Sustainable Development, Education and Learning: The Challenge of Inclusive, Quality Education for All

By Victoria W. Thoresen

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goal #4 focuses on inclusive, quality education, galvanizing efforts for substantial educational reform around the globe. Progress is being made but are the initiatives being upscaled and mainstreamed rapidly enough? Has caring become an essential aspect of learning? Have cooperative learning and creativity been given enough attention? Are teachers receiving sufficient support? These are some of the questions raised by Victoria Thoresen as she considers the goals and challenges iterated in the SDG.

Thoresen argues that unless implementation of the new definitions of inclusive, quality education are prioritized everywhere, sustainable development will be severely hampered and, conceivably, misdirected. She examines the recent evolution of education in light of political and commercial ambitions, technological advancements, and knowledge creation and sharing. Key concerns relating to education for and learning about sustainable development are identified and major obstacles to achieving inclusive, quality education for all are discussed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Agenda Publishing
• Release date: Aug 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781788214841

Victoria W. Thoresen

Victoria Wyszynski Thoresen is Emerita Professor at the Inland Norway University of Applied Science. She was UNESCO Chair for Education about Sustainable Lifestyles and is the founder of The Collaborative Learning Centre for Sustainable Development.

Book preview

Sustainable Development, Education and Learning

Sustainability Matters

This series provides accessible introductions to the many facets of sustainability and sustainable development. Each book explores a specific topic – for example, poverty, gender equality, water security, peace and justice – to consider the possibilities and challenges to achieving a sustainable future for all. The authors bring incisive analysis and theoretically robust thinking to the complex and interrelated issues.

Published

Poverty and the World Order: The Mirage of SDG1

Robert Walker

Sustainable Development, Education and Learning: The Challenge of Inclusive, Quality Education for All

Victoria W. Thoresen

Sustainable Development, Education and Learning

The Challenge of Inclusive, Quality Education for All

Victoria W. Thoresen

© Victoria W. Thoresen 2023

This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.

No reproduction without permission.

All rights reserved.

First published in 2023 by Agenda Publishing

Agenda Publishing Limited

PO Box 185

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE20 2DH

www.agendapub.com

ISBN 978-1-78821-481-0 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-78821-482-7 (paperback)

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Typeset by Newgen Publishing UK

Printed and bound in the UK by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY

Contents

Abbreviations

Acknowledgements

Introduction: galvanizing a global movement for inclusive, quality education

The structure of the book

Part I Key issues related to SDG4

1.Education’s role in society

1.1 Stimulating social and economic development

1.2 Transmitting values

2.Critical challenges facing humanity

2.1 Navigating uncertainty

2.2 Taking responsibility

2.3 Tending the planet

2.4 Redefining prosperity

3.SDG4’s aspirations for catalysing change

3.1 Agenda 2030: a horizon of hope

3.2 Targets and indicators

Part II Barriers impeding educational reform

4.The complex educational landscape

4.1 Purpose

4.2 Content

4.3 Access

4.4 Structures

4.5 Methodologies

4.6 Monitoring, testing and assessment

5.Recurring problems in education

5.1 Downplayed drivers

5.2 Diluted processes

Part III Efforts to improve education

6.Significant stepping-stones

6.1 Education as a global common good

6.2 Comprehensive inclusion

6.3 Learning and knowing

6.4 Insight

7.Important components

7.1 Updated competencies

7.2 Enhanced curricula

7.3 Holistic approaches

7.4 Well-trained teachers

7.5 Community-based learning

8.Vital means

8.1 Transformation instead of transmission

8.2 Cooperation not competition

8.3 Connections rather than isolation

8.4 Assessment as opposed to rating

9.Essential support

9.1 Partnerships

9.2 Research

Conclusion: gaining momentum

Appendix: SDG4 targets and associated indicators with commentary

References

Index

Abbreviations

Acknowledgements

Working with colleagues from many countries has helped me gain perspective on the multifaceted dimensions of learning and the complexities of education systems around the globe. It is not possible here to acknowledge everyone; however I would like to extend a special note of gratitude to Frans Lenglet, Robert J. Didham and Heiko Steffens for the insights and assistance they have given me that have led to this publication.

Introduction: galvanizing a global movement for inclusive, quality education

At best, learning is a voyage from wonder to wisdom, a journey from innocence to insight. Learning blazes the trail to individual integrity and, potentially, to global unity. Education, the systematized process of learning, is regarded as a means of empowering the disenfranchised and catalysing human development. Identified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a fundamental human right, education is considered essential for the exercise of all other human rights.

However, existing educational systems – their structures, contents and methodologies – are as diverse as the foliage in a jungle and, for many people, as scarce as shade in a desert. At its worst, education has been a vehicle for propaganda, indoctrination and maintaining the status quo. Outdated methods, poorly trained teachers, irrelevant content, insufficient resources and unequal access have, among other things, contributed to education being unable to adequately meet the urgent needs of a world characterized by complexity, contention and change.

Today, education focuses largely on achieving economic progress for individuals and nations rather than developing integrity and global solidarity with people, nature and future generations. Access to education is not yet universal. In many schools, the basic elements of learning are poorly mobilized causing the effectiveness of education to be severely diminished. Repeated demands have been made for significant changes in education in order to enable individuals and communities to counteract the entropy that threatens the world at present. The call for a global movement based upon a new social contract for education has been raised by people around the globe.

Despite many serious setbacks, numerous efforts are being made to implement reforms in education. Instead of viewing education as an immutable activity, new educational paradigms have been emerging. Lifelong learning for all has become an accepted principle. Education for sustainable development has been promoted in order to spur responsible, environmentally friendly behaviour. Interdisciplinarity has gained momentum. Digital learning has entered the stage with force. Global citizenship education, while still infrequent, is no longer shunned. Collaborative, explorative education is taking shape – education that regards each person as a mine rich in gems and the collective process of the discovery of new understanding as one carried out not only for the benefit of each individual but for all of humanity.

But the present initiatives have not yet proven to be sufficient to renovate education so that it can enable people to collaborate in order to overcome the dilemmas of this age and to flourish. Today’s generation experiences the world quite differently than previous generations. Technology has diminished distances; communication has intensified interaction. The credibility of scientific knowledge is being challenged. Wars, conflicts and diseases continue to threaten millions of lives. Global inequalities still limit the opportunities of vast numbers of individuals. The dangers of climate change are rapidly escalating. Uncertainty about the future sows anxiety in the hearts of many.

Have the values that guide sustainable development and global solidarity been sufficiently articulated and reflected upon in education? Can education continue promoting a paradigm of unconstrained economic growth while endorsing sustainability at the same time? Is enough attention being given to cooperative learning and creativity? Are new modes of learning helping individuals and communities to collaborate and become more resilient and adaptable? Are the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on society in general and on education in particular being taken into account? Is adequate support being given to teachers?

Agenda 2030, with its 17 goals and 231 indicators, is a framework for dealing with many of the urgent social and ecological challenges confronting the world today. Its ultimate goal is that of fostering peaceful, just and inclusive societies in which all human beings can live in dignity and equality and in a healthy environment. Agenda 2030’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) is about achieving inclusive, quality education for all. Assuming that inclusive, quality education means good learning opportunities for all, it is important not only to examine the statistics related to the SDG4 targets – targets that are primarily operational and short-term. It is essential to also look closely at the main processes, catalysts and outcomes of learning; how they have been dealt with in the past; and how they are being improved in order to move towards more inclusive, quality education, taking into account the extremely diverse educational landscape that exists around the world and the urgent challenges facing the global community.

A myriad of reports, books, journals and networks exist that focus upon education and sustainability. Hardly a day goes by without the media discussing some aspect of the topic. The Global Education Monitoring Report, whose mandate stems from the Incheon Declaration of 2015, is a comprehensive mechanism for monitoring progress in relation to SDG4. Each report provides in-depth analysis and up-to-date statistics. Why then publish another book on the same subject? The answer is twofold. On the one hand, it is often difficult to see the forest for the trees, as complex details can tend to obscure a broader picture. On the other hand, the SDGs were formulated after extensive consultation and many compromises. While SDG4 addresses numerous more easily measurable issues, it does not focus on all of the critical problems education is confronted with today. Some of the questions mentioned above have simply not received sufficient attention in the ongoing debates about SDG4. The purpose of this book is to examine education – and the learning process – in light of the challenges individuals and society-at-large face, and to identify significant steps that are being taken and still need to be taken to achieve both the practical targets iterated in SDG4 and to move toward the ultimate aim of SDG4, namely, more inclusive, improved education for all.

On the basis of the evidence presented within, this book contends that new learning processes are desperately needed which enable individuals to re-examine what it means to be human and what helps people achieve dignity, well-being and contentment. Today, education makes light of the basic processes of wondering, wandering, caring and daring as well as the core catalysts of learning – namely curiosity, language, creativity and ethics. Little heed is paid to cultivating non-material attributes that are essential for global cooperation and sustainable development. Learners need to be assisted to recognize injustice, face their fears, empathize with others, cope with ambiguity and collaborate on identifying and implementing constructive, immediate and long-term solutions. The changes that are required are dependent upon holistic learning processes that stimulate compassion, generosity and a profound understanding of what is meant by the oneness of humanity.

SDG4 is founded upon the conviction, shared by the leaders of 193 countries who signed Agenda 2030 in 2015, that this world can become a place where life can thrive, and all human beings can fulfil their potential. They agreed that the planet can support the needs of the present and future generations if action is taken immediately to protect the planet from degradation and ensure its natural resources are managed sustainably. They expressed the determination to foster societies that are free from fear and violence. Based on a spirit of strengthened global solidarity that focuses in particular on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable, Agenda 2030 was conceived as a plan of action for people, planet, peace and prosperity in which no one was to be left behind. Inclusive, quality education cannot be just another abstract wish. Education needs to be continually and substantially refined. By so doing, education has the potential to make unique contributions to the progress of the other Sustainable Development Goals, increasing awareness of the needs of individuals, communities and the environment, and stimulating the concern for and the care of all.

The structure of the book

This book addresses the growth of relevant and appropriate education that attempts to meet the needs of a world characterized by complexity, contention and change. It examines SDG4’s contributions to this process and considers what remains to be done in order for education to better facilitate progress towards more just, sustainable development.

Part I: Key issues related to SDG4. Many scientific, technological and social advancements have been made in recent decades. Nonetheless, massive psychological, sociological, economic and ecological problems demand urgent attention. Education functions as a collective conscience for society as well as a major vehicle for change, and is obliged, therefore, to address these key problems. By doing so, it has the potential to play a central and catalytic role in achieving the sustainable development goals.

Chapter 1: Education’s role in society. The benefits of education have been recognized for centuries. Not only does it contribute significantly to economic growth, it helps improve peoples’ health and well-being. Education influences how societies function and how problems are handled. This chapter considers education’s roles, including that of transmitting values and facilitating new approaches to social-economic and environmental problems.

Chapter 2: Critical challenges facing humanity. Social injustice, destruction of the environment and unsound economic practices impact both what is taught in schools and how. This chapter looks at some of the major challenges the world faces. These include how to deal with uncertainty, how to promote social responsibility and accountability, and how to care for the planet.

Chapter 3: SDG4’s aspirations for catalysing change. To understand how Agenda 2030 in general and SDG4 specifically expect to foster change, this chapter looks first at collective global ambitions, and, briefly at the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The numerous SDG4 targets and their indicators are reviewed both in light of existing statistics and ongoing international campaigns which have tried to promote inclusive, transformative education.

Part II: Barriers impeding educational reform. The foundation upon which Agenda 2030 rests is the conviction that humankind belongs to one universal family, lives in one common home, the planet, and believes that global peace and unity are attainable. SDG4 focuses on trying to achieve inclusive, quality education for all and, thereby, promoting sustainable development. But defining and achieving even improved education is extremely complicated given the extensive differences and needs of the diverse education systems and practices around the world.

Chapter 4: The complex educational landscape. Essential throughout the ages as a vital mechanism for providing systematized learning, spreading knowledge and socializing communities, education is by no means static or standardized. This chapter looks at the purposes and contents of education systems as well as the extent to which education reaches sections of a population. The structure of school systems and the manner in which teaching occurs vary greatly from country to country affecting teacher training and learning outcomes.

Chapter 5: Recurring problems in education. Despite the many differences in education, there exist fundamental features that all learning has in common. The processes of wondering, wandering, caring and daring are basic but have, in many learning contexts, been undervalued. In many cases, the central catalysts of learning, namely curiosity, language, creativity and ethics, have been downplayed or dismissed in order to focus on other aspects of learning.

Part III: Efforts to improve education. Assuming that relevant, meaningful learning is dependent upon stimulating curiosity; developing a common language of hope, respect and compassion; acquiring relevant knowledge; and encouraging creative solutions to existing unsustainable practices; then, as explained in previous chapters, substantial changes are needed not only in the content of and access to education, as SDGs targets indicate, but also in how it is carried out. Part III of this book examines some of the important initiatives that are being made to revamp education in order to help diminish the growing polarization between people and contribute to more just, sustainable development.

Chapter 6: Significant stepping-stones. Regarding education not only as an incontestable right but also as a global common good for the benefit of everyone is being seen as an important means of redefining the purpose as well as the character of education. This chapter examines how governments and non-state actors are trying to provide education to all from early childhood through higher education, as well as both within and outside of schools. These initiatives are dependent upon acknowledging the vital importance of social-emotional learning and the significant difference between information and knowledge.

Chapter 7: Important components. Cross-cutting, multifunctional competencies are necessary in order for people to understand and engage in the complex world of today. In addition to foundational knowledge and skills such as literacy and numeracy, ecological and social-emotional skills form the crux of quality education. They have been gradually integrated in various ways, some of which have resulted in interdisciplinary, holistic approaches to learning that are essential in both formal and non-formal learning. Such holist approaches have opened the way for greater engagement with stakeholders and an emphasis on contextuality and the co-creation of knowledge.

Chapter 8: Vital means. Strenuous efforts have been made since the year 2000 to identify how education can both be transformed and become more transformative. Transformative learning requires that the learner is willing to be vulnerable, to take risks and to engage in change even if it means that attitudes and assumptions will be challenged. Experience-based, collaborative, active learning methodologies that take place not only in the classroom but also outdoors, with the local community or the digital universe are considered to be pertinent means of stimulating transformative learning. New forms of assessment are also being developed and used to monitor and evaluate learning.

Chapter 9: Essential support. According to Agenda 2030, the progress that is needed in the world is dependent upon partnerships. The partnerships that provide significant support for learning processes and educational systems are those with parents, civil society, the private sector and the media. Collaboration with these groups has taken on a variety of forms such as volunteerism, financial support, information sharing and lobbying. Scientific research also provides education with insights that contribute to maintaining the relevance and timeliness of learning content.

Conclusion: gaining momentum. Remoulding an institution that is as large and multifaceted as education is a complicated and controversial task. As described in previous chapters, despite advances on many fronts, obstacles and setbacks along the way have been numerous. Increased momentum is urgently needed to fulfil the core aspirations of SDG4. This final section reflects upon the major shortcomings and advancements in relation to SDG4 and suggests a set of actions for the promotion of learning that fosters individual and collective caring, sharing and serving all of humanity.

Part I

Key issues related to SDG4

Never before has humanity experienced such an abundance of technological and social achievements as it has since the mid-1900s. Scientific discoveries have modified means of communication and survival. New definitions of well-being and happiness have altered time-worn patterns of behaviour, reshaping the structure of families and communities and transfiguring personal and collective priorities.

Despite the positive impacts of many developments, the whirlwinds of constant change have brought with them confusion and anxiety. The destructive impacts of human activities on nature have been acknowledged. The consequences of climate change are being felt. Both intangible and material facets of life are fraught with ambiguity. Concerns about identity and belonging have led to an array of lifestyles and associated lifestyle-related illnesses.

Education has historically been a means of improving social and economic conditions. The search to find coherent answers about how to live in a globalized world of transition and turmoil has led to demands to overhaul education in order to make it more accessible and relevant to the present needs of individuals, society and nature. SDG4 aims at mobilizing efforts to improve education.

1

Education’s role in society

Education should impart in the learner a zest for life, courage to tackle it and a desire to use and extend what they have learned.

Norwegian Core Curriculum of 1997

1.1 Stimulating social and economic development

Education is by no means a magic wand and cannot be expected to solve all the pressing dilemmas facing humanity. Yet, despite the fact that education is a kaleidoscope of diverse content and methodologies, there is solid proof that it contributes to poverty reduction, helps to improve health, contain disease, advance the status of women, generate productivity and innovation, increase environmental awareness, strengthen participatory, representative decision-making, and promote respect for diversity. The evidence is unequivocal: education saves and transforms lives (UNESCO 2014c: 24).

Although learning has been the soil in which civilizations have grown throughout history, measurements of the impacts of systematic education have only been carried out in recent decades. Incomplete as such assessments might be due to differences in education systems and additional factors that influence results, the statistics do provide indisputable evidence of the importance of education.¹

1.1.1 Healthcare

Many avoidable diseases continue to stalk the globe and many avertible deaths occur. Statistics show that education plays a central role in containing disease and reducing mortality rates (UNESCO 2014c: 5) Education improves health by giving people relevant knowledge and skills. It also provides a platform for delivering health and nutrition interventions through schools. According to the World Health Survey (WHO 2021a) completing lower secondary school increased the odds of good health by 18 per cent compared with having no education or less than primary education. Parents who are educated have healthier hygiene practices and know how to treat minor illnesses before they become serious. Malaria, which is an extremely fatal disease in sub-Saharan Africa, is also preventable. In regions where there is a high risk of catching malaria, the odds of malaria parasites in children were 22 per cent lower when mothers had primary education and 36 per cent lower when mothers had secondary education. Educated mothers are far more likely to take precautionary measures such as using mosquito netting over the children’s beds (UNESCO 2014c: 4).

The education of a mother accounts for half of all reductions in child mortality rates, while economic growth accounts for less than a tenth (Schellekens 2021: 807). A child born to a mother who can read is 50 per cent more likely to survive past age five. Each extra year of a mother’s schooling reduces the probability of infant mortality by 5–10 per cent. Children of mothers with secondary education or higher are twice as likely to survive beyond age five compared to those whose mothers have no education. Educated mothers are also likely to ensure their children are vaccinated. As little as one extra year of maternal education is associated with a 14 per cent decrease in the pneumonia death rate (UNESCO 2015d: 2). Prevention and treatment of childhood diarrhoea, the third biggest killer of children, causing 11 per cent of child deaths, is substantially increased when mothers have basic education. Awareness of the need for a varied diet including vital nutrients such as vitamin A and iron is a clear result of education (UNESCO 2015c: 2). Malnutrition, leading to stunted growth, infections and anaemia in children, is considerably less prevalent where mothers are educated (FAO 2022).

The processes of containing non-communicable diseases are also improved when people are educated. Studies have proven that, for example, in Bangladesh, Egypt and the Philippines, the odds that those with less than secondary education would smoke cigarettes were over twice as high as of those with tertiary education (UNESCO 2015c: 6). Many high-income countries have a growing problem with people being overweight. Research indicates that education helps reduce the number of premature deaths related to obesity (UNESCO 2015c: 4).

Education helps women have a say in decisions that affect their lives. Girls who receive an education are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives. In India, young women with at least secondary education are 30 percentage points more likely to have a say over their choice of spouse than women with no education. In Sierra Leone, where the expansion of schooling opportunities in the aftermath of the civil war (1991–2002) led to a steep increase in the amount of education completed by younger women, an additional year of schooling reduced women’s tolerance of domestic violence from 36 per cent to 26 per cent (UNESCO 2015c: 6). In Pakistan, while only 30 per cent of women with no education believe they can have a say over the number of children they have, the share increases to 52 per cent among women with primary education and to 63 per cent among women with lower secondary education (UNESCO 2015c: 8).

1.1.2 Livelihoods

The impact of education on employment and poverty reduction is considerable. At an individual level, each additional year of schooling strengthens individual earning potential by on average 10 per cent. A report penned by the OECD indicates that lower- and middle-income countries could experience a 28 per cent higher GDP per year over the next 80 years by providing basic education and basic skill levels for all youth up to the age of 15 by 2030 (OECD 2012).

Earning higher wages is directly related to education. Better-educated individuals in wage employment are paid more for their higher productivity (Wolla & Sullivan 2017). While education is no guarantee that one will be employed, people with at least a secondary school qualification have better chances of finding employment, even in times of economic crisis, than those who lack upper secondary school qualifications. Statistics also show that education helps to prevent the transmission of poverty between generations. A review in 2012 of 64 studies confirms that a more equitable distribution of education opportunities also tends to reduce income inequality (OECD 2012). In France, Malaysia and Brazil, income inequality fell by about seven percentage points over two decades as the share of population with secondary education