Sustainability Starts with Teachers

Published on February 12, 2022

Sustainability Starts with Teachers is a UNESCO-led capacity-building programme for teacher educators on Education for Sustainable Development in Southern Africa. The SST programme addresses in particular the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which is oriented towards the achievement of educational quality within a lifelong learning framework, and focuses specifically on Target 4.7, which requires all governments to ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) empowers learners of all ages with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to address the interconnected global challenges we are facing, including climate change, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, poverty and inequality. Education should be transformative and allow us to make informed decisions and take individual and collective action to change our societies and care for the planet.

Teacher educators from Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), Primary and Secondary Education, and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) from 11 countries are involved. Through Teacher Education Change Projects, teacher educators and student teachers learn valuable lessons which contribute to policy engagement and change, addressing global, regional and national sustainability challenges.

The Sustainability Starts with Teachers programme supports teacher educators to prepare future teachers for teaching sustainability across the curriculum, using a whole-school approach which involves the entire school community and facilities in sustainability practices.