Interesting Side Event on Education for Sustainable Development
Attended a really interesting side-event after one of the Waste thematic sessions on Education on Sustainable Development.
The side-event really opened my eyes to Sustainable Development Education programmes. While most of us would think of such educational programmes as being a clear cut subject style programme, this side-event explored the various other ways in which sustainable development education programmes can be pursued, such as through informal non-compulsory events, as modules, or simply as a small part of a subject, and explored the pros and cons of each.
Education for sustainable developement has also been one of the main points the major group of children and youth has been advocating for, especially in the theme of sustainable consumption and production. We call for “Formal, informal, and especially non-formal education to be a prerequisite for progress towards sustainable development. Such education must be available to citizens, civil society, and government administrations alike.” It is imperative that sustaiabel developemnt be integrated into the education scene in Singapore and around the world.
Considering the large education culture specifically in Singapore, I found this to be extremely relevant to our concerns. At the moment, the only “sustainable development” education we have is a small component of secondary and JC geography. Considering the worldwide importance of such a topic, this is by no means sufficient. However, it would be hard to implement a full fledged subject on Sustainable Development, given the already tight schedules many students have. A compromise however, was offered in the workshop. Rather than straightout doing either programme and sticking to it, a “progressive approach” can be taken, with a limited programme eventually paving the way for greater ones.
- Jonathan
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