WE can ensure sustainable development even without having to change the curriculum.
There is, however, an urgent need to transform the way educators apply their pedagogical strategies at primary, secondary and higher education levels to create more critical thinkers, problem solvers, and individuals who are more compassionate, and sensitive to cultures around the world, said United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Asia director for education studies, Karen Chand.
“There is no need to change the curriculum. Teachers only need to be equipped with tools, strategies and pedagogical innovations for them to transform the classroom experience and make a difference,” she told StarEdu.
Citing a 2022 SDSN interim report by the Malaysian Mission 4.7 team, Karen said the national curriculum already incorporates elements of sustainable development but these are concentrated in the science subjects.
The report, she said, identified the knowledge gaps and sustainable development status in the Malaysian school system.
There is still a lot of opportunity for interdisciplinary learning that can help provide a more rigorous learning experience for students which is currently not taking place, she said, adding that the report also found that teachers were not adequately trained to deliver education for sustainable development.
“The teachers we interviewed said that they felt that they did not know enough about sustainable development to be able to transfer that knowledge to their students.
“Existing structures are deeply ingrained, and the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are well-defined.
“Such structural rigidity do not allow teachers the flexibility to push the boundaries of the curriculum and their KPI.
“Consequently, those who try often feel isolated in their efforts.
“Addressing these issues is key to understanding how we can improve the wellbeing of humanity and the planet,” she said.
Following the report, Karen said the Malaysian Mission 4.7 team is working with the Education Ministry and like-minded organisations to develop a comprehensive teacher training programme which will be piloted in selected schools next year.
“After the pilot stage, we will prepare a comprehensive implementation plan to be presented to the ministry for potential scaling to 11,000 primary and secondary schools nationwide,” she said, adding that Mission 4.7 was founded by Global Schools and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Academy, in partnership with the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens, Unesco, and the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University.
Mission 4.7 brings together leaders from government, academia, civil society, and industry to accelerate the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) around the world and to highlight the critical importance of education in achieving the SDGs.
The mission also underscores Target 4.7, which calls on all governments to ensure all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, through ESD.
“We need to improve the way we foster awareness of SDGs among students based on their location.
“Students in affluent suburbs and certain areas of the Klang Valley, for instance, might be more aware compared to their peers in rural areas.
“SDGs are well-known at the government level but the reality in schools is different.
“Surprisingly, some teachers are unfamiliar with the SDGs and the 17 colorful squares that are associated with them.
“So, instead of focusing on a centralised approach which makes the knowledge inaccessible, we have to go to schools to raise awareness,” she said.
To effectively incorporate sustainability in education, Karen urged learning institutions to allow students to apply their disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge and skills to real-world problems.
Students learn best when the lesson relates to their lived realities. If they can identify with the problem, especially if it pertains to their home or community, they will be more willing to take greater ownership of the solution.“The pedagogical strategies we are currently teaching to encourage ESD is still very textbook-based when it should be more experiential,” Karen, who was at Sunway University for the Asia-Pacific Solutions Forum (APSF) on Nov 2, said.
Jointly organised by the UN-SDSN in Sunway University, Sunway Group and the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, the forum saw six speakers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia share solutions to addressing SDG-related challenges and key enablers in their respective countries and ways these can be replicated by neighbouring nations.
Also present at the forum were Deputy Finance Minister Steven Sim; Sunway Group founder and chairman, and SDSN leadership council member Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah; Sunway University research professor and SDSN vice-president of Asia Prof Woo Wing Thye; and Sunway Education Group chief executive Prof Datuk Dr Elizabeth Lee.
In his speech, Cheah said the forum was a regional version of the Global Solutions Forum, launched four years ago by SDSN. The APSF, he said, featured innovative and impactful solutions to many challenging issues facing the sustainable development agenda.He said war and violence, growing socio-economic inequality, deepening polarisation and climate change threaten the very survival of humanity.
“I am deeply disturbed at the levels of stupidity, arrogance and greed that make the problems even worse.
“A bit more smart thinking, humility and compassion can go a long way in helping to resolve many of these issues.
“Even in these deeply troubled times, I strongly believe that humanity can and will rise to the challenges that confront us,” he said, adding that the Sunway Group, through the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, has pledged US$20mil (RM93.72mil) to the UN as part of its commitment to nation-building and advancing the SDGs.
