your institution?
Table 4.10 - Awareness of the UNDESD
College Processes
College 1 I don’t know about it, but will now research this
College 2 We are aware of the UNDESD and the Sustainable Development
Adviser monitors this and advises the college accordingly
College 3 Not aware of it
College 4 A limited amount
College 5 Skipped
College 6 Not aware of it
College 7 Nil
College 8 Skipped
College 2 actively employs a Sustainable Development Adviser, which may explain why the UNDESD is monitored and acted upon here, unlike the other colleges. Without this role, I am certain the response from College 2 would have been similar to other colleges.
The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) stated ‘we resolve to improve the capacity of our education systems to prepare people to pursue sustainable development, including through enhanced teacher training, the development of sustainability curricula and the development of training programmes that prepare students for careers in fields related to sustainability’ (United Nations, 2012, p44). If the UN measurement of this aim were to come from direct performance assessment of the educational institutions, then
from the limited evidence offered by this survey, they would appear to have been unsuccessful in the Scottish FE sector. However, the UN customarily measures the success of these goals by the self-reporting of individual national governments. If this is the case in the present context, then the Scottish Executive and Scottish Government both responded effectively by producing guidance for all levels of education – Learning for our
Future (2006) and Learning for Change (2010) – even if this guidance did not always
translate into positive change in colleges. It seems very obvious that national policy documents should be a stimulus for critical drill-down into the detail of actual educational practice. This could be both a reproach to existing shortcomings and an invitation to more ambitious attainment.
In relation to the crucially important UNDESD, teacher education for sustainable development has been introduced in Scotland - first through the GTCS Professional Standards, and also by the Professional Standards for Lecturers in Scotland’s Colleges. These advances in the training of teachers and lecturers overseen by Government, were undoubtedly developed in response to the UNDESD and it is evident that the Scottish Government has been influenced by the UNDESD across a range of its policies. It remains to be determined if this commitment has been translated into effective college policy, or into daily college practices that relate directly to the UNDESD. However, I do know from my own personal professional experience, and from discussions with numerous staff members from various colleges, that they are not aware of the UNDESD and it has not impacted their own practice.
A further aim of the United Nations was ‘to resolve to promote education for sustainable development and to integrate sustainable development more actively into education beyond the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development’ (United Nations, 2012, p45). Considering it does not appear to have directly influenced Scottish college education during the decade, it will be interesting to see how the UN plans to do this beyond the decade. Furthermore, the UN ‘strongly encourage educational institutions to consider adopting good practices in sustainability management on their campuses and in their communities, with the active participation of, inter alia, students, teachers and local partners, and teaching sustainable development as an integrated component across disciplines’ (United Nations, 2012, p45). Again this will depend on the Scottish
Government’s response and translation into educational policy. However, it is important to note that practical sustainability management on campuses is being publicly scrutinised and the policy formalised through e.g., the introduction of compulsory carbon reporting for
all public bodies classed as climate change actors. Most colleges will fall under this category from 2016. In addition, most colleges and universities in Scotland are currently undergoing a pilot year of collecting data for reporting (2015), supported by Keep Scotland Beautiful, Resource Efficient Scotland and the Sustainable Scotland Network, with the first deadline for submission being 31 November 2015. This seems further to confirm the centrality of directive and legislative policy making and enforcement in producing desired outcomes in this area. The impact of external mandates on college environmental
performance strongly suggests that more ambitious and externally moderated demands might fruitfully be made of the institutions in relation to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.
Even where an individual college is aware of the UNDESD, Wals (2014) points out that it would be ‘difficult to discern which processes and learning activities were developed specifically for the DESD and which have gained or gathered momentum because of the existence of the DESD’ (p9). Hence, even if it were possible to easily capture changes in FE relating to sustainability in recent years, it would still be problematic to determine what changes, if any, were directly attributable to the DESD. Where senior management
seemed to be unaware of the DESD, positive sustainability work may still have been influenced by the DESD nationally through Government interventions and locally by ‘sustainability champions’ where they have the power to influence curriculum change below the radar of managerial policy making and monitoring. It is therefore reasonable to conclude, that even though most of the colleges that responded to the survey appeared to be unaware at executive level of the UNDESD, it still had a positive impact on education in Scotland precisely because the Government chose to implement the aims of the Decade and provide guidance on how to achieve them through multiple channels that would reach many frontline practitioners.
College’s Sustainability Policies and Practice - Executive Documents
Where information could be obtained progress appears to be patchy with the restructure impacting the level of importance afforded to ESD in some colleges. Progress within many colleges does not appear to match policy importance placed upon ESD and its progression within education by the Scottish Government.
Before finishing this chapter, it is important to consider the strategic and managerial dimensions of college ESD policy. Therefore, it is constructive to look at some of the
documents available for public inspection in which these policies are internalised.
Perhaps, in light of the emerging picture, it is not surprising that this material is scarce and contracts still further when correlated with the colleges that responded to the survey. However, it does reveal another important facet of executive ESD decision making.
I will now focus on what policy and guidance is available – if any – that has been developed in-house in the colleges that responded to the survey, to ascertain if ESD practice mirrors ESD policy. This will be determined by scrutinising transparent environmental and sustainability documentation to establish, firstly if ESD is even included and if it is to verify if practice in the curriculum matches the policy document.
8. Have you developed any of the following policy documents in your institution to