Education for Sustainable Development

September 2020

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Sustainable development has been adopted by the Ministry of Education in its classic sense as an approach to restoring dynamic balances between the environment, the social world, the economy and culture. Based on this definition, which is founded on the interaction between these different areas, education for sustainable development (ESD) is a cross-curricular education, which integrates the challenges of sustainable development into the new primary school curricula and into the subject curricula of secondary schools and general, technological and vocational secondary schools.

ESD explicitly intersects with other cross-curricular education, including education for development and international solidarity, health education, and artistic and cultural education.

Finally, the citizen’s path and the health path are particularly favourable to taking into account the challenges of sustainable development.

The eco-delegates are essential actors of ESD within the school

Understanding the challenges of sustainable development to act as a responsible citizen

Understanding the relationships between environmental, economic, social and cultural issues should help students to better perceive :

• the interdependence of human societies and the Earth system

• the need to make informed and responsible choices and to adopt behaviours that take these balances into account

• the importance of solidarity on a global scale

The School is committed to the dynamics of the Sustainable Development Goals - Agenda 2030

Since the publication of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including « Quality Education for All », by the United Nations in 2015, they have been the subject of national appropriations in the form of « 2030 Agendas ». The SDGs are the subject of a strong and rapid appropriation dynamic by local authorities, the business world and associations. The SDGs give a new dimension to education for sustainable development, and a global meaning to the mission of national education.

• What are the Sustainable Development Goals?

• Who is concerned?

• What is France’s contribution to the SDGs?

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals :

• No poverty

• Zero hunger

• Good health and well-being

• Quality education

• Gender equality

• Clean water and sanitation

• Clean and affordable energy

• Decent work and economic growth

• Industry, innovation and infrastructure

• Reduced inequality

• Sustainable cities and communities

• Responsible consumption and production

• Tackling climate change

• Aquatic life

• Land life

• Peace, justice and effective institutions

• Partnerships to achieve the goals

Structuring Education for Sustainable Development

ESD must be structured around new axes, the horizon of which is constituted by the UN’s sustainable development objectives within the framework of the 2030 Agenda. In this perspective, it is necessary to

1 - consolidate ESD around seven pillars:

• The 2030 Agenda

• Enriching ESD programmes

• Encouraging the commitment of young people and the institution, with particular attention to the leadership of eco-delegates

• Strengthened national and academic steering

• A training offer for supervisors and teachers

• A structured partnership network

• The construction of an international strategy

2 - to broaden and accelerate the deployment of the E3D reference system, in particular to give it a territorial dimension. It also gives a special role and responsibility to eco-delegates.

A progressive implementation

• 1977: a circular gave birth to environmental education in France

• 2004: it becomes education for the environment and sustainable development

• 2007: launch of the second phase of generalisation of « education for sustainable development

• 2011: launch of the third phase of generalisation

• 2013: the law on the refoundation of schools includes this cross-cutting education in the education code

• 2013: launch of the « E3D » label for schools and educational establishments with a global sustainable development approach

• 2015: COP 21 and new phase of generalisation of education for sustainable development

• 2019: creation of eco-delegates

Education is an essential part of the national strategy of ecological transition for sustainable development. ESD is an integral part of the initial training of pupils in all schools and educational establishments.

Education embedded in all subjects, throughout the schooling process

ESD is integrated :

• in existing disciplines: sustainable development issues are introduced into the curricula and teaching through themes such as water or energy

• in the national and academic training offer

• in school and establishment projects

• in the production of educational resources

• at specific times: green classes, educational actions conducted with partners, etc.

Education for sustainable development in the programmes

In the guidance note and proposals it published in December 2019, the Conseil supérieur des programmes insisted on various aspects:

• an approach across all disciplines to teaching content relating to sustainable development, climate change and biodiversity, in order to both train pupils’ scientific minds and develop their sensitive relationship with the world

• the importance of relying on observation, the starting point of the scientific approach

• the need to develop pupils’ rational attitude in their approach to environmental issues

The Council also proposed five green threads - air, water, fire, earth and life - « which lend themselves to a structured construction around thematic poles at the crossroads of scientific, artistic and literary discourse, etc.". They offer various possibilities for developing explicit and progressive teaching, and for highlighting complex interactions ».

These various proposals were taken into account and integrated into the programmes published in July 2020.

A necessary and progressive understanding of the environment and living beings

The aim is to highlight the phenomena that underpin reflection and action on sustainable development.

From cycles 1 and 2, the programmes invite an initial awareness through activities on the different forms of matter and life, and their evolution. This learning is deepened and enriched in cycles 3 and 4, particularly in science, by contextualising mathematical and physical-chemistry concepts. In life and earth sciences, the subject is worked on in a progressive manner to show the need for systemic approaches.

A reflection on the relationship between humans and the environment

This is carried out :

• through the domain « Questioning the world » (cycle 2)

• in French and in the arts, to look at nature through authors and artists from different periods

• in history, by focusing on the temporality of climate change, particularly since the beginning of industrialisation

• in technology, by thinking about life cycles and environmental constraints when designing an object

The consequences of sustainable development issues on life in society

Several disciplines refer to this:

• geography addresses the subject of sustainable development to enable pupils to understand and evaluate the organisation of societies with regard to these issues

• in modern languages (foreign and regional), the theme of the environment in the linguistic and cultural context of the regions of the language taught sheds light on human, societal, economic and environmental issues

• moral and civic education and life and earth sciences raise the question of human responsibility, both individual and collective, as well as that of commitment.

Partnerships

This cross-curricular education involves numerous partnerships with other State services, local authorities, associations, public establishments, research centres and economic players. Several hundred awareness-raising actions exist in different fields:

• the fight against climate change

• fair trade

• biodiversity

• food

• health

• energy

• waste sorting

• etc.

Sources

To go further