Until Sunday, 23 September, there will be the opportunity to comment and influence the draft of a state strategy for education for sustainable development at www.LSNQ.de/bne arche noVa calls for more space for Education for Sustainable Development in Saxony!
Education for sustainable development
"Unfortunately, the draft falls far short of what was negotiated in specialist working groups with representatives of civil society," says Ronny Daniel Keydel from the Global Learning department at arche noVa. The plan is very unspecific, especially for schools providing general education. Overall, the topic needs more space. "Thinking outside the box and across disciplinary boundaries is important in an increasingly complex world. Besides, this form of learning is the best training for social skills," stresses Ronny Keydel of arche noVa.
Understanding global interrelationships
Education for sustainable development addresses the big issues, such as climate change, the global economy and human rights. "There are enormous gaps in education. Most Saxons still believe that all refugees worldwide come to Germany. Only 1.4 percent of all people who are on the run worldwide live here," explains the education expert from arche noVa. At the same time, our lifestyle in Germany has direct consequences elsewhere in the world. "Before buying the next pair of jeans, every young person should know that the wages of those who sew trousers in Southeast Asia do not cover their livelihoods, even though the textile workers work up to 14 hours a day six days a week," says Ronny Keydel.
Competencies in times of heterogeneity and uncertainty
Education for sustainable development is not only about knowledge, but also about taking responsibility and developing skills for one's own actions. "Our goal is for the young people from Saxony to be able to develop sustainable ideas and visions for the world of tomorrow on their own," says Ronny Keydel. More than technical expertise is important for this. "Students must learn how to deal with ignorance, heterogeneity and uncertainty."
Background Sustainable Development Goals
For 15 years arche noVa has been committed to education for sustainable development with a focus on Saxony. To date, the organization has reached around 32,000 participants in over 2,000 events.
The education for sustainable development concept makes a significant contribution to Agenda 2030, which was adopted by the United Nations in 2015 and comprises 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). In 2017, the Federal Government published the "National Action Plan for Education for Sustainable Development", which is to be implemented by all federal states in their own state strategies.
We call on all those interested in education in Saxony to get involved and comment online on the concept of education for sustainable development. Our hope is that the final version of the strategy will bear a bold signature.
Improving the concept design together
arche noVa employees and other civil society actors were involved in several expert working groups in an advisory capacity during the development process. The current draft of the Free State on ESD can be commented on online until 23.09.2018 at www.LSNQ.de/bne
Comments by arche noVa on the concept
Some of arche noVa's criticisms of the current draft: Much remains vague or pure intention, e.g. an education for sustainable development funding programme, the integration of free schools for teacher training in this area or a special prize for education for sustainable development as part of the Saxon school award ceremony. In addition, some specific tasks for the Saxon education administration had hardly been included or postponed to 2020.
Kommentar zum Entwurf "Sächsische Landesstrategie Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung"
