusive” (p.16).
Figure1: Bhandari
and Abe (2003) diagrammatic representation of areas of concern of SD(p.16)
(Copyright permissions for academic and educative purpose)
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Respecting
the vocabulary used not implicitly but also; Economy implies development,
Equity implies society, and Environment implies nature/ecology, this indicate
the broad areas of SD. Furthermore, SD has been accepted as an enlarged view
that extends beyond simple measures of “growth”. Quality life requirements
like, happiness, satisfaction, secured and descent life, fair, equitable and accessibility
are now components taken care by sustainable development.
“Sustainability
is achieved when all people on Earth can live well without compromising the
quality of life for future generations”. (Jucker, 2003, para 4)
The
Sustainable Development document in a glance seems addressee to human but
getting deeper understanding, one can easily realize it proclaims for continual
universal equity of the earth resources for all creatures. UNESCO taking
responsibility to communicate the essence of SD through education has
elaborated the understanding of SD through its new definition. It states,
Sustainable development is a vision of development that encompasses
populations, animal and plant species, ecosystems, natural resources and that
integrates concerns such as the fight against poverty, gender equality, human
rights, education for all, health, human security, intercultural dialogue, etc
(UNESCO, para 2).
The
early start SD now has now a different face. The challenges exists ahead to
transmit the essence of SD as there would be a resist to the change. International
forum found that education can take this challenge. The three E’s; Education,
economy and environment (physical and social environment) has always stood
crucial in transforming societies. Education has always stood crucial in these
aspects as it has demonstrated its efficiency. This coined a new adjectival
subject Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for sustainability action.
Education for Sustainable Development
The upcoming of ESD was quite similar to SD concepts and
understandings. The subject was taken to address the environmental issues. With
the paradigm shift of SD and its interpretations the subject also took a new
face. Defining ESD became a tricky game for professional and institutions
working in the area. It is because of dynamic nature of SD and education
itself. Here it becomes very relevant to review some of the definitions of ESD.
This would even flash the development and scope of ESD.
According
to Agenda 21 ESD should “deal with the dynamics of the physical, biological,
social, economic and spiritual environment” (United Nations, 1992).
ESD means a lifelong learning process that leads to an informed and
involved citizenry having the creative problem solving skill, scientific and
social literacy, and commitment to engage in responsible individual and
cooperative actions. These actions will help ensure an environmentally sound
and economically prosperous future.10 goals(Health And The Environment ,
Economic Prosperity , Equity ,Conservation Of Nature, Stewardship, Sustainable
Communities , Civic Engagement , Population ,International
Responsibility , Education express the shared aspirations of SD and
drive to sustainability (PCSD, 1996, para 3).
ESD
is about how to stimulate and guide participation and learning in achieving a
society that develops sustainability (IUCN, 2000).
According
to UNESCO, “ESD is an emerging but dynamic concept that encompasses a new
vision of education that seeks to empower people of all ages to assume
responsibility for creating a sustainable future.” (UNESCO 2002, "From Rio
to Johannesburg" p.1)
According to
APCC-UNESCO, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a teaching and
learning practice that enables us to anticipate, tackle and resolve our common
issues in hopes of averting a problematic scenario for our children and their
offspring down the generations as they continue to live on the planet. (para.
5)
ESD demands a
holistic address as it involves the three interrelated spheres of the
environment, society, and economics, whose interconnectedness is inseparable. Culture,
belief and practices are other components to be addressed along with above
mentioned spheres as components within them. ESD to its holistic nature has a
challenge of accommodating human belief like spirituality and soul.
Finally it becomes
relevant to share the vision and perspective of ESD set by UNESCO;
Education is not only
an end in itself. It is a key instrument for bringing about the changes in the
knowledge, values, behaviors and lifestyles required to achieve sustainability
and stability within and among countries, democracy, human security and peace. Education
at all levels and in all its forms constitutes a vital tool for addressing
virtually all global problems relevant for sustainable development, in
particular poverty, HIV/AIDS, environmental degradation, peace and stability,
knowledge formation and sharing, rural development and changes in production
and consumption patterns. (UNESCO,
DESD)
This makes difficult
to state rhetorically the essence of ESD. ESD is taken as education that
instills values and code of conduct as a basis for sustainable development. ESD
is to connect local-global issues to best subside all problem most
productively.
ESD to our Context
Education is believed as a driver for change through contribution
in knowledge, values, technology, behaviors, lifestyles, culture, etc. of
individual as well as society. These
components are determinants of sustainability. Back to our/Nepal situation we
find peace, infrastructure, environmental challenges, sociopolitical situation,
governance from local to central level, and many more messy problem. The early
knowledge and present practices are making it more complex. This stance could
be a good piece of time for a ‘lesson’ to find cause effect relationship
reviewing our past. I believe we still lack to see developmental, environmental
and social issues interlaced. This is where I find ESD a strong component as a
key to change our status (practices and mind) and lead us towards sustainable
development.
We at this
stance are just in an urge to disseminate concern on SD. We have a long way to
make National Sustainable Development Strategy, join collaborative actions for
SD which are basics to sustainability. A
bottom up and top bottom approaches simultaneously has been found effective on
late implementation of policy and action. This justifies the need of ESD to our
context.
Scope of ESD
UNESCO- Decade of Education for Sustainable Development UNESCO-
DESD (2005-2014) institutional focus to address ESD illustrates the high scope
and importance of this subject. It interlinks all aspects of livelihood of all
creatures of the world with human at the centre. The concern of the subject is
for humanity over personal, and it has a crosslink with EFA and MDG. The
subject has an overgrowing concern and has a wide scope and importance in
upcoming days.
The International Implementation Scheme (IIS) lists the
following four points as the objectives of DESD:
- to
facilitate networking, linkages, exchange and interaction among
stakeholders in ESD;
- to foster
an increased quality of teaching and learning in education for sustainable
development;
- to help
countries make progress towards and attain the Millennium Development
Goals through ESD efforts;
- to provide
countries with new opportunities to incorporate ESD into education reform
efforts.
The subject to
its objective and address reflect interdisciplinary nature. We have been in
practice of ESD, but not systematized and given needful address. We are unfair
that we are not inheriting several of the indigenous knowledge in our education.
This could be one of the reasons that nature is revealing symptoms of early and
present practices in different forms. Moreover present development is not able
to address people’s developmental demand and sustainability. Physical
development is not significant if people themselves are not happy. This expands
the scope of the ESD, as it addresses these issues.
Education
for Sustainable Development (ESD) is more than the acquisition of knowledge. It
includes all activities that help to create a population that is both literate
about the sustainability challenges and engaged in the solutions. ESD is aimed
at stimulating and enhancing actions for a sustainable future (TESD, para. 4).
One of the expert participant view is noteworthy here, “I
learned that nearly all experts you invited to participate in the ESD debate put
a focus on environmental education when they reflect on education for sustainable
development. There are some among them who are threatened by ESD: ESD could
destroy Environmental Education. Others are more open to ESD: they think that
EE can (only) survive by the integration in ESD and by accepting the impact of
other topics (e.g. the development topics). This discussion seems to be very
similar in the different countries. (Personal communication Norbert Reichel,
Germany as cited in IUCN, 2000, p.58)
This growing discipline as a subject has immense objective
to address development, environment and humanity as interrelated disciplines.
The concern of the subject cross cuts many subject issues. At this stance of
time, offering a formal separate course as ESD may not be very feasible as
school pupil are already overburden with subjects, but its incorporation is
inevitable. Still delivering ESD as a separate subject is another challenge. But
ESD as a subject and its incorporation in an early school mainstream is very
essential. Higher education in ESD, research and practices, evaluation could find out a better
alternative to address ESD to our contexts.
Kathmandu University School of Education screening the scope
of the subject and its relevancy in regional context has introduced and Master
program in Environment Education and Sustainable Development.
Integrated Environment Literacy Program (IELP) is yet
another important program in non formal education addressing sustainability
issues. Attempt are ongoing to institutionalize the program through CLCs. CLC
have a focus for Poverty Alleviation through Income
Generation Program and Quality of Life Improvement of Girls and Women and
Disadvantaged Populations.
These discussions and examples reflect importance of ESD for
sustainable future. Education’s contribution is rarely counted in addressing
sociopolitical issues. The other addresses do not include deep socio-ecological
thinking which leads to instability. In this concern the ESD’s higher
penetration is a high demand of time.
Curricular Issues (purpose and place)
When talking
about curriculum, mainstream education comes in mind. I believe curriculum is
an answer to a basic question, what should schools teach? This question imposes
another important question, who should decide, what should school teach? When,
where, who, how, should the teaching go? are further explanations and
elaborations related to curriculum.
Legendary
curricularist Tyler (1949) says an answer to four questions would shape
curriculum development.
What educational
purpose should the school seek to attain?
What educational
experiences can be provided that are likely to attain that purposes?
How can these educational
experiences be effectively organized?
How can we
determine whether these; purposes are being attended? (p.1)
Later worker
Taba (1962), Pinar (1975) elaborated and developed more organized way of
developing curriculum. Now there are different prospects of defining and
developing curriculum.
The present time
has brought different ideologies and discussions among curricularist, the early
framework of thinking about curriculum are changing. Curriculum ideologies are
making its way through religious orthodoxy to progressivism, multiculturalism,
developmentalism/constructivism, and so on. Although different ideologies come
in curricular discussions, it is believed that rarely educational practice
adhere to one ideology.
The pillars of
ESD clearly indicate that it is an integrated and interlinked subject. The
curriculum of ESD should focus the local contexts. Curriculum should focus
contents, values, and competency. SD curriculum in whole should focus for wellbeing
of individual and humanity.
ESD to its
nature demands an interdisciplinary address. The focus of ESD is cross cutting
and links intra personal to biosphere issues through interpersonal issues. On
one hand the ESD has a wide content coverage with literary focus and the other
is behavior, mass behavior. It even addresses many abstract intangible
subtitles like happy, values, beliefs, soul and spirituality. So to its
discrete discipline, it cannot be subsumed under environment science, science
or social science. This demands that it should be approached in an
interdisciplinary manner and infused in all content area. However, the good
volume of ESD can be addressed in social science/studies.
ESD coverage and
its importance to present time cannot be conveniently subsumed by any subject
of school curricula. Despite of attention some ingredients still gets left
behind. It is very difficult to address some aspects like, behaviors, value,
deep-thinking; these areas should be addressed through teachers’ efforts.
Concluding about
ESD curriculum design to our status, it cannot stand as monodisciplinary
subject and must be incorporated into practice as interdisciplinary curriculum.
The scientific environmental literacy contents can be incorporated by subjects
like Science and Health. The issues like climate change, biodiversity loss,
energy issues, etc. can be included under Science. Health challenges induced by
mal practices and natural calamities, diseases outbreaks, etc. can be discussed
under health. The social environmental literacy including many other aspects of
SD like; social injustice, economic instability, resource governance,
conflicts, etc. should be incorporated in social studies. The developmental
understanding viable for future generation and with the philosophy to address
all living creatures can be incorporated in Social Studies.
The non-content area
of ESD is yet another subject which requires attention. Several aspects like
culture, value, deep-thinking, perceptions cannot be influenced by one single
curriculum. These focuses of ESD can be infused in different academic, co-curricular
and extra -curricular activities. This implies implementing ESD curricula is
one of the great challenges.
To the present
understanding; rhetoric educational components can be placed as
interdisciplinary curriculum and non rhetoric attributes of ESD to be addressed
as multidisciplinary curriculum.
Pedagogy of ESD
A particular
pedagogy may not stand as a complete pedagogy to teach ESD. Studying the
coverage of ESD, it would be unfair to address by certain/single pedagogy.
Environment, culture, society, economy and governance are major components
within the ESD. This makes clear the subject has two major areas; first ESD
knowledge and literacy, and other ESD practices. Different researches has shown
that learning always have some effect on practices. Being objectively clear on
the aim of ESD may help us to find which pedagogy/ies particularly works for a
context.
The ESD pedagogy
should focus two major aspects; ESD= Education (K+S+A) + Competency. The
education components (knowledge, skill and attitude) can be transferred through
the contemporary pedagogical practices. Progressivism can be accepted as
regular dynamics and succession on education. Transferring the educational
components can be done through the regular practice. The competency here is in
the sense of readiness to act. The induction of behavior to act and response
acceptably is the competency focused by ESD. On this regard, the pedagogy
should focus on experiential learning so that the local issue gets addressed. Use
of local contexts, consideration of environmental, developmental and social
sensitivity issue, is core focus of ESD. Value and citizenry issues are yet
other important aspects. This demands collegiate/cooperative and experiential
learning. Project work, action research, cultural studies, social laws study,
advocacy, case study, problem solving, etc. could stand as effective
pedagogical practices for effective teaching and learning process.
Teachers for ESD
Meeting the
purpose of ESD, a teacher with several qualities is prerequisite. When we focus
on ESD teachers, the first instance three major concerns come in focus.
Teacher
competencies,
Teacher
preparation and
Continuous
Professional growth and support for teachers.
ESD demands a well-informed
teacher with a blend of natural and social sciences. Environmental literacy, Responsible
Environmental Behaviors (REB), training and conditioning skill for fostering;
creativity, homogenous thinking, narrowing choices, autonomous thinking and
degrees of self-determination are important characteristics for an ideal ESD
teacher. The teacher should hold an eco-friendly well absorbed leadership
phrased as ‘Organic Leadership’ in all areas. Teacher competencies in overall
should be able to change from ‘notion of crisis’ to ‘notion of hope’ and from
‘I live’ to ‘we live’. Such transforming teachers should have a good knowledge,
skill, attitudes and competency.
Preparing the
teachers to address the ESD in Nepalese context is really challenging. This
becomes more challenging in the sense that the present higher education does
not have any program to address to this demand. A long term strategy would
definitely address the gap but the immediate address is somewhat challenging. The
existing teachers’ population holds good number of social studies teacher and
natural science teachers. ESD demands the blend of both and in addition to that
it also demands competency.
The immediate
rescue to our status is to train social studies and natural science teacher to
address the teacher need for ESD. Training them to interdisciplinary role could
cover immediate present needs. This is a good rescue in the sense, this stands
as most efficient way for a country like Nepal. With all this, a key consideration
not to be avoided is ESD demands educated and competent teachers. The present
higher education must make its focus to address this need.
Coming to the
core values of ESD, it is no doubt it is a transformative educational subject
with a multifaceted address to the challenges of developing society. UNESCO-DESD
is a key response and a timely address of our future. The time is not only the ‘time
to worry’ but we need to take it as ‘time to work’.
In Nepalese
context, an accessible teacher preparation to address ESD does not exist. The
government operated teacher training program has no address to ESD except some
donor driven modular courses offered to teacher. These sort of short training
programs stand more as a challenge for working professional as the whole
physical, curricular, and mental mindset remains unchanged. Practices have revealed mid-level intervention
is not an appropriate way to address educational and cultural problems.
Top-bottom and bottom-top approach should go simultaneously. Policy should
adequately emphasize for ESD from central level and the local community should
also be well informed about the ESD. This would even literate about SD to the general
public. This would help getting one objective of DESD.
This would even
click higher education institutions to address the issues. Talking on an issue
of teacher preparation; Kathmandu University School of Education addresses the
teacher demand for ESD. Department of Environment Education and Sustainable Development
produces 15 to 20 teachers with a Master’s of Education Degree in Environment
Education and Sustainable Development.
Despite of an urgent
need to insert ESD in mainstream education, the Nepalese Education System has
been unable to address the issue to its required level. The present Social
Studies include many focuses of ESD but still need to reorganize from ESD
perspective. A clear policy address may make easy prospects for existing
teacher capacity enhancement focused to ESD.
ESD to its
nature is a dynamic and transformational education. Development after being
reconstructed and redefined in the light of ecology, economy and equity became
sustainable development. Teacher’s job is to transmit the most recent education
fostering competencies making aware about the history. On this professional
journey, a teacher always strives for improvement and new information. Feeding
teacher with all these essentials is continuous professional growth and
support.
There may be
several other components linked to it; motivation, job satisfaction,
facilities, security, etc. and many more logistic issues. Excluding them in my
discussion here I have focused on software part. The government has always
formulated teacher support and training modeled by donor. There are several places
in the country where formal and informal institutions are working on particular
sector with no national policy guidelines. The later developed policy usually
would hold precedents of actions, which in reality increases challenges. I am
of the opinion that donor interest should be restricted in policy reviews not
in formulations.
The present time
demand an accessible teacher support center. The center should work for all
teachers with certain provisions to address the different strata among basic
education. This would also make a way of
revenue for the center and a challenge to be up-to-date. The educational
earning can be deployed in other educational support for teachers. The center
at its start may just serve the piecemeal professional help demanded from the
local levels. But this becomes possible only when the government makes an
effective policy to induce competition and motivation for public schools.
ESD to our
contexts is a timely address for better future. The present symptoms are no
doubt are the product of past practices. Starting from a local context to
global issues, we can solve problems with the different level of thinking. ESD
at its core induce critical and deep-thinking which certainly would pave a
sustainable future for humanity and all living entities with materialistic
world together. So, on this ground I see
ESD must be incorporated in our education system.
References
UNESCO
(n.d.). Education for sustainable development. Retrived from http://www.unesco.org/en/esd/ on Sunday,
November 15, 2010.
Rolf
Jucker (2003) UNESCO's Teaching and Learning for a
Sustainable Future: A critical Evaluation in the Trumpeter Volume 19 Number 2:
UNESCO. Retrived from http://usp.umfglobal.org/main/show_passage/39 on Sunday,
November 15, 2010.
IUCN(
) . The world conservation strategy. IUCN. Switzerland
Bhadari
B. B. & Abe Osamu (2003) (Ed.). Education for sustainable development in
Nepal views and visions. IJES. Japan
PCSD
(n.d). Overview President’s council on sustainable development. http://clinton2.nara.gov/PCSD/index.html on on Sunday,
November 15, 2010.
IUCN
(2000). ESD debates. IUCN. Switzerland.
Tyler, R.
(1949). Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. University of Chicago
press. Chicago.
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