A proposed plan of action

A closer examination of the implications of education for sustainable development (ESD) on the educational system reveals that what is needed is not just a rethink of the knowledge component of curricula in the formal education sector but a radical restructure of the educational system.

ESD implies a learner-centred pedagogy that promotes inter-disciplinarity, ensures relevance of knowledge to the learner's experiences, encourages active learner participation, helps the development of critical thinking and participatory skills and caters for life-long education.

Consequently, initiatives promoting ESD within the formal education sector should not be viewed as intrusions into other subjects but as opportunities for the country to improve its educational system.

What follows is a proposal for strategic action to mainstream ESD in all levels of education in Malta, through a list of suggestions, which can be considered as elements of an action plan in this regard.

Schools and other institutions of primary and secondary education in Malta should:

¤ Develop appropriate curricula that promote sustainable development, based on an interdisciplinary approach, in line with a national ESD strategy.

¤ Ensure that syllabi refer to and deal with issues related to sustainable development that are relevant to the experiences of the learners.

¤ Promote a holistic education that combines technical knowledge with moral, social and personal development.

¤ Encourage children to actively take part in decision-making processes in their school and to be responsible for the improvement of their school environment.

¤ Encourage children to take an active role in activities which foster sustainable development in their school and community.

¤ Involve the school in Local Agenda 21 initiatives and in partnerships of a national, regional and international nature.

¤ Appoint a coordinator responsible for the implementation of ESD in the school.

¤ Involve the whole school community (including parents and children) in drawing up school policies and action plans for the sustainable development of the school itself.

¤ Encourage planning and responsible management of the school and its grounds, promoting prudent energy consumption and water usage, sustainable waste management schemes, including recycling, and safe transport of school children.

The University of Malta and the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology should, inter alia:

¤ Promote interdisciplinarity with a view to fostering a holistic approach to education.

¤ Infuse sustainable development values in all aspects of higher education.

¤ Take a leading role in promoting an ethically-oriented form of education.

¤ Encourage staff and students to participate in networking and partnerships across universities at the national, regional and international levels.

¤ Encourage planning and responsible management of the university and its grounds, promoting prudent energy consumption and water usage, sustainable waste management schemes, including recycling and, in general, lifestyles compatible with sustainable development.

¤ Train employees to upgrade their participatory skills, to avoid waste, to promote efficiency and safety and in general to adopt work practices and processes compatible with sustainable development.

¤ Develop and consolidate opportunities for interaction with the community.

Maltese NGOs, CBOs, business concerns and the media should, inter alia:

¤ Foster public awareness about the advantages of sustainable development and organise educational activities towards this end.

¤ Encourage local communities to develop ESD programmes aimed at empowering citizens to take an active role in environmental decision-making fora.

¤ Promote the concept of value-based action.

¤ Organise training for leaders and their members on sustainable work practices and processes, encouraging planning and responsible management of the institution, prudent energy consumption and water usage, and sustainable waste management schemes, including recycling, and participatory skills.

¤ Promote participatory schemes in the respective organisations and within society in general.

The government should, inter alia:

¤ Develop and implement a national strategy for ESD.

¤ Facilitate the development of a curriculum that promotes sustainable development through nationwide consultation to support its infusion in the educational system, as distinct from simply imparting environmental information.

¤ Support and encourage initiatives aimed at reorienting existing educational structures and practices to address sustainable development at all levels.

¤ Support initiatives by NGOs and CBOs to organise environmental education programmes, especially for adults, in order to promote lifelong learning, sustainable lifestyles and active participation in decision-making.

¤ Promote networking among, and training for, environmental educators and facilitators.

¤ Support training schemes on sustainable work practices and processes.

¤ Strengthen the capacity of schools and universities to promote ESD.

¤ Support and promote traditional knowledge and traditions that are conducive to sustainable development.

This article has shown that ESD in Malta, though given some importance, is not coherently organised and does not effectively offer the adequate opportunities for individuals to develop the necessary skills and overall capacity to deal with sustainable development issues.

Nevertheless, Malta is gradually building up an infrastructure aimed at supporting future ESD initiatives with the ultimate goal of assisting Malta in its challenge to adopt sustainable development principles.

The article has stressed the need for Malta to make ESD a national priority and for the government and other stakeholders to develop a National Strategy for ESD, adopting a clear policy about such an education in the National Minimum Curriculum.

There is an urgent need in Malta to provide more formal and informal ESD education programmes, especially for children and adults, promoting the adoption of sustainable lifestyles and values, and active participation in decision-making relating to sustainable development.

Concluded (the first part of this article was published yesterday).