ESD and Education for All: synergies and potential conflicts

Abstract

This paper analyses how Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) can assist in increasing access to quality education and discusses how it can contribute to the content and learning methods on the Education for All (EFA) agenda. It explores both the tensions and the common ground between ESD and EFA, and identifies the potential synergies between them. ESD implies a transformation of every aspect of school life at all levels: pre-school, primary and secondary. At the policy level, governments are in a position to establish links between ESD and EFA, recognising that the purpose of education is not just to support present economic development, but also to help individuals and societies to develop their potential without damaging the environment. At the grassroots level, in schools, much can—and must—be done by school leaders, teachers and students to integrate sustainability into all aspects of school life and the curriculum, thereby establishing connections between social, environmental, cultural and economic problems and achievements.