Goals and Objectives of Education for Sustainable Development as Modern Curriculum Innovation in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia

Abstract

Education for sustainable development, as an imperative of this day and age, has become an integral part of the curriculum in many education systems. The focus of this paper is education for sustainable development in Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia, with a particular emphasis on the goals and objectives of education for sustainable development. After presenting the specifics of sustainable development at the primary and secondary level of education in these countries, a comparative analysis of learning goals and objectives was conducted between the curriculum of the elective course Education for Sustainable Development in Serbia, interdisciplinary area Education for Sustainable Development in Montenegro and interdisciplinary topic Sustainable Development in Croatia. This comparative analysis established that the goals of education for sustainable development in all three cases are aimed at developing an active and responsible attitude of students towards other people, the environment, taking into account the future perspective, and that the goals and objectives of education for sustainable development in Montenegro and Croatia are more extensive and meaningful compared to the goals and objectives of the elective course Education for Sustainable Development in Serbia. Even though the goals and objectives of the new elective course, interdisciplinary topics and interdisciplinary areas specifically focused on sustainable development represent curriculum innovation in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia, defining them is only a starting point for activities aimed at educating students to live and work in a modern society that is required to become sustainable.