Map and Track the Performance in Education for Sustainable Development across the European Union

Abstract

The 17 sustainable development goals (SDG) established by 2030 Agenda cannot be achieved unless the learners are educated about sustainable development. Education for sustainable development (ESD) is a key component in preparing individuals to cope with sustainable challenges and paves the way towards a more sustainable aware society and life satisfaction. However, ESD is very complex as it depends on numerous factors and needs significant development all over the word. The paper aims to design an original and easy-to-apply framework which maps and tracks the actual performance in quality education across the European Union member states (EU27), focusing on SDG4—quality education from Agenda 30. The framework integrates three interventions—formal, non-formal, and essential education—and delivers a useful tool, a composite index, which maps and tracks the performance of the EU27 in the transition to ESD in a practical manner. The research categorizes four clusters of countries and tracks the Nordic countries of the EU27 among the high performers tier, allowing the identification of the best practices which can be spurred at European level. The findings of this paper may be used by educators, researchers, national and European authorities, and other stakeholders to monitor and accelerate progress in ESD, especially for low performers.

Environmental culture in education for sustainability

“…Otro de los resultados encontrados es el abordaje de la cultura ambiental desde la dimensión Institucional; en esta dimensión autores como: Weber et al (2021), Momete & Momete (2021), Díaz & Ledesma (2021) y Celi (2021) plasman en sus estudios la importancia del desarrollo de una cultura ambiental desde las instituciones, donde se deben implementar acciones que garanticen el enfoque de educación ambiental de manera sostenible, por lo que todos los sectores, laborales, instituciones gubernamentales, educativas contribuyan a nivel local, regional y nacional a la sostenibilidad, a través del conocimiento y las habilidades pertinentes en la toma de sus decisiones y la realización de un trabajo sostenible, apuntando hacia una sociedad con equilibrio y sostenibilidad ecológica. Poniendo en consideración la teoría Social Cognitiva de Bandura, la cual explica la conducta del hombre y la relación con su contexto es fundamental que en cada institución se considere cada área de la organización como: población, medio ambiente, organización social y tecnología de tal manera que se fortalezca la conciencia ambiental y permita ir más allá de lo que siempre se hace en las escuelas, sino más bien darle sostenibilidad a cada acción positiva y se convierta en un tema prioritario de la educación y convivencia de los ciudadanos.…”

Analysis of UNESCO ESD Priority Areas’ Implementation in Romanian HEIs

“…As a result, a framework with relevant measures should be taken into consideration for tracking the EU27’s progress towards efficient ESD. The elements that together constitute a priority chosen for each line of intervention are intended to capture both quantity and quality, and by including both, our notion differs from existing conceptual frameworks [ 28 ].…”

“…We strongly believe that higher education institutions (HEIs) play a major role in this implementation even if they are different regarding the capacity for the implementation of ESD. Even countries are different when it comes to their performance in ESD [ 28 ].…”

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Romanian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) within the SDGs Framework

“…Another research [ 27 ] “maps and tracks the actual performance in quality education across the European Union member states (EU27), focusing on SDG4—quality education from Agenda 30” [ 27 ] (p. 1). According to this study, Romania stands as a low performer.…”