Organisms like CEPARL, UNESCO, and PNUD have long forecast development and consumerism are imminently destroying the environment, the earth, and life itself, and education needs to prepare humans to create another model of life. This development should be based in solutions and alternatives that look for an equilibrium between social equality and economic development, and a respect for the environmental limitations of the ecosystems that compose the biosphere. It is important to study everything that a sustainable development would propose in the classroom as in any other space available, starting with the agreements of the program of the millenium of the PNUD to achieve an inclusive and quality education. Education is one of the most powerful motors and guarantees of sustainable development, at the intersection of social, economic, and environmental problems. Compromise is necessary from the states through educational entities in each country to non-governmental organizations and civil society.
TopIntroduction To The Problem
International organisms like the PNUD established the objectives of sustainable development and proposed an incentive to government to achieve these goals in a millenium.
The precedent to this plan for civil change was a UN conference on the environment in Stockholm in 1972, where it was understood that the Western model of development had negative environmental effects associated with it, that is to say, economic growth based in pressure on natural resources and, consequently, on the generation of residuals.
In the 1987 Brundtland memo is defined one of the principle concepts of sustainable development, elaborated by distinct nations, and which is referred to as the Development that would satisfy the needs of the present generation without compromising the capacity of future generations to satisfy their own needs.
Both conferences established the necessity of reestablishing a model of life and society more harmonious in all scopes of human coexistence.
One of these spaces of human coexistence that international organs (UN, UNESCO) prioritize is education, education as a space of inclusion, an education inspired by ethical principles, pluralistic, democratic, humanist, and scientific ethics like those established in the constitution. This education should incentivize the necessity of a critical understanding that stimulates creativity and allows students to develop their skills to become more efficient in the work and production of sustainable development. In this way, education becomes a space for engendering alternative consciousnesses and visions of life, such as recognizing interculturality (Turner, (s/f)).
Education is key to sustainable development. Quality education would not only contribute to a better quality of life for future generations, especially of girls, but also forms active and informed global citizens. In order to enjoy a planet and sustainable future for everyone, we must decidedly invest in the next generation of leaders so that they may be conscious of the importance of protecting our environment and of fighting against climate change.
It is necessary to understand that through education, the concepts of human rights, gender equality, the promotion of a culture of peace and anti-violence, global citizenship and the value of diversity can be instilled in the youth. In this way, sustainable development, (CEPAL) can become a movement on a global scale, as its concepts have been promoted in international conferences and forums by multilateral agencies like the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Unesco & Griffith University, 2002).
In this way, sustainable development education transcends the classroom and contributes, through new educational paradigms, to fomenting the capacity of the individual to relate not only with other human beings, but with the rest of the world around her. It promotes the respect of human rights, it will develop critical, analytical, and reflective thinking, with concrete benefits that will serve one in confronting life’s challenges. It will foment a civility and protection of the environment as well as stimulate creativity and development of youth personality. It will motivate educational inclusion, justice, innovation, solidarity, interculturality, and peace, promoting a holistic education that will encompass all fields of knowledge.
It will be necessary to prepare educators and make the aware of the cultural changes needed to achieve this model of life that would be compatible with social justice for an environment that could be preserved for the future generations.
In a study by Nieda and Macedo (1997) that addresses education from a different perspective, they signal the necessity of understanding the factors that influence student learning in the classroom. They state that it has to do with the climate of the classroom and the educational center. In this sense, they are bolstered by Gil’s study (1993) on the scholarly climate variables that influence learning: