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Education for Sustainable Development in 21st Century
21 September 2007
Author: Kay Muir-Leresche
There is an urgent need to prioritise education. An educated population is able to demand more accountability and contribute to good governance. It is able to access knowledge and participate in debates and to make informed choices in order to promote sustainable growth. Education and the wider dissemination of information promotes greater respect for other cultures, ideas and people and promotes a more cosmopolitan and less fundamentalist approach to resolving conflicts. Education can reduce the gaps between the rich and the poor by giving them the tools to become self-sustaining (where they have access to resources). It contributes to world peace, sustainability and prosperity.
Conventional education is no longer relevant in an era where knowledge and information are constantly expanding and are widely available. Teachers need to become facilitators and education a process of discovery, experimentation and application. The paradigm must change from one where knowledge is transferred to one where learners are shown how to access and effectively use available knowledge. They need to understand what to include and what to leave out and teachers need to be trained in how to educate when not directly transferring knowledge. Experiential learning and the use of indigenous knowledge will assist in making education relevant to local communities in the real world. The importance of a holistic approach to problem solving and the value of the environment should be incorporated in curricula.
Ethics, values and the development of responsible citizens willing to serve their communities need to receive a higher profile in education systems. Creativity, initiative and flexibility should be encouraged in order to produce people capable of adapting to globalisation and rapidly changing technology. Critical analysis and questioning minds are important to ensure progress and accountability. More emphasis should be given to sport and leisure which develop teamwork, confidence, loyalty and reliability. Cultural activities and staff/student exchanges help to broaden minds, develop pride and strengthen communication and analytical skills through literature, dramatics, debating, music, art and dance. Developing countries do not have, or do not allocate, the resources required to attract and retain the best teachers. They need to find ways to provide incentives and resources to ensure that education is able to change. Human capital and knowledge are becoming primary sources of wealth and education systems should produce citizens who will be agents of change in rural and poor communities, as well as on the national and international arena.
A culture that encourages innovation, and which is environmentally and socially progressive, is needed to contribute to the sustainable and effective use of resources.
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