India Education & Career

Written by education academics from 10 nations, Climate Change and Sustainable Development: the Response from Education proposes eight recommendations for education policy makers. Dr Dianne Chambers, from the University of Melbourne’s Graduate School of Education, prepared the Australian country report.

The report emphasises the key role of education in responding to the challenges of sustainability and climate change, and includes in its recommendations: integrating Education for Sustainability into school practices; focusing on the skills to live sustainably; more training opportunities for teachers; and expanding the Education for Sustainability research base.

Several Australian practises were singled out for praise in the report, including the early introduction of an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) strategy in 1999; the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI); and the Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability, a research centre funded by the Australian Government.

Although Australia is relatively advanced in this field, Dr Chambers believes there is still more to be done.

“There has been great progress in many Australian schools, particularly primary schools, many of whom now embrace Education for Sustainability. Sustainability is not just a part of the curriculum in these schools, but is a value of the school and reflected in operations, policies, governance, and the school’s connections to its community.

“We are seeing a shift in how sustainability is embraced by schools, so that it is becoming an integrated part of the school, not just an add-on. We need more schools to adopt a whole-school approach to Education for Sustainability.

“Achieving the goals set out in the Federal Government’s National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability promises opportunities for further successes, including through enhanced engagement of schools, more opportunities for teacher’s professional learning in the field, and increased support from universities and TAFEs.”

The report was written by the International Alliance of Leading Education Institutions, which comprises institutions in the USA, Brazil, the UK, Denmark, Japan, Singapore, Canada, China, Singapore, South Africa and South Korea.