The Uptake of Education for Sustainable Development in Geography Curricula in South African Secondary Schools

Abstract

Curriculum innovation that took place in the post-apartheid era in South Africa provided opportunities for integrating environmental concerns and sustainability issues in subjects such as geography and science at further education and training level (FET). However, evidence from my PhD study in geography education at FET level shows that there are major challenges in the implementation of education for sustainable development (ESD) in the school context. These relate, firstly, to teachers' lack of content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and, secondly, to contextual issues and structural constraints within schools. In order to overcome some of the challenges, a standards-based teacher training model is recommended to ensure the mastery of appropriate competencies for the implementation of environmental education (EE) and ESD.