APPENDIX 43
Memorandum from the Council for Environmental
Education (CEE)
ABOUT CEE
1. The role of learning in sustainable development
2. Strategic support
2.1 Government commitment
2.2 Role of DfES
2.3 Role of other government departments
2.4 Engaging others
3. The strategic process
Summary of recommendations
References
Acronyms
ABOUT CEE
The Council for Environmental Education (CEE)
is a national umbrella body representing eighty national organisations
committed to environmental education and education for sustainable
development (ESD). CEE is grateful for the opportunity to contribute
to the Committee's valuable and timely inquiry.
SUMMARY OF
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The role of learning in sustainable development
The importance of environmental education has
been recognised at national level for many years (CEE was founded
in 1968) and has evolved over the past 30 years from early roots
in rural studies to encompass appreciation and understanding of
the interdependence of society, economy and environment. Environmental
education became one of five cross-curricular themes in the National
Curriculum (1990) in accordance with an agreement made by European
ministers in 1988. Following the 1992 United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development, the term environmental education
evolved, with a greater emphasis on social and economic aspects
of environment and development issues, into education for sustainable
development (ESD).
The role of learning in sustainable development
(SD) is neatly expressed by Hamm and Muttagi (1998):
". . . Sustainability is not
a concept referring to some static paradise, but rather a capacity
of human beings to continuously adapt to their non-human environments
by means of social organisation"
The SDEP defines ESD in its1999 report:
"Education for sustainable development
enables people to develop the knowledge, values and skills to
participate in decisions about the way we do things individually
and collectively, both locally and globally, that will improve
the quality of life now without damaging the planet for the future."
The SDEP's submission to QCA (1998) identifies
seven concepts that are central to ESD:
1. Interdependence: of society, economy and
the natural environment, from local to global.
2. Citizenship and stewardship: rights and
responsibilities, participation, and co-operation.
3. Needs and rights of future generations.
4. Diversity: cultural, social, economic
and biological.
5. Quality of life, equity and justice.
6. Sustainable change: development and carrying
capacity.
7. Uncertainty, and precaution in action.
CEE believes that:
— Learning has an essential, unique
and central role within SD.
— Learning is the foundation for engagement
with SD, for creative and critical thinking on contested issues
enabling informed judgements in the face of uncertainty.
— Learning should not be confused with
information provision, awareness-raising or indoctrination.
— Rigorous learning that explores the
concepts, values, and processes of SD empowers individual and
collective decision-making.
— Ensuring our collective adaptability
to the challenge of SD requires appropriate lifelong learning
for all people, at all levels of society.
— There are many organisations and
activities offering different perspectives on the role of learning
in SD. These reveal valuable multiple understandings and approaches
which need to be shared and developed through effective partnerships.
They also reveal a lack of direction and coherence.
2. Strategic support
2.1 Government commitment
CEE believes that:
— A strong commitment from government
to learning as a core part of SD is essential to securing SD.
— Government has an enabling role in
all aspects of learning, bringing together learners of all ages,
providers, and decision-makers at all levels.
— Education policy rightly emphasises
the importance of education in securing prosperity. Sustainable
prosperity will be based on education that develops and enables
SD.
— SD policy needs to acknowledge the
central role of learning and all education policy should contain
specific references to its contribution to sustainable development.
— Government needs to commit to a strategic
approach to ESD at national, regional and local levels.
— The SDEP's draft national strategy
(2002) provides a coherent framework for enabling partnerships
for ESD, and should be the core of future development.
— The United Nations Decade of ESD
(2005 to 2015) provides a positive international context for the
development of a strategy in this country.
CEE recommends that:
— Government moves towards high-level
recognition of the importance of learning within SD, and of ESD
within education, by clearly stating a commitment in major policy
documents, consultations and ministerial speeches.
— Government policies related to sustainable
development recognise that learning that enables sustainable development
has a vital role in securing long-term prosperity.
— Government leads by example with
an effective programme for ESD within departments.
— Government commits to a strategic
process that builds capacity for ESD in all sectors of society.
— Government recognises the value of
the United Nations Decade of ESD, nationally and internationally,
and supports the development of a coherent programme of focused
learning.
2.2 Role of the Department for Education and
Skills (DfES)
CEE believes that:
— The role of DfES is central to SD
because learning is central to SD.
— The core business of DfES within
sustainable development is ESD. Reductions in the negative environmental
and social impacts of the department's work are welcome, but secondary.
— DfES should clearly and explicitly
support ESD within the policy, practice and culture of education.
— Existing work within the department
and its agencies is limited by the lack of a clear strategic lead,
or a specific, effective, reportable remit.
— Initiatives, valuable in themselves,
do not amount to a strategic approach.
— Ofsted, QCA, LSC, TTA and other agencies
have vital roles in enabling and reviewing change, but can only
respond to a clear reportable remit and strategic steer.
— An effective strategic commitment
would not require major investment of new resources, but would
be best achieved by a realignment of current priorities to integrate
ESD.
— Existing indicators on education
within sustainable development are inadequate.
CEE recommends that:
— DfES moves to a consistent approach
by making SD an accepted part of the values base and rationale
for all education, through statements equivalent to the statement
of values, aims and purposes of the National Curriculum.
— DfES ensures ESD is a central and
clearly identified part of education policy, strategy, guidance,
curricula, teaching and management practice.
— DfES creates a strategic advice unit
on ESD, to lead strategic and sector-specific development, effectively
engaging appropriate professional and NGO expertise.
— DfES agrees, within the remit of
agencies including HEFCE, LSC, LSDA, NCSL, Ofsted, QCA, SSDA,
TTA, a clear, reportable requirement to develop strategic support
for ESD, to build capacity for quality, rigour and the development
of practice.
— DfES includes the role of ESD in
current departmental and agency strategic work, including the
Core Principles for the education system, the National Skills
Strategy, support for subject specialism, 14-19 reform, higher
education reform, the Connexions Service, the development of Sector
Skills Councils and the National Qualifications Framework.
— DfES investigates the potential of
ESD in grounding and enriching learning experiences and aiding
progress towards educational goals, social inclusion and economic
competitiveness.
— DfES develops a strategic approach
to ESD in schools, on a similar scale to, and based on the successes
of, strategic initiatives in citizenship education, health education,
and work-related learning.
— DfES undertakes a rigorous research
programme into effective indicators for ESD.
2.3 Role of other government departments
CEE believes that:
— Constructive and coherent engagement
across government departments is essential to the success of a
strategic commitment to ESD.
— Government departments in partnership
with DfES can make unique and valuable contributions to developing
coherent opportunities for ESD.
— The role of learning needs to be
an acknowledged, central part of SD policy.
— New activity should build on existing
policy, programmes, and expertise supporting learning within the
work of departments including DCMS, Defra, DfID, DTI, and DfT.
CEE recommends that:
— Progress reports on the Sustainable
Development Strategy include reports on learning that enables
SD.
— The Green Minister network promotes,
and reports clearly on progress towards, effective ESD within
departments.
— In line with the recommendations
of SDEP, departments identify objectives for building understanding
of SD into all policy documents, consultations and reports dealing
with SD issues.
— Building understanding of sustainable
development becomes a central and reportable part of the remit
of agencies and NDPBs with a role in sustainable development.
— Building understanding of sustainable
development becomes a reportable part of the remit of lottery
funding distributors sponsored by DCMS.
2.4 Engaging others
CEE believes that:
— Much relevant experience, commitment
and expertise exists within local, regional and national organisations
including learning institutions, Learning Partnerships, local
authorities, non-governmental organisations, professional groups,
community groups and research bodies.
— The voluntary sector has a unique
role in developing ESD policy, programmes and practice.
— Existing activity provides exemplars
of valuable elements of ESD, including direct experience of natural
and built environments, active citizenship in local communities
and development education exploring global issues.
— Government policy should seek to
enable practitioners to develop coherent diverse good practice
in ESD, reflecting shared core values.
— A coherent and effective contribution
to strategic development is best achieved using structures and
processes equivalent to those specified by the SDEP draft national
strategy.
CEE recommends that:
— Government moves rapidly to wide
consultation on the SDEP draft strategy, or a strategy modelled
closely on it.
3. The strategic process
CEE believes that:
— The work of SDEP in strategic development
has provided the groundwork for a significant move towards effective,
coherent and appropriate ESD.
— The strategic momentum built up through
the work of SDEP and others risks being squandered without a firm
commitment to a national strategy for ESD modelled closely on
the SDEP draft.
— CEE, along with the Development Education
Association, has a clear role in co-ordinating an effective and
constructive response to consultation, and in developing the sector's
capacity towards implementation of a national strategy.
— Effective, responsive consultation
is essential to ensuring commitment to a strategy, and should
not be sidelined to achieve rapid action.
— ESD is not about providing simple
answers to complex issues, but developing the capacity of people
to engage with the process of sustainable development.
— The SDEP draft strategy acknowledges
the importance of this process, and is designed to enable appropriate
decisions and development at local level.
CEE recommends that:
— The successor bodies to SDEP identified
in the ministerial letter announcing the end of the SDEP- the
Sustainable Development Education Sounding Board and cross-Whitehall
group of officials- take full account of the SDEP's work.
— The successor bodies to SDEP support
a rapid move to wide consultation on a strategy modelled closely
on the SDEP draft.
SUMMARY OF
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Government moves towards high-level recognition
of the importance of learning within SD, and of ESD within education,
by clearly stating a commitment in major policy documents, consultations
and ministerial speeches.
2. Government policies related to sustainable
development recognise that learning that enables sustainable development
has a vital role in securing long-term prosperity.
3. Government leads by example with an effective
programme for ESD within departments.
4. Government commits to a strategic process
that builds capacity for ESD in all sectors of society.
5. Government recognises the value of the
United Nations Decade of ESD, nationally and internationally,
and supports the development of a coherent programme of focused
learning.
6. DfES moves to a consistent approach by
making SD an accepted part of the values base and rationale for
all education, through statements equivalent to the statement
of values, aims and purposes of the National Curriculum.
7. DfES ensures ESD is a central and clearly
identified part of education policy, strategy, guidance, curricula,
teaching and management practice.
8. DfES creates a strategic advice unit
on ESD, to lead strategic and sector-specific development, effectively
engaging appropriate professional and NGO expertise.
9. DfES agrees, within the remit of agencies
including HEFCE, LSC, LSDA, NCSL, Ofsted, QCA, SSDA, TTA, a clear,
reportable requirement to develop strategic support for ESD, to
build capacity for quality, rigour and the development of practice.
10. DfES includes the role of ESD in current
departmental and agency strategic work, including the Core Principles
for the education system, the National Skills Strategy, support
for subject specialism, 14-19 reform, higher education reform,
the Connexions Service, the development of Sector Skills Councils
and the National Qualifications Framework.
11. DfES investigates the potential of ESD
in grounding and enriching learning experiences and aiding progress
towards educational goals, social inclusion and economic competitiveness.
12. DfES develops a strategic approach to
ESD in schools, on a similar scale to, and based on the successes
of, strategic initiatives in citizenship education, health education,
and work-related learning.
13. DfES undertakes a rigorous research
programme into effective indicators for ESD.
14. Progress reports on the Sustainable
Development Strategy include reports on learning that enables
SD.
15. The Green Minister network promotes,
and reports clearly on progress towards, effective ESD within
departments.
16. In line with the recommendations of
SDEP, departments identify objectives for building understanding
of SD into all policy documents, consultations and reports dealing
with SD issues.
17. Building understanding of sustainable
development becomes a central and reportable part of the remit
of agencies and NDPBs with a role in sustainable development.
18. Building understanding of sustainable
development becomes a reportable part of the remit of lottery
funding distributors sponsored by DCMS.
19. Government moves rapidly to wide consultation
on the SDEP draft strategy, or a strategy modelled closely on
it.
20. The successor bodies to SDEP identified
in the ministerial letter announcing the end of the SDEP—the
Sustainable Development Education Sounding Board and cross-Whitehall
group of officials—take full account of the SDEP's work.
21. The successor bodies to SDEP support
a rapid move to wide consultation on a strategy modelled closely
on the SDEP draft.
June 2003
REFERENCES
Hamm B and Muttagi PK (1998) Sustainable
Development and the Future of Cities. London: Intermediate
Technology Publications.
Sustainable Development Education Panel (1998)
First Annual Report. London: Defra/DfES.
Sustainable Development Education Panel (1999)
Second Annual Report. London: Defra/DfES.
Sustainable Development Education Panel (2003)
Learning to Last: the Government's Sustainable Development
Education Strategy for England Draft. London: Defra/DfES.
ACRONYMS
CEE: Council for Environmental Education
DCMS: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Defra: Department for the Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs
DfES: Department for Education and Skills
DfID: Department for International Development
DfT: Department for Transport
DTI: Department of Trade and Industry
HEFCE: Higher Education Funding Council for
England
LSC: Learning and Skills Council
LSDA: Learning and Skills Development Agency
NCSL: National College for School Leadership
NDPBs: Non-departmental public bodies
Ofsted: Office for Standards in Education
QCA: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
SDEP: Sustainable Development Education Panel
SSDA: Sector Skills Development Agency
TTA: Teacher Training Agency
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