Seeking to Enhance Education for Sustainable Development
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- (© flickr user mkuehler)
"The Federal Government has placed clear priority in this legislative period on the anchoring of Education for Sustainable Development in the education system," German Education Minister Annette Schavan said recently in Berlin.
Her remarks were made at a presentation on July 22 of the third report on Education for Sustainable Development by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the contents of which will be adopted by the Cabinet.
Education for Sustainable Development seeks to make available to all people educational opportunities, enabling them to acquire knowledge, values and behavior patterns which are necessary for a sustainable society. Important aspects include the responsible management of the environment, biodiversity, climate change, energy, social justice, and economic productivity.
The report shows that in all areas of the education system there are guidelines and recommendations for the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development. There are also nearly a thousand best practices that are crucial to ensuring a systematic establishment in the entire education system for increased quality.
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- German Education and Research Minister Annette Schavan
- (© picture-alliance/dpa)
"In the next few years it is both nationally and internationally important to reach a greater visibility of Education for Sustainable Development," argued Schavan. "There must be an intensified exchange between participating countries and also examples of best practices should be made public."
At the same time, the report says that it is necessary to receive more differentiated information on the effectiveness of Education for Sustainable Development. It is also imperative to learn more about the transfer of knowledge about sustainable development in both students and teachers. Education research - also in international networking - is an essential instrument here, according to the document.
In connection with the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), the BMBF held an important international conference earlier this year in Bonn.
