Education for Sustainable Development Workshop for Teachers

Abstract

In December 2002, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 57/254 in which it designated the decade 2005-2014 the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UN DESD), UNESCO was also identified as the lead UN agency for the decade. The core value of ESD is respect: respect for others, respect in the present and for future generations, respect for the planet and what it provides to us (resources, fauna and flora). ESD challenges society to adopt new behaviours and practices to secure our future. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a vision of education that seeks to empower people to assume responsibility for creating a sustainable future. Education for sustainable development is about learning to: - respect, value and preserve the achievements of the past; -appreciate the wonders and the peoples of the Earth; - live in a world where all people have sufficient food for a healthy and productive life; - assess, care for and restore the state of our Planet; - create and enjoy a better, safer, more just world; - be caring citizens who exercise their rights and responsibilities locally, nationally and globally. The goal of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005- 2014, DESD), is to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all education and learning. aspects of This educational effort will encourage changes in behaviour that will create a more sustainable future in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability, and a just society for present and future generations. In Uganda, a National Steering Committee was appointed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Sports on 7th March 2007, to develop a strategy for implementation of ESD in Uganda. Uganda National Commission for UNESCO as a secretariat for the Decade organized several events including a workshop on 19/06/08 to review and adopt the Education for Sustainable Development draft implementation strategy. Another workshop was organized from 29th September to 1" October 2008 to prepare youth to educate themselves for life. It was also aimed at sharing experiences from different countries concerning their perception of ESD and what they have done in the area of ESD. This report presents the proceedings of the second ESD workshop and starts with the background and introduction of ESD in Uganda. It also presents the keynote addresses, welcome remarks and the different workshop presentations. It ends with presentation of the group work as well as the resolutions that were drawn in the workshop. One of the resolutions is to reorient the teaching methods to embrace ESD concepts. This is to be spearheaded by the teachers who attended the workshop in their respective schools.