Health, Education and Food

Security UNIT 10 ROLE OF EDUCATION IN

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT*

Structure
10.0 Objectives
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Meaning and Importance of Education
10.3 Role of Education in Sustainable Development
10.4 Vision on Education for Sustainable Development
10.5 Conclusion
10.6 Glossary
10.7 References
10.8 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

10.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this Unit, you should be able to:
Discuss the meaning and importance of education in the context of sustainable
development;
Explain the role of education in achieving sustainable development; and
Explore the relationship among education, development and environment.

10.1 INTRODUCTION
Education is seen as a big force; a force that not only contributes to national
development, but also sustainable development. It is a key to development, be it
social, economic, political or environmental. Education promotes development
of knowledge and skills required to achieve sustainable development (SD). It
encourages promotion of economic well-being, social equity, democratic values
and much more. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) enables people
and citizens to learn as to how to preserve earth resources which are limited in
availability. The ESD has the objective of empowering present and future
generations to meet their needs using a balanced and integrated approach to the
economic, social and environmental dimensions of SD.

As already noted in Unit 1, concept of sustainable development or SD emerged

as a response to a growing concern for human impact on the environment. The
concept of SD has been broadly defined by the World Commission on
Environment and Development (1987) as “development that meets the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs”. This definition is quoted in almost all the Units of this Course. The
definition acknowledges that while development may be necessary to meet human
needs and improve the quality of life, it must happen without depleting the capacity
of the earth’s resources to meet the current and future needs.

* Contributed by Dr. R.K. Sapru, Professor of Public Administration (Retired), Panjab Univer-
150 sity, Chandigarh
The SD movement has grown on the basis of a concept of sustainability that Role of Education in
Sustainable Development
protects both the interests of future generations and the capacity of the planet
earth to regenerate. In the 21st century, sustainability refers generally to the
capacity of the biosphere and human civilization to co-exist.The Rio Declaration
on Environment and Development (1992) laid down 27 principles of sustainability.
One such principle is the Declaration that says: “In order to achieve sustainable
development, environmental protection shall constitute an integral part of the
development process, and cannot be considered in isolation from it. Eradicating
disparities in living standards in different parts of the world is essential to achieve
sustainable development and meet the needs of majority of people.”

Sustainable development can be defined as those developmental activities that

do not degrade the environment and can be carried on for a long period of time.
One of the central principles of sustainable development is living within the
limits of consumption of natural resources. Thus, the goals of economic and
social development must be defined in terms of sustainability in all countries,
developed or developing, market-oriented or centrally planned.

It may be noted that UN Conference on Environment and Development (popularly

known the Earth Summit) also debated in 1992 and confirmed its resolve to
promote the 3 pillars of SD, namely Economy, Society and Environment, as
interdependent and mutually reinforcing concepts. To achieve SD, these sectors
(pillars) need to come together. The economic, social or societal and environmental
sectors are all critically important and interdependent. A healthy prosperous
society relies on a healthy environment to provide food and resources, safe
drinking water and clean air for its citizens. This Unit discusses the role of
education in achieving SD and explores the interaction among economy, society
and environment.

10.2 MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF

EDUCATION
Before we discuss the role of education in sustainable development, it is
imperative to understand the meaning and importance of role of education in
sustainable development. Role is defined as “the function assumed or part played
by a person or thing in a particular situation’’. The definition of a role “is a part
or character someone performs or the function or position of a person”.An example
of a role is the position of the nurse in a hospital. Merrian-Webster defines role
as a function or part performed, especially in a particular operation or process.

Education is a process of developing the personality and creativity of the

individuals so that they can in turn help in promoting a healthy society. Education
is actually a process, which influences individual capabilities, social environment,
economic development, ethical surroundings and above all cultural adaptability.
Education is expected to evolve principles, methodologies and guidelines for
the application of knowledge that could benefit society. It is also expected to
provide knowledge and skills for addressing the issues of development. It must
also enable people and students to develop an understanding and a perspective
of the physical and social environment.

The importance of education can be interpreted from the reply to the question
asked to Aristotle. The question was ‘How much better educated men were than
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Health, Education and Food those who were uneducated’. Aristotle’s reply was‘As much as the living are
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from the dead.’Education thus is a process to shape the quality of life of individuals
and through them of the society and the world. It is an investment in the human
resources. In the present age of science and technology, it has been increasingly
realised that one needs to be educated not only to become a better human and
social being, but also a creative and productive being.Looking at the changes
taking place around the world, it is being widely felt that the kind of world we
will bequeath to our children and grandchildren may not be a better one as a
result of environmental degradation that results from political and economic
decisions made today. A matter of grave concern is that those who reap the fruits
of economic development today may be making future generations worse off by
excessively damaging and destroying the natural resources and polluting the
earth’s environment.
‘Sustainable development’ was a major focus of the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Brazil in June 1992. The
achievement of sustainable development globally is likely to prove as one of the
greatest challenges to the world community in view of the continued population
growth and rising levels of consumption per capita. As the World Commission
on Environment and Development observed, efforts to achieve sustainable
development are being carried out amidst the additional pressure of such global
difficulties as “climate change, ozone depletion, and species loss” (WCED, 1987).
As we all know, legacy of the concept of sustainable development is attributed
to the Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development ‘Our
Common Future’.In this context,sustainable development secures a balance
between economic development and ecological sustainability. Both economic
and environmental systems need a certain minimum threshold value to survive.In
essence, sustainable development is a process of change in which the exploitation
of resources, direction of investments, orientation of technological development,
and institutional change, are all in harmony and enhance both current and future
potential to meet human needs and aspirations (Ibid.).
The concept of sustainable development rejects the traditional view that economic
development is a necessity, but environmental protection is a luxury. The World
Commission Report (Ibid.) noted that measures of success in sustainable
development must take account of the context and of the need to meet social
challenges. The sustainability aspect requires that the environmental
administrators should aim to:
i) Maintain ecosystems and related ecological processes essential for the
functioning of the biosphere;
ii) Preserve biological diversity by ensuring the survival and conservation of
all species of flora and fauna in their natural habitats.
iii) Observe the principle of optimum sustainable yield in the exploitation of
living natural resources and ecosystem;
iv) Prevent or abate significant environmental pollution or harm;
v) Establish adequate standards of environmental protection;
vi) Undertake or require prior assessments to ensure that major law policies,
projects, and technologies contribute to sustainable development; and
vii) Make all relevant information public without delay in all cases of harmful
152 or potentially harmful releases of pollutants, especially radioactive releases.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been defined as “education Role of Education in
Sustainable Development
that allows every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and
values necessary to shape a sustainable future. In other words, ‘the ESD is the
process of equipping students with the knowledge, skills and attributes needed
to work and live in a way that safeguards environmental, social and economic
well-being, both in the present and for future generations’. The key ESD issues
relate to climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction,
and sustainable consumption. Education for SD consequently promotes
competencies like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and making
decisions in a collaborative way. Thus, education for SD requires far-reaching
changes in the way education is often practiced today. The ESD would be
meaningful when it is linked with issues that the world is facing today. It must be
given a global outlook. Education thus plays an important and decisive role in
sustainable development.
Education for SD should include the following thrusts:
Promotion and improvement of basic education related to SD;
Reorientation of existing education at all levels- primary (basic), secondary,
higher in order to address SD.
Development of public awareness and understanding of sustainability.
Learning and development of training methods in the world of sustainable
development. In this way, SD depends upon the provision of specialised
training programmes to ensure that all sectors of society have the necessary
skills to perform their work in a sustainable manner.
Check Your Progress 1
Note: i) Use the space given below for your answer
ii) Check your answer with that given at the end of the Unit.
1. Discuss the meaning and importance of education in sustainable development.
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10.3 ROLE OF EDUCATION IN SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT
Sustainable development, as already noted, was formally initiated for the world
community in the year 1992. In it, education occupies an important place. It is
linked with environmental themes. The tragedy triggered by the COVID-19
pandemic presents the world with an incredible opportunity to build back better.
Academic institutions, be they colleges, schools or universities, must double
their efforts to ensure that the world’s policymakers and leaders are provided
with the information they need to solve the increasingly complex developmental
problems.
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Health, Education and Food Thus, education for sustainable development promotes research and provides
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information needed to solve sustainable developmental problems arising out of
human-made decisions. Education as an investment in human resources plays an
important role among the factors, which contribute to sustainable development.
Let us read about them now:

ESD promotes and encourages sustainable society

Quality education is an important key and tool for achieving a more

sustainable society. This was vociferously emphasised at the UN World
Summit in Johannesburg in 2002, where the reorientation of current education
systems was outlined as the key to SD. It may be noted that education for
SD promotes the development of the knowledge, skills, values and actions
required to create a sustainable society, which ensures environmental
protection and conservation, promotes social equity and encourages
economic well-being.Traditionally, India has been a sustainable society. In
order to promote the value of sustainable development in education, the
Indian government has directed its various education departments to actively
work on an Environment Education (EE) component as a part of the
curriculum.

ESD aims to develop knowledge about environment

The concept of ESD developed basically from environmental education,

which has sought to develop the knowledge, skills, values, and behaviour in
people to give more attention to protection of environment. The aim of ESD
is to enable people to make decisions and carry out actions, without
compromising the planet earth. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to global
crisis that is severely restrictive in nature and could hamper the ability to
meet unprecedented challenges.

College, school and university closures have kept most of the students
worldwide out of educational institutions. Online education facilities are
not accessible to those who are without technological gadgets like computers,
laptops and tablets. A majority of students are managing online teaching on
their mobiles but most affected have been the abject poor and resourceless.
The pressure on families is intense. Jobs are being lost and incomes are
down. Climate change and environmental degradation are happening much
faster than expected. The consequences are being felt around the world.
The wildfires in America, Australia, Europe and Siberia have broken records
for their ferocity. In 2020, flooding in South Asia has forced more than 25
million people to abandon their homes. The point is that the ESD aims to
broaden knowledge and behaviour of people about the human-made
problems. The aim of ESD is to enable people to make decisions and carry
out actions, without compromising the earth’s resources.

The ESD outlines integration of principles and practices of sustainable

development

The goal of the decade (2005-2014), as outlined by UNESCO, is to integrate

the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all
aspects and dimensions of education. Thus, it aims to encourage changes in
behaviour that will create a more sustainable future.
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 One of the most important aspects of the DESD is the recognition that ESD Role of Education in
Sustainable Development
must engage a wide range of stakeholders- the government and non-
government organisations, civil society, and general public.

To promote ESD, the UN Decade of Education for SD, 2005-2014 (DESD)

was adopted by the UN General Assembly with the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) designated
as the lead agency for promotion throughout the decade. The decade pursues
a global vision “of a world where everyone has the opportunity to benefit
from quality education and learn the values, behaviour and lifestyles required
for a sustainable future and positive societal transformation.”

In its International Implementation Scheme for DESD, UNESCO states that

ESD is fundamentally about behaviour and values, particularly respect for
others, including those of present and future generations, for the environment
and for the earth’s resources (UNESCO,2006).Education enables us to
understand ourselves and others. It attempts to strengthen our links with the
wider natural and social environment. This understanding serves as a durable
basis for building respect. Along with a sense of justice, responsibility,
exploration and dialogue, ESD aims to enable us to adopt behaviours and
practices, which will lead us to live a full life, without being deprived of
basic human needs and demands.

ESD focuses on environmental themes and concerns

The ESD offers a beautiful vision of future with the dominant focus on
environmental concerns. It also addresses themes such as poverty alleviation,
citizenship, peace, ethics, governance, justice, human rights, gender, equality,
corporate responsibility, natural resources management and biological
diversity. It is generally recognised that certain characteristics carry values
for the successful implementation of ESD, reflecting the equal importance
of both the learning process and the outcomes of the education process
(adapted from ‘UN Decade of Sustainable Development’, 2005-2014).

The focus of ESD is on curriculum to be prescribed for elementary, secondary

and higher education. The curriculum is mostly interdisciplinaryin nature allowing
an institutional approach in policy-making. The ESD shares the values and
principles that underpin sustainable development. It, in fact, promotes critical
thinking, problem-solving and action-orientation, all of which develop confidence
facing challenges related to sustainable development. It permits learners to
participate in decision-making related to the design and content of educational
programmes.

10.4 VISION ON EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT
In the beginning of 21st century, the international community realised the value
of education for sustainable development. It now strongly feels that we need to
foster through education the values, behaviour and lifestyles required for a
sustainable future. Education for sustainable development has an important role
to play in our lifestyles and behaviour. Education is seen as a process of learning
as to how to make decisions that affect us. It is concerned with the future of the
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Health, Education and Food economy, environment and social well-being of all communities. Building the
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capacity for such future-oriented thinking is a key task of education.

This is a new vision of education. This vision helps the people of all ages to
realise this aim of education in the context of sustainable development. It helps
students to understand the world in which they study, play and live a little better.
It enables them to address the complex problems of society and environment
such as illiteracy, poverty, wasteful consumption, environmental degradation,
urban decay, population growth, gender inequality, health, and violation of human
rights that threaten our future. This vision of education stresses on a holistic,
integrated and interdisciplinary approach to development of knowledge and skills
needed for a sustainable future as well as changes in values, behaviour, and
lifestyles. This requires us to reorient educational curricula to programmes,
policies and practices in order to empower people (especially youth) to make
decisions and act in culturally appropriate and locally relevant ways to address
and redress the environmental problems that threaten our common future. This
enables people of all ages to develop and evaluate an alternative vision of a
sustainable future and fulfil this vision through working creatively with others.

Thus, basic education is a key to nation’s capacity to develop and achieve

sustainability targets. The basic education can improve agricultural productivity,
enhance the status of women, reduce population growth rates, increase
environmental protection and generally raise the living standards. “The pandemic
has firmly established the need to place sustainability towards the top of the top
of India Inc’s Agenda” (The Economic Times, 2020).

Check Your Progress 2

Note: i) Use the space given below for your answer.
ii) Check your answer with that given at the end of the Unit.
1. In what way does education help in achieving sustainable development?
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10.5 CONCLUSION
Quality education for sustainable development is recognised as an important
goal of the UN General Assembly (Resolution in 2015). “Education is the most
important single factor in achieving rapid economic development and
technological progress and increasing a social order founded on the values of
freedom, social justice and equal opportunity. Programmes of education lie at
the base of the effort to forge the bonds of common citizenship to harness the
energies of the people and to develop the natural and human resources of every
part of the country.” In a word, education is regarded as the key to development
and the fundamental pre-requisite of social and economic justice, which are the
twin pillars of the Welfare State. In a world based on science and technology, it
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is education that determines the level of prosperity, welfare and security of the Role of Education in
Sustainable Development
people.

The primary concern of education for SD is the improvement of the quality of

life of people without damaging the environment. It offers a bold and beautiful
vision of our shared future- a future in which hundreds of millions of people no
longer go to bed hungry every day, where poverty no longer harms one in ten
people, and where quality education and lifelong learning opportunities are
available to all.The heartbreaking reality is that we have failed to follow this
roadmap. In other words, we are unable to implement this vision of a better
world.

The underlying principles of ESD, as outlined by UNESCO, highlight the

importance of respect and care for its diverse forms. This involves the protection
and restoration of the earth’s ecosystem, respect for the human rights, and regard
for cultural diversity. In developed as well as developing countries, the diversity
of programmes offered at present provides a good basis for any action plan on
Education for SD and useful opportunities for inter-sectoral collaboration on
common issues and areas on climate change.

Some sustained efforts need to be made (involving youth, religious organisations,

senior citizen associations) to campaign together for the reduction of emission
of Greenhouse Gases, population control, and better sanitation programmes, etc.
The climate change campaign could serve as a model of good practice for
achieving sustainable development goals. Innovation and new projects, ESD and
related education sectors need to be popularised and encouraged by involving
youth, senior citizens’ associations, religious institutions, civil society groups
etc. In this way the ESD would really contribute to the country’s prosperity and
happiness of the people. It would also ensure the social and economic well-
being of the people.

10.6 GLOSSARY
Ecosystem: A group of living organism that live and interact with each other
within a specific environment.
Environmental Degradation: Deterioration in the environment, caused by
depletion or decay of resources eg., water, air and soil.
Natural Habitats: These are areas characterised by certain environmental
conditions and by plant and animal species typical of such areas.
Climate Change: It means a weather pattern of Planet Earth. Climate changes
are majorly caused by human activities such as fossil fuel burning, which increases
heat trapping Greenhouse Gases. This leads to increase in surface temperature
precipitating global warming.

10.7 REFERENCES
Commonwealth of Australia. (2007). Caring for our future: The Australian
Government Strategy for the UNDESD 2005-2014. Retrieved from http://
aries.mq.edu.au/pdf/caring.pdf

https://unece.org/DAM/env/esd/ESD_Publications/10_years_UNECE_Strategy_ 157
Health, Education and Food for_ESD.pdf
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Nevin, E. (2008).Education and Sustainable Development. Retrieved from https:/
/www.developmenteducationreview.com/issue/issue-6/education-and-
sustainable-development

UNCED. (1992). Agenda 21. Retrieved from https://sustainable development.

un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf

UNECE. (2016). Ten Years of the UNECE Strategy for Education for Sustainable
Development. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.ece-trans-wp15-
2016-21e.

United Nations. (2002). Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/milesstones/wssd

WCED. (1987).Development, Our Common Future. Delhi, India: Oxford

University Press.

World Bank. (1992). World Development Report:Development and the

Environment. New York: Oxford University press.

10.8 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

EXERCISES
Check Your Progress 1

1. Your answer should include the following points:

Education helps in development of personality of individuals.
It influences human capabilities, social environment, economic
development, ethical surroundings and cultural adaptability.
It shapes quality of life.
It makes individuals better social beings.
Right education would help in maintaining ecosystems, biodiversity,
optimum sustainable yield, as well as curbing environmental pollution.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a new concept that
requires adequate attention of policy makers and those involved in
implementation of environmental legislation.
Check Your Progress 2
1. Your answer should include the following points:
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) promotes and encourages
sustainable society.
ESD aims to develop knowledge about environment.
ESD outlines integration of principles and practices for sustainable
development.
ESD focuses on environmental themes and concerns.

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