1 / 14

The Role of Education in the Pursuit of a Sustainable Future

Explore the pivotal role of education in achieving sustainable development, addressing global challenges like climate change, equity, and social justice through public awareness and reorienting formal education. Learn how improving quality education worldwide can facilitate sustainable development goals.

takins
Download Presentation

The Role of Education in the Pursuit of a Sustainable Future

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Role of Education in the Pursuit of a Sustainable Future Charles Hopkins UNESCO and UNU Chairs, York University Presented by Pamela Schwartzberg Executive Director Learning for a Sustainable Future

  2. What is Sustainable Development • Global Change (environment) • Globalization (economic) • Human Development (social/culture) • Sustainable Development Plus concepts of: • intergenerational responsibility • Need verses greed / equity • Social justice, etc.

  3. Many Questions Sustaining what? For whom?

  4. “Education is a key and vital element in moving sustainability forward…”Report of the UN Sec. General • Agenda 21(Rio) • Millennium Goals • Earth Charter • UN Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) • WSSD (Johannesburg)

  5. The 4 Major Thrusts of ESD • 1 Public awareness and understanding • 2 Access to quality basic education • 3 Reorienting existing education • 4 Training programs for all sectors Agenda 21 -92, UNESCO-96, UNCSD -98, JPOI-2002

  6. Public awareness and understandingThe Power of SD Remains DormantLocked in Isolated Issues CleanAir AIDSPrevention Equity ClimateChange Sustainable Development Peace SustainableConsumption Poverty Eradication Bio-diversity PopulationGrowth

  7. Northern Issues • Sustainable production and consumption • 0.5 trillion in advertising • 50% targeted at USA • Working with “others” • Developing global citizenship • Redistribution of wealth and power • Improving democracy

  8. Many Paths to SD • Good legislation/governance • Economic incentives • Overcoming corruption • Environmental protection • Human rights/security • Infrastructure (roads to banking) • 40 issues identified in Agenda 21

  9. 2. Facilitating Development Through Improving Quality Education • 100 million children ages 6 to 11 never attend school in the developing countries • 90% of school aged are in developing/emerging nations • Millions more are “under- educated” in both the South and the North

  10. Northern Problem As Well • Hard to serve students suffer • Preferred learning style other than reading • Poverty related issues • Irrelevant curricula • Home/family related issues • Student/school conflict

  11. Values Principles Perspectives Knowledge Skills Buildings Program Practices and Actions What we value and evaluate 3. Reorienting formal education includes addressing

  12. Strengths Model: A Starting Point • No single discipline/group/teacher can do it all • Every discipline/group/teacher can contribute something • Some can take lead roles in reorientation

  13. UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005 to 2014 • UN General Council Resolution Dec 2002 • UNESCO is the lead UN Agency • Mainly a coordinating role • Integrate with other Decades and programs • Mainly up to each country / state • Organization / institution / private sector etc.

  14. 2 Key Websites www.esdtoolkit.org www.earthcharter.org www.unesco.org/education/tlsf

More Related