SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: ISSUES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Abstract

Climate change is a global issue. As such, action is required for sustainable solutions to alleviate social and economic issues related. Environmental education (EE) equips learners with the knowledge, skills, and attitude to take action to resolve environmental issues and problems. Although EE has been integrated into the school curricula, the effects do not seem to be sustainable as students do not seem to take positive action. This could be attributed to several issues in the implementation of EE, such as a lack of environmental knowledge among students, reluctance for positive behavior changes, perception of EE as an individualistic action, lack of teachers’ interdisciplinary knowledge for SEE, unclear outcomes for SEE in the curriculum, the lack teacher training in SEE, lack of knowledge of pedagogies for EE among teachers, logistic barriers in implementation and teachers’ attitudes towards EE. These issues should be addressed to develop the next generation of global citizens who can shape a more sustainable future for the planet.