1. Teaching Curriculum Development to Integrate Education of Active Citizenship
and Sustainable Development – A Study
Dr. Geetika Saluja
geetika.b.saluja@gmail.com
The UN Commission on Sustainable Development has called for education to be more than a
theoretical discussion of sustainability at this critical juncture in time. Education has to be
reoriented to involve transforming institutional programs, practices, and policies. Institutions
involved in reorienting education to address sustainability must “practice what they preach”
and go through the processes necessary to make progress towards becoming model
institutions. Simply increasing basic literacy, as it is currently done in most countries, will not
advance sustainable societies. Indeed, if communities and nations hope to identify
sustainability goals and work toward them, they must focus on skills, values, and perspectives
that encourage and support public participation and community decision making. The
challenge is to raise the education levels without creating an ever-growing demand for
resources and consumer goods and the accompanying production of pollutants. Sustainable
social development (people) is aimed at the development of people and their social
organization, in which the realization of social cohesion, equity, justice and wellbeing plays
an important role.
1.1 What is Sustainable Development (SD)?
Original descriptions of sustainable development are credited to the Brundtland Commission:
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (World Commission
on Environment and Development, 1987). It has generally been accepted that achieving
sustainable development will require balancing environmental, societal, and economic
considerations in the pursuit of development and an improved quality of life .A sustainable
environmental development (planet) refers to the development of natural ecosystems in ways
that maintain the carrying capacity of the Earth and respect the non-human world. Sustainable
economic development (prosperity) focuses on the development of the economic
infrastructure, in which the efficient management of our natural and human resources is
important It became clear that environmental, economic and social issues were interwined
and not separate and that there is a need of understanding education not merely as instruction,
but rather as a process of involvement in the process of future orientation, future planning and

2. creation of a sustainable future. Education for Sustainable development has thus three
components: environment, society, and economy. If one considers the three to be overlapping
circles of the same size, the area of overlap in the center is human well-being. As the
environment, society, and economy become more aligned, the area of overlap increases, and
so does human well-being.
1.2 What is Education for Sustainable Development(ESD)?
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a learning process (or approach to teaching)
based on the ideals and principles that underlie sustainability and is concerned with all levels
and types of learning to provide quality education and foster sustainable human development
– learning to know, learning to be, learning to live together, learning to do and learning to
transform oneself and society.”
A sustainable future will require fundamental changes in people’s values and in the way
society operates. As the UNESCO paper states: Achieving sustainability will depend
ultimately on changes in behaviour and lifestyles, changes which will need to be motivated
by a shift in values and rooted in the cultural and moral precepts upon which behaviour is
predicated. Without change of this kind, even the most enlightened legislation, the cleanest
technology, the most sophisticated research will not succeed in steering society towards the
long-term goal of sustainability.

3. Source: UNESCO (1997) Educating for a Sustainable Future: A Transdisciplinary Vision for
Concerted Action, paragraph 103.
1.3 Rationale for teaching curriculum development to integrate
educationof active citizenship and sustainable development
The promotion of environmental action is a clear feature of the UNESCO agenda for ESD.
Unfortunately considerable research shows that while the young people may demonstrate a
high degree of environmental awareness, and positive environmental values, but they
generally fail to reflect these perceptions and values in their actions, even at a shallow level
(Wilinson & Waterton, 1991, Froud 1994, Shallcorss & Wilkinson 1994). In the world of
changing technology and lifestyle there is a need to design curriculum with all three Ps:
P(people)–P(Planet)-P(Profit). Designing participatory curriculum poses, perhaps, the
greatest challenge of our time as this requires alternative ways of thinking, valuing and
acting. Addressing them requires knowledge, skills and attitudes from all disciplines. It is
need to integrate all subjects and provide opportunity to learn from their observation and
experiences.
While working closely with school teachers for past 12 years I have observed that teachers
haven’t been trained to design integrated curriculum around students gaining tools and
strategies to tackle pressing sustainability issues in their own spaces. In today’s scenario the
method of imparting education needs a review with a focus on cooperative and active
participation, wherein students are directed explicitly in taking initiatives leading to
understanding their role and contribution in transforming their own cities, to smart and
sustainable ones. Students should understand various local, global perspectives and solutions
which exist around the world and take informed decisions. As one moves up the ladder in
life, the dependence on active citizenship and sustainable outlook empowered with life skills
will always increases to ensure that they play a full and active part in society – politically,
socially, economically and environmentally. It is important that teachers design a
participatory curriculum wherein students develop skills, knowledge and values to flourish
and succeed as responsible, global and active citizens with sustainable outlook. It should aim
to stimulate thinking through an integrated approach for developing oneself as an innovative
generation that knows how to find solutions in this fast paced global world. This will open

4. avenues for the school students to understand various professions among wide array of
options available in diversified global world.
1.4 Whole school – Whole systemapproach
The gap between espoused values and values in action can be bridged through advocating
whole school – whole system approach as a more promising way to develop action-focused
ESD. Whole-school approaches imply that the concern shown for environmental problems in
the formal curriculum are, whenever possible, reflected in day-to-day practice in a school’s
non formal curriculum also. It means that school must be seen as a role model for SD. Pupils
and students stay an increasing part of their live at school, thus more and more part of real
live experiences must be offered and realized at school. This includes the question of food
and consumer’s education, social learning, energy use and personal resource management.
Furthermore school is the perfect place to reach a whole generation in a protected area.

5. Young people can test and develop their main life skills and their own lifestyle. In this way
values and attitudes advocated in the classroom become habituated in the daily actions of
teachers, pupils, and support staff. Thus, schools practise what they teach; values are
reinforced in actions and consequently caught, rather than taught.
1.5 Teaching and Learning for a ESD and Active Citizenship
It should be rooted in a new vision of education that helps students better understand the
world in which they live, addressing the complexity and interconnectedness of problems such
as poverty, wasteful consumption, environmental degradation, population, health, conflict
and human rights that threaten our future. This curriculum will enable teachers to plan
learning experiences that empower their students to develop and evaluate alternative visions
of a sustainable future and to work creatively with others to help bring their visions of a
better world into effect. For this, teachers must first understand the holistic view of
‘environment’ known as the ‘sustainability compass’.
1.5.1 Principles that can help to design curriculum integrating teaching
and learning for ESD and active citizenship

6. Some of the values or principles that can help to a more sustainable future include:
Conservation
- which is needed to ensure that natural systems can continue to provide life support
systems for all living things, including the resources that sustain the economic system.
Peace and equity
- which results when people are able to live co-operatively and in harmony with each
other and have their basic needs satisfied in a fair and equitable way.
Appropriate development
- which is needed for people to be able support themselves in a long-term way.
Inappropriate development ignores the links between the economy and the other
systems in the environment.
Democracy
- which provides ways for people to be able to have a fair and equal say over how
natural, social and economic systems should be managed.
These principles mean that a sustainable future would be one in which people:

7.  Care for each other and value social justice and peace.
 Protect natural systems and use resources wisely
 Value appropriate development and satisfying livelihoods for all
 Make decisions through fair and democratic means.
To develop the capacity and commitment in students who will apply these principles at the
level of personal and family actions, and in decisions for local, national and global
communities, is the task of teachers while designing active, participatory and action oriented
curriculum.
1.5.2 The objectives for curriculum integrating teaching and learning for
ESD and active citizenship
Following objectives should be taken into consideration
 To develop an appreciation of the scope and purpose of educating for a sustainable
future.
 To clarify concepts and themes related to sustainable development and how they can
be integrated in all subject areas across the school curriculum.
 To enhance skills for integrating issues of sustainability into a range of school
subjects and classroom topics.
 To enhance skills for using a wide range of interactive and learner-centred teaching
and learning strategies that underpin the knowledge, critical thinking, values and
citizenship objectives implicit in reorienting education towards sustainable
development.
1.5.3 Infusion approach
Our country has not yet set the independent subject for ESD, nor does it indicate the
systematic contents as ESD. Since the daily classes at school are normally based on the study
guidance submitted by the government, there are few possibilities for ESD to find a niche.
Therefore, relations of each subject and ESD become important and it is possible to conduct
ESD in every subject at school. Under the current system, it will be necessary to carry out
ESD within other subjects and need to develop a programme which can simultaneously
achieve the objectives of each subject and ESD. Integration of ESD into individual subjects

8. maybe based upon student’s experience, in order to nurture the scientific view as well as the
power of execution which leads the solution of societal problems, the ultimate objective of
ESD.
A paradigm shift is to encourage teachers of each school subject to re-examine their course
content in order to use, examples and cases, some details, including learning activities that
are related to understanding of natural and socio‐cultural environments. ESD encourages
theme teaching and team teaching in different educational settings
Recommended themes for this across curriculum as interdisciplinary approach are
 Citizenship education
 Gender Equality
 Poverty and world hunger
 Human Rights
 Constitution and form of governance
 Fundamental rights and duties
 Ecosystem, biosphere and biodiversity
 Natural resources
 Environmental degradation
 Waste management
 Healthy and Correct environment practice
 Health education
 Consumer education
 Culture, religion, food and Indigenous knowledge
 Population & development
 Sustainable agriculture, tourism, transportation and communities
 Communication for Sustainability
 Measuring sustainability
 Globalisation
 Climate change
1.5.4 Recommendedteaching and learning methods and techniques

9. It is vital to remember that designing curriculum with ESD and Active Citizenship should not
be an add-on to Syllabus but is central to it and should be integrated within the conceptual
framework of taking students along the ladder of LOTS to HOTS. It should go from learner’s
level tasks - initiating thought process to Master’s level task giving space for incubation,
discussion to finally Development level task of taking viable actions. Practical advice on
using teaching and learning strategies that can help students achieve the wide range of
knowledge, skill and values objectives of Education for Sustainable Development.
 Experiential learning
 Experimental/Research based learning
 Active Learning
 Cooperative Learning
 Storytelling
 Values education
 Enquiry learning
 Discovery learning
 Group Investigation
 Discussion
 Project Based Learning
 Future Problem Solving
 Learning outside the classroom
 Community Problem Solving
This will then be translated into acquired life skills through debate, panel discussion, survey,
opinion, role play, interview, reflection, interaction with experts, field visits with enriched
perspective and provide learners with valuable opportunities for community engagement,
professional development and wider scholastic and co-scholastic achievement. Much can be
learnt from observation of one’s surroundings, form talking and listening to different people,
reading stories, songs and proverbs.
1.5.5 Essentialskills to develop
To be successful, ESD must go beyond teaching about global issues. ESD must give people
practical skills that will enable them to continue learning after they leave school, to have a
sustainable livelihood, and to live sustainable lives. These skills will differ with community

10. conditions. The following list demonstrates the types of skills pupils will need as adults.
Note that skills fall into one or more of the three realms of sustainable development -
environmental, economic, and social.
 The ability to communicate effectively (both orally and in writing).
 The ability to think about systems (both natural and social sciences).
 The ability to think in time - to forecast, to think ahead, and to plan.
 The ability to think critically about value issues.
 The ability to separate number, quantity, quality, and value.
 The capacity to move from awareness to knowledge to action.
The ability to work cooperatively with other people, promoting dialogue and
negotiation, learning to work together;
 Participation in decision‐making – empowering people.
 The capacity to use these processes: knowing, inquiring, acting, judging, imagining,
connecting, valuing, and choosing.
 The capacity to develop an aesthetic response to the environment (McClaren, 1989).
In addition, pupils will need to learn skills that will help them manage and interact
with the local environment.
1.6 Conclusionof the Study
ESD and active citizenship has a major role to play as a force for the future. ‘Whole-
institution approaches’ to ESD is promising as it reflects the need for both cross-boundary
learning and synchronizing thinking and acting. It is important to redesign curriculum with
theme based interdisciplinary and infusion approach for this priority is to be given for
capacity-building and competence development of teacher educators so that to empower
students and equip them with the capacities to transform themselves and others, bearing in
mind the well-being of the Planet-People –Profit. ESD can ensure that all citizens, young and
old, are knowledgeable about the changes that are needed, capable of envisioning alternative
futures, committed to democratic ways of achieving them, and sufficiently skilled and
motivated to work actively for change.
"Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that seems abstract –sustainable
development – and turn it into a reality for all the world’s people."
KOFI ANNAN,

11. Secretary General of the United Nations
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