Is the Implementation of Sustainable Development at the Heart of the National Education Policy 2020 Vision?

Abstract

Young people are the future of society and agents of social change. Therefore, it is essential to give them an education that equips them with information and skills and alters their attitudes and behavior toward sustainable development. In the future years, the national education policy envisions an ideal societal transformation through sustainable living and development. This study aims to investigate answers to the question: Is the implementation of sustainable development at the heart of the National Education Policy 2020 vision? This research is a content analysis of the new national education policy for the year 2020. It focuses on sustainable development and its derivatives to promote a way of life that does not negatively impact the planet's environment, economy, or society. The content analysis discovered ten direct and indirect references to discuss the idea of sustainable development and its derivatives. In addition, the National Education Policy of 2020 includes precise indicators for its three pillars: environmental sustainability with seven references, economic development with 21 mentions, and social change with 15 citations. Based on this evidence data, the researcher concluded that the newly proposed education policy possesses an ideal vision of implementing sustainable development in education.