Abstract:

The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development focuses on education for sustainable development (ESD), as specified in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4. Education is regarded as the main driver of societal development considering environmental limits because learners gain knowledge, develop skills and improve competencies through education on sustainable development. Insights into SDG 4 achievements at the global level are provided through 12 indicators (UN, 2017), but only 12 universally valid indicators cannot comprehensively depict such a complex issue. Therefore, other indicators are being introduced at sub-global (national, regional, urban and school) levels to better understand the current state and progress of education for sustainable development.

One of the sustainability assessment tools used in the Czech Republic on a municipal level is the “Methodology of the sustainable cities assessment: A sustainability audit for LA21 applicants in the Czech Republic”. This methodology is based on the Urban Sustainability Audit, which defines 10 sustainability themes and sub-themes together with related guiding questions and indicators for self-assessment. Education is one of the themes divided in 4 sub-themes covering ESD in schools, in non-formal education, in the “learning cities/ communities” (lifelong learning for and from the municipality) and related leisure time learning activities. Based on 17, mostly qualitative, indicators, the Audit provides comprehensive information on ESD at a municipal level, specifically for the municipalities that perceive sustainable development as a fundamental principle of their development. Currently, 29 completed Audits are available for consultation, information sharing and benchmarking, among other purposes.

In our study, we analysed data from the Audits on ESD implementation in primary and lower secondary education using a content analysis approach. In our analysis, we identified what activities were undertaken in schools and how municipalities supported them, in addition to the teaching materials used in those schools and whether the municipality actively provided them. In this analysis, we also assessed whether schools were actively engaged with networks of key opinion leaders and stakeholders in sustainable development, collecting data on whether schools evaluated ESD and whether municipalities analysed these data. For these purposes, we used descriptive statistics and qualitative description, also summarising our findings from the sample of Audits.

References:
[1] United Nations, 2017. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 6 July 2017, A/RES/71/313 https://undocs.org/A/RES/71/313.

Keywords:

Education for sustainable development, sustainability, audits.