Various local and international fora have highlighted the need to promote sustainable development. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is an essential component in a nation's efforts to achieve sustainability because it empowers all citizens to become active participants in ensuring a good quality of life based on respect and care for the community of life.
Environment Minister Leo Brincat and Education minister Evarist Bartolo,attended a press conference marking the launch of a national strategy for education on sustainable development.
They explained that ESD goes beyond the provision of knowledge about sustainability issues. It also provides learners with the skills, attitudes and values that enable them to explore and respond to changing scenarios.
"This process is not only relevant to formal education, but it should permeate the non-formal and the informal sectors as well. ESD prepares citizens for action for sustainable development by promoting the development of systemic, critical and reflective thinking in local and global contexts. ESD enables citizens to understand and ethically respond to relationships around them on issues of respect, equity, justice and solidarity."
"The need for a national strategy for ESD has been on the national agenda since 1995. Plans suggesting its development have also featured in important national policy documents. Two notable milestones in Malta's commitment towards this process have been the introduction of ESD as a cross-curricular theme in the National Curriculum Framework and the setting up of a Board of Governors (with representatives from the Ministry for Education and Employment and the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change) whose remit was that of formally initiating the process leading towards the development and the implementation of the strategy."
The drafting of the proposed Public Consultation Document was carried out after several exploratory surveys that ensured that the public was consulted even in the compilation of the document on which public consultation will be sought.
The current strategy is consistent with the guidelines proposed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development. The NSESD's Policy Actions are also couched with the five Priority Action Areas described in the UNESCO's Global Action Programme on ESD.
The Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change Leo Brincat said that, the consultation process with all the stakeholders involved in education for sustainable development, which is being launched today, is expected to lead to concrete actions that will strengthen the sustainable development of key sectors in Malta.
"After the consultation period ends, the aims, objectives, main principles as well as the priority areas of the agreed measures will be then explained to everyone, with a view to enabling the stakeholders to be consulted in this process to facilitate and take active part in the implementation of the strategy," insisted Minister Brincat.
Minister Brincat emphasised that, while the environmental sector has an important strategic role to play with regards to sustainable development, if we truly want all this to be translated into concrete results that will be felt by everyone, including the citizens themselves, there is the need for a comprehensive exercise that enhances public awareness of various forms of sustainable development such as: the balance between the economic, environmental and social aspects; the growth in the concept of lifelong learning; the interdependence between all major sectors including the financial sector; more sustainable buildings; good governance; and, a more direct involvement from the civil society.
Minister for Education and Employment Evarist Bartolo said that this is an important step in creating a holistic approach to sustainable development. He said that education on sustainable development should not be limited to the formal and traditional school model.
To encourage citizen participation, the public consultation process of the document will involve:
• Symposium aimed at explaining and initiating discussion about the NSESD. The event will be held at the Auditorium, University of Malta, Valletta Campus (on 11 – 12 March 2016)
• The document can be accessed on edu.gov.mt/sustainable or the Ministry of Social Dialogue website, where feedback can be submitted. The Consultation period will last until the of 30th April 2016.
Photograph: DOI/James Galea