The 2nd National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Ireland to 2030 sets out five key priority action areas focusing on advancing policy, transforming learning environments, building capacities of educators, empowering, and mobilizing young people, and accelerating local level actions. These priority action areas are interrelated and cannot be viewed in isolation, as ESD spans the continuum of education in Ireland.
This strategy provides a key reference point to develop an ambitious, inclusive, and collaborative ESD roadmap across the education sector. Complementary work includes the Council Recommendation (2022) on Learning for the Green Transition and Sustainable Development, the European Sustainability Competence Framework (Bianchi et al., 2022), Education for Sustainable Development: A Roadmap (UNESCO, 2020), and Education for SDGs: Learning Objectives (UN, 2017).
Over the past 2-3 years, we have seen an increasing commitment by higher education institutes (HEIs) to sustainability, climate action, and the SDGs. This is evident through the appointment of various Vice-President and Associate Vice-President roles and the establishment of dedicated offices or centres for sustainability. In addition, some (but not all) HEIs have also appointed dedicated ESD lecturers, officers or fellows to lead the embedding of sustainability more holistically across the curriculum. The Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement (SATLE) funding has played a key role in this; as well as supporting a wide range of ESD-focused initiatives across the sector.
It is crucial that we maintain this momentum as we move from ‘doing things better’ to ‘doing better things’, in the pursuit of transformative learning (Sterling, 2013). In my new appointment to the HEA National Forum as Higher Education Policy Advisor on ESD, I aim to support and nurture the fantastic work already happening across the sector, creating a rich, collaborative community of practice at different scales. This will support HEIs to mobilize their efforts and tackle the ever-evolving challenges and impacts of the polycrisis we face today.
The higher education sector has both a moral responsibility and the capability to lead on climate action, sustainability and the SDGs in a unified way. Let’s get to work.
Feel free to contact me at mkelly@hea.ie.
