Interim
Report by ECO Forum to the ESD Task Force
Geneva, February 2004
1 Introduction and Objectives
The education for sustainable development (ESD)
Strategy currently being drafted on the initiative of the Environmental Ministers of the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) region and coordinated by the UNECE,
is a pioneer example of a region-wide strategic approach to ESD. It will be agreed and
undertaken by fifty-five different member states including some of the world’s most
successful economies, economies in transition and those facing significant economic,
environmental and social problems. To be effective and workable, the Strategy needs to
strike a balance between avoiding prescription on the one hand and supplying a level of
detail necessary to translate policy into practice on the other.
This study seeks to assist the UNECE ESD Task Force in
achieving that balance by gaining a clearer understanding of the principal concerns in
implementing ESD policies in the UNECE Region and by suggesting ways of complementing the
development and implementation of the ESD Strategy.
The study is being conducted by a consortium of NGOs
(ECO Accord, Russia; Living Earth Foundation, UK; Borrowed Nature, Bulgaria) under the
banner of the European ECO Forum. The consortium expresses its sincere gratitude to the UK
Government’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which has provided
financial support for this study.
The current study is envisaged as Phase One of a wider
survey. The objectives of this first phase are to:
gain insights into the challenges for ESD policy and
practice in Russia, Bulgaria and UK in light of the Ministerial Statement on ESD endorsed
at Kiev 2003;
clarify perceptions of ESD and the Strategy process
among Task Force members and others;
obtain Task Force members’ guidance on the focus of
the Phase Two survey;
identify partners who are willing to support Phase Two,
both financially and in-kind
An initial summary of results, principally for the
first objective, is provided in this Interim Report. This gives a flavour of the initial
analysis and focuses on areas of particular relevance to the ESD Strategy Drafting Group.
The Final Report will include comparative information on the three countries, ESD
strengths and weaknesses and practical examples of plans and implementation at the
national and local level.
2 Scope of Survey and Methods Used
The survey identifies policy, practice and principal
concerns among key actors working in the field of ESD in three countries: Russia, Bulgaria
and UK. These countries represent important UNECE sub-regions: Western, Central and
Eastern Europe (CEE), Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA), plus EU, non-EU
and EU accession countries.
The countries also offer a comparison of educational
systems: federal and regional components in Russia; highly prescriptive centralisation in
Bulgaria; centralised but reducing curriculum prescription in the United Kingdom where
there are also increasing distinctions between the devolved national systems. Provision
for informal and non-formal education also varies with the UK having a long tradition of
non-governmental involvement although the NGO sector is now vibrant in all three
countries.
This is a qualitative survey; methods include:
face-to-face interviews with those directly concerned with ESD policy-making; a review of
policy and ESD-related literature; inputs from the researchers’ wide networks of
practitioners. Data gathered in the form of interview transcripts have been analysed and a
number of ‘themes’ or priority areas have been identified.
Interviews have been held with a range of government
officials (covering education, the environment, trade/ economy) and a number of academic
and NGO respondents. Transcripts of these interviews are available on request. Interviews
will also be conducted with Task Force members at Geneva in February.
3 Emerging Themes
3.1 Defining ESD
Attitudes to this issue cover the full range of
possibilities from "there is a clear definition; ESD is…" (Department for Education and Skills, UK) to "a definition would be impossible" (Global
Action Plan, UK).
One principal difficulty is that sustainable
development (SD) itself is not always clearly defined (and not legally defined in Russia).
While most respondents call for clarity, in general there is a pragmatic acceptance that a
broad description covering key concepts is needed rather than a tight definition.
The definition of SD is not precise itself. It is also a concept…Concepts are
better. Models are much better. Therefore we do not and cannot give a clear
definition of ESD, but can create a model and agree on an understanding. So we need a
model of ESD.
International University in Moscow
It is necessary to agree on general issues that are
being meant under ESD, especially given the fact that the Strategy should be a framework
document.
Association for Environmental Education (ASEKO),
Russia
There are arguments for and against (a definition).
ESD is very poorly understood so it probably wouldn’t help on balance. Meaning is only
really established through operating with it, and so in fact a statement of goals may
help.
Geographical Association, UK
On the issue of definitions, there is a need to identify and clarify
terms as some confusion may arise given the international nature of this document;
examples cited included: non-formal/additional education; curriculum/syllabus.
3.2 The Place for ESD in Formal Education
While accepting that ESD has been promoted by those
working in environmental education (EE), very few respondents think that EE should be the
main carrier subject. In fact it is seen as a mistake to consider ESD simply as "a
reorientation of EE" as stated in the Draft ESD Strategy. There is a need to widen
perspectives away from the traditional ‘green’ issues and shift the balance towards
the economic and social spheres.
In discussing this issue, some respondents point to a clearer
justification for the ESD Strategy with some seeing ESD as a re-orientation of education per se.
ESD is about SD, so it is not EE. It is about changing a paradigm of the development
of civilisation.
International University in Moscow
I think that the Draft Strategy can be broadened by
adding more information about the social and economic components. This is of special
importance because ESD is actually about competencies, values, attitudes and beliefs.
Ministry of Education, Bulgaria
Social issues are seen as critical by several Bulgarian and Russian
interviewees with specific reference being made to ‘conflict resolution’ in Russia and
‘democratic citizenship’ in Bulgaria. Another recurring theme is the need to make
education ‘relevant’, this was particularly clear in the UK (see 3.3):
The challenge is trying to make it 'real' to teachers as well as within the national
curriculum. We want to make SD relevant, to get away from the rainforest. Everybody who
wants to do SD seems to talk about the rainforest.
Department for Education and Skills (DfES), UK
…you can’t expect people to value things they have
no experience of. The informed citizen has: One, an intellectual understanding and two, an
emotional commitment, "I care". Without those two you don’t have the finished
product.
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK
Virtually all respondents feel that it is important to stress
economics in ESD:
ESD is an integral part of basic economic decision making.
Ministry of Economic Development, Russia
To my opinion, the ESD is exactly that place where it is
important to realise the economic aspect as a necessity for each individual – this way
the motivating link between the economic and social domains would be created.
Open Education Centre, Bulgaria
I’m happy with economics taking the lead as it must
intersect with the environmental and social.
Geographical Association, UK
A recognition of the importance of economics in ESD
raises the prospect of a more serious engagement in ESD by those national governments who
have hitherto seen ESD as a ‘green issue’. This may in turn have implications for
resources (3.7). It is interesting to compare the impressive financial commitment to an
enterprise education programme (highlighted by the UK’s Department for Trade and
Industry) with the UK’s ESD Action Plan, which the Government expects to be implemented
with no additional resources.
Discussions on incorporating SD in the UK’s enterprise education
raised a perceived conflict of interests between calls for sustainability and the demand
for economic growth in a competitive global market:
Sustainable development may offer big opportunities for the UK to deliver the
knowledge-driven economy. The UK can’t compete on price so we need to compete on our
knowledge base, on higher, added value.
Interviewer: But of course the Strategy is for our real or
potential competitors as well…
Yes, there’s a dichotomy; our job is to make us more
competitive so the usefulness of this document (the Draft ESD Strategy) depends on
our having SD people who can add value to our economy.
This contradiction between SD and current development patterns
lies at the heart of ESD. It may not be for educators to resolve such issues but it is the
role of education to provide opportunities for people to explore these contradictions and
consider their own responses e.g. in their patterns of consumption.
This in turn raises the issue of the capacity of our education system
to engage with such issues (see 3.6):
…when you move into the economic and social you’re into hard politics. And
schools are chronically ill-equipped to deal with it.
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK
3.3 Formal/Non-formal Links
The call for relevance among respondents highlights the
need for engagement with society beyond schools. Private sector involvement is widely seen
as a necessary thing but also as something that is not easily achieved. Bulgarian and
British respondents mention placements at workplaces for pupils as a necessary part of the
curriculum. However, such programmes are not currently orientated towards SD:
The links are stronger at primary level because parents are more involved in their
children’s education... At the secondary level, the links are weaker – there’s a lot
of material… but learning is not linked to social change.
Global Action Plan, UK
The private sector has much to offer formal education both
as provider of context and generator of funding for specific programmes. A number or
respondents suggested tax instruments to facilitate this (see 3.7).
3.4 Implementation Structures
All respondents recommend the involvement of a broad
range of stakeholders in the implementation of the ESD Strategy at the national level. The
widely recommended model draws on a pool of organisations from private sector, NGOs and
government agencies. All respondents stress the need to take the next steps at the
national level under a co-ordinated mechanism, usually with the education ministry in a
co-ordinating role. The need for high level government co-ordination is specifically
stressed in Russia:
It depends on the way in which the group is established. For example the Chair of
the Interagency Working Group on accession of Russia to the WTO is a vice Prime Minister.
If he signs the decisions they immediately become (by status) a Governmental Order. If the
ESD WG will have such status (deputy Prime Minister to chair the interagency group) then
its decisions will be important… Even with involvement of several Ministries… its’
decisions will be valid only for participating Ministries. To involve another Ministry we
will need to ask Government to invite it.
Ministry of Education, Russia
This need for clearer high-level support for implementation was echoed
in the UK:
In spite of the rhetoric, teachers aren’t sure enough, it doesn’t have status
and status is everything.
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK
3.5 The Implementation Process
There is a split between those who want national action
plans and those who want strategies. In most cases this is an opportunity to combine the
top-down 'strategy' process with a bottom-up process of identifying existing practice and
street-level solutions, disseminating these through new and existing networks and building
up the policy in this way.
The next step in Russia may be national (federal) and
then regional strategies. Another suggestion is to pilot the ESD strategy in three regions
of Russia and adjust national policy based on this experience.
Some respondents stress the need to have UNECE
sub-regional specificity provisions in the Strategy: there are some specific needs for
sub-regions and they may be formulated in the main text, while the general priorities and
goals are common.
…problems of regionalisation of the Strategy should be addressed, or at least
described. For UNECE Strategy there will be at least three or four groups of countries
with common problems and tasks in ESD and these groups should be identified. These groups
are EECCA, Northern countries, Southern Europe, Western Europe, even under the general
umbrella of the Strategy these groups have national and regional specific issues.
Moscow State University, Russia
3.6 Capacity Building
There is a particular concern about the amount of effort required if
governments are serious about re-orientating education towards SD in the way that the
Strategy suggests. For example in the UK:
…it needs to be understood that ESD is very challenging teaching. Teachers
therefore need to be engaged right at the start. Most models of teaching here, and I
suspect more so in Eastern Europe, are models of delivery. Schools are dominated by an
‘answer culture’ – even when enquiry models are used, answers are supplied. There
needs to be more of a culture of argument, where there are not clear-cut answers
Geographical Association, UK
Similar concerns are raised in Bulgaria…
…there is a very long way to go. Firstly, the philosophy of entire education in
Bulgaria, i.e. the mentality of the people who are engaged in education should be changed;
this is a very hard process.
TIME Foundation, Bulgaria
…and in Russia
I come again to a conclusion that SD should be a course for future teachers in their
first years of education. Plus we need a new culture for interactive methods use. This
(interactive) way of thinking almost does not exist among Russian teachers.
ASEKO, Russia
It is suggested that this issue is in danger of being overlooked
because the process of ESD is not well understood at the policy level:
The gap between government-level rhetoric and school level is profound. The big
problem here is that all UN documents on this theme are built on a false premise… that
ESD is about the transfer of knowledge – this is a minor partner in ESD – we’ll only
find sustainability if it’s in hearts. The UN over-simplifies the process and
underestimates the difficulty in really teaching this in a way that people see it as
relevant to them and really care about it. The gap is in understanding what a teacher has
to do.
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK
More specifically in Russia, the low level of teachers’
salaries is seen a cause of diminished capacity. It also has an impact on gender balance,
leading to a predominance of woman teachers, which is seen as a problem.
If you look at graduates of Moscow pedagogical schools – only about 10% start
working at schools, after 2 years this decreases to 2% and lower. Of course this depends
on salary: salaries for teachers are too low to attract young and educated people.
ASEKO, Russia
We also need to ensure 50-50% gender balance for
teachers, attract men to our schools. Satisfactory level of salaries for teachers is one
of the keys to achieve that.
International University in Moscow
A specific issue in the UK is the way in which centralised curriculum
planning has ‘de-skilled’ senior members of the teaching profession. This will have an
impact of the capacity of schools to develop locally relevant programmes and materials:
…curriculum development expertise is very fragile. The planning of the curriculum,
the materials and strategies to engage new learning… it used to be done by
teachers, exam boards – chief examiners developed syllabuses… much of this expertise
is now gone.
Geographical Association, UK
3.7 Resources
Many respondents remind us that a serious
commitment to ESD will have resource implications. There is an apparent contradiction
between government support for ESD, including a demand for impacts, and the failure to
identify how these demands, with their concomitant capacity-building needs, will be
financed.
At present, limited available resources at national
level are usually provided by ministries of environment. As section 3.2 demonstrates, ESD
is not limited to EE; it is therefore inappropriate to limit ESD funding to environmental
budgets. There is a serious need to engage educational, economic and social sectors in
financing and supporting ESD. UK NGOs have particular concerns at present:
In some countries, funding for education, particularly non-formal, comes from
environment ministries. If DfES (education ministry) is leading on ESD and the
Council for Environmental Education gets 70% of its funding from Defra (environment
ministry), what’s likely to happen? Can that be addressed somehow?
Council for Environmental Education, UK
…there is a danger of DfES taking the lead because there is no sign of money to
replace the funding that Defra provides to NGOs through the Environmental Action Fund.
Global Action Plan, UK
Donor assistance for ESD is especially important
in South-eastern Europe and EECCA countries. Different forms of grants and loans are
mentioned with co-financing by recipient countries being crucial to achieving success in
national level ESD projects. Only if national governments commit themselves to allocate
funds to ESD projects and programmes, will the level of state responsibility be enough to
ensure success.
As for donor support – if this (ESD) is 100% supported by donors, then it will
exist in a parallel world. Unfortunately this is the usual practice… ...In the case of
there being joint projects, the input from both foreign and Russian partners should be
clearly identifiable, this will be more effective. Our experience shows that if there is a
budget input from our side, projects are more effective. …On the other hand, when people
contribute resources, they become more responsible for outcomes.
Ministry of Education, Russia
Small-scale projects can be supported by grants and there is a
clear need to establish a mechanism, financed at national level, to support the
additional/non-formal ESD activities undertaken by NGOs.
We need resources first of all for publishing new materials (long list given).
We also need resources to support innovative programs, teachers, NGOs, those who work in
the area of EE and ESD and have interesting projects. Another priority is training,
support of participation and organisation of different events, conferences and
consultations at national level, work with youth and children…etc.
Ministry of Natural Resources, Russia
Additional support and resources for ESD Strategy implementation
at national and local level can be found by involving the private sector in the process.
Special mention is given to fiscal mechanisms (tax breaks) to encourage businesses to
support ESD activities, particularly among Russian government officials and NGOs. A
special chapter in the ESD Strategy on financial provisions is recommended.
…it is a very important task (private sector involvement), but business is
afraid in Russia to support ESD and other education activities because of the taxation
system.
Ministry of Natural Resources, Russia
We tried many times to come with legislative initiatives for tax reductions and
special benefits for those (businesses) supporting education, but failed… These
tax benefits are very important to attract private sector resources for ESD and education
in general
Ministry of Education, Russia
4 The Next Phase
This study is by no means complete. More information
will be gathered on the perceptions and visions of ESD Task Force members and others
including respondents from the private sector. All our findings will be synthesised in the
Final Report that will be disseminated early in April 2004 in English and Russian.
A key output of this study will be a clear articulation
of the way forward in terms of complementing the work of the ESD Task Force and the
Strategy itself. Already many respondents have called for examples of good practice both
at the policy and implementation level. Some suggest a publication to complement the UNECE
ESD Strategy - this would overcome the need to keep the strategy short and not too
prescriptive while providing much needed detail on 'how' the ideas might be implemented or
what they might look like.
This would be a companion to the strategy - not
'guidelines'. Concerns are expressed about producing non-binding guidelines that require
resources but do not contribute a great deal to the implementation process.
Don’t over develop the guidelines. Other things, such as programmes of initiatives
could be created besides this strategy – and ideas on how to support this. It requires
enthusiasm from somewhere to give it life... Countries, individuals, groups, money will
deliver this.
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs,
UK
A broader survey may reflect the different
sections of the UNECE Strategy. Given the differences between countries, detailed studies
may be proposed for sub-regions in order to assist ESD Strategy implementation in say, the
EU, accession countries, EECCA and South-eastern Europe. The results would facilitate the
incorporation of the ESD Strategy into national programmes and assist in the effective
mobilisation of national resources and targeted donor assistance.
A ‘good practice’ publication and a needs
assessment study may be combined. This could draw on contributions from governments,
international organisations, NGOs and educators. Given the high degree of
cross-referencing demanded by these potential uses, the outputs could be presented on a
searchable database accessible on the Internet. This website would be multi-dimensional
and could be updated regularly. Hosting arrangements for such a website would need to be
discussed and agreed at the outset. It is suggested that these activities can be
co-ordinated by ECO-Forum with its region-wide coverage.
In conclusion: we have been encouraged by
the openness and enthusiasm of our government officials and others. We see this as a
positive indicator of a move towards sustainable development.
|
