UN Decade of ESD in Scotland

What’s next for Further and Higher

Education?

Betsy King, LfS ScotlandRehema White, University of St Andrews

UN Decade of ESD in Scotland and beyond

? Scotland’s FE and HE UNDESD goals 2005-14How did we do?Scotland’s end of UN Decade conference Global perspectives on the Decade Celebrations and planning in Japan What next globally and for Scotland?

Scotland’s UNDESD goals for Further and Higher Education

For the UN Decade, we envisage a Scotland where:•Our universities and colleges play a key role in developing knowledge and understanding of sustainable development•Estates developments embody the principles of sustainable development and encourage learners and staff to act sustainably•Education for sustainable development is integrated into curricula•The whole experience offered to learners contributes to the development of their sustainability literacy and citizenship skills, attitudes and behaviours•Universities and colleges have access to the highest quality materials, advice and support to enable them to embed education for sustainable development into their courses and the wider student experience•The value of sustainability skills is understood and articulated by institutions, learners and employers.

Did we meet our goals?% respondents in Delphi process

What Scotland’s end of UNDESD conference said

Workshop on FE/HE focused on past achievements but highlighted some ways forward including:•Build on success of estates and accredited curriculum and community – holistic approach•Student demand will increase provision of LfS•Explore impact of LfS; does it enhance learning overall?•Maintain global perspective

What next? Mind the GAP

• End of UNDESD (November 2014)• Celebrations and planning in Japan• A ‘Global Action Programme’ – adopted by the

UN• Linked to the new UN Sustainable

Development Goals?• Five years or longer• Scotland’s role in the GAP

UNDESD Final Report Nov.2014 Shaping the Future We Want http://bit.ly/1AfjAJt

Successes and trends:•No. of countries including SD in education plans increases steadily•ESD has encouraged multi-stakeholder approaches•ESD has entered discourse on Quality Education •Increase in no. of universities seeking to transfer influence beyond the university, particularly within local communitiesChallenges:•closer alignment and coherence across education and SD sectors•political support for institutionalised ESD to ensure implementation at systemic whole institution level•better knowledge – more research, innovation, monitoring and evaluation for effectiveness of ESD.

UNDESD Report: Key Findings Shaping the Future We Want http://bit.ly/1AfjAJt

•Need broader understanding of ESD•Convergence between SD and education agendas•Strong political leadership instrumental in advancing ESD•Multi-stakeholder partnerships and networks within and beyond national boundaries have been particularly effective•Whole institution change is important•Educators are the major priority•Importance of early years and tertiary education•Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes are becoming more significant

UNDESD 2005-14 ReportHigher Education

‘global transformation of HE towards SD has yet to occur’ (p31)Need:•Whole institution approaches to curriculum change•Capacity building for leaders

UNDESD 2005-14 ReportTVET

• Internationally the skills needs of the Green Economy are recognised

• Nationally and locally implementation is slow• Government, business and industry and

educators need to work together• Capacity building for leaders and educators needed

UNESCO World Conference on ESD Nov. 2014 Japan

1100 people, 74 Ministers

Four main themes• Celebrating a decade of action• Reorienting education to build a better future for all • Accelerating action for SD• Setting the agenda for 2014 and beyond

“This conference marking the end of the DESD is the culmination of a journey and the start of a new one”

(Irnia Bokova, Director General of UNESCO)

Aichi-Nagoya Declaration - key messages for ESD http://bit.ly/1CF0rWe

Reorienting Education to build a better future for all •In sum: upscale the outcomes of the DESD to drive a paradigm shift across the education and training system•Involves changes in purpose, policy, ethics, values, knowledge production approaches, teaching methods etc.Accelerating action for Sustainable Development•In sum: changes must begin now, with a renewed sense of urgency•link education and action in all spheres to create socially just green economies and societies

Global Action Programme on ESD

Global Objectives•to reorient education and learning so that everyone has the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that empower them to contribute to sustainable development – and make a difference; •to strengthen education and learning in all agendas, programmes and activities that promote sustainable development.

UNESCO Roadmap for implementing the GAP

http://bit.ly/1sUGrE8

Priority Action Areas•Advancing policy•Transforming learning and training environments•Building capacities of educators and trainers•Empowering and mobilising youth•Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level

Global Strategies

• Building new momentum• Partner networks for the 5 areas• A Global Forum• UNESCO prize for ESD?• Urging national ESD co-ordination and action plans with targets• GAP Secretariat at UNESCO

What next for FE and HE in Scotland?

• FE – established curriculum, leading on from CfE and eco-schools; regulate and embed through certification requirements?

• HE – research and teaching; no set curriculum and fierce defence of academic freedom; pursue via graduate attributes, critical thinking and innovative pedagogies? (beware employability rhetoric…..)

In Groups

• What are the opportunities to strengthen ESD in FE and HE now?

• What are the barriers?• What resources do we need to enable us as

individuals, institutions and a sector to develop?