Abstract:

The Romanian government adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, together with ‎its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), from 2016. National strategies have been ‎developed, arguing for the necessity of integrating the SDGs into the educational system. As of ‎‎2023 there is a standalone optional discipline, taught in the 7th grade. In this context, the study ‎investigates the perceptions of teachers regarding the role of teaching the concepts of the 17 ‎SDGs from the 2030 Agenda, with the purpose of developing competencies in students, that ‎would allow them to think and act consciously and willingly in a sustainable manner. ‎Respondents evaluated the relevance of 17 SDGs within the school curriculum. For this research, ‎a questionnaire was developed, and distributed online, through Google Forms. A total of 190 pre-‎university teachers answered the questionnaire. The results indicate a majority preference for ‎including the 2030 Agenda’s objectives in dedicated classes, with percentages ranging between ‎‎39.5% and 50.5%. Regarding the social, economic, and environmental pillars, most respondents ‎believe that the objectives should be taught in established classes. However, a higher percentage ‎of respondents (5.68%) believe that economic objectives should not be taught in school, possibly ‎due to their complexity for younger students. In general, teachers recognize a significant role of ‎the school and the basic discipline in education for sustainable development, especially in the ‎areas of quality education, health and well-being, decent work, and economic growth, as well as ‎clean water and sanitation.‎

Keywords:

Schools, teaching, 17 SDGs, sustainable development.