Education for sustainable development in teacher training in Ecuador
Ángela Zambrano C.1
Yasuní, lahora-infolatam
Background Education can promote positive changes in individual and collective attitudes and behaviour in the face of the environmental problems affecting the planet. And in a specific way, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) helps human beings acquire knowledge, attitudes and values guided towards a sustainable future. Therefore, educating for sustainable development means that the whole educational process must incorporate elements that lead to a more profound environmental sensibility and motivation to act in favour of a development model that does not jeopardize –in either quality or quantity- the existence of resources for present and future generations. Among the initiatives to promote this model is that endorsed by the UN General Assembly, which appointed UNESCO as the organization responsible for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005 - 2014). In this context, UNESCO in Ecuador carried out two studies aimed at evaluating the degree of fulfilment of the commitments taken on by Ecuador around ESD, looking at the incorporation of this content into the curriculum of teachertraining institutions, and more specifically in the area of the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve which, given its high biodiversity and endemism, was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1989. 1. Ecuadorian University Professor and, Doctor in Biology. ecoangela@yahoo.com
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Noviembre 2013, Intercambio 5
The investigative findings With the identification of significant experiences in the studies in relation to the definitions of UNESCO, a synthesis of the investigation showed the importance of responding to integral and participatory processes in which education offers answers to global needs. This implies the need for a strong theoretical basis and high social commitment, combined with intervention strategies that generate change in behaviour and social conditions. Some of the projects reviewed also showed a link with political impact activities, associated with development proposals, concerning the living conditions and behaviour of different social actors in their relations with nature. This analysis permitted an understanding of how closely these initiatives are aligned, not only with the ESD proposals of UNESCO but, in general, with current visions of what education for the new millennium should be and its responsibilities to the different perspectives on development present in Ecuador. The research includes various dimensions: Conceptual dimension In Ecuador it is often repeated that education is the foundation for the development of a people and that, therefore, the importance of teaching and institutional work reaches further than the classroom. In many cases however, one wonders how deeply understood this affirmation really is. The debate around development, how it’s conceived and strategies to achieve it, had an important moment with the participation of many diverse sectors in the Constitutional