Analytical study based on perspectives of teacher educators in India with respect to education for sustainable development

Abstract

Education for sustainable development (ESD) has been accepted worldwide as one of the most powerful paradigms of thinking, which has a potential for changing the ongoing course of unsustainable development in order to save the fate of life on Mother Earth. As we prepare ourselves to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) of United Nations 2030 Agenda, it is crucial to analyze and reflect on the initiatives taken, which aim at sensitizing the stakeholders of education with the holistic concept of ESD, especially when it has been reported in the literature that countries of the Asia Pacific region have been slow in formally embracing the concept of ESD in their education system. With this contextual background, the present research paper aimed at understanding the prevailing perception of ESD amongst the teacher educators of India. A qualitative deductive content analysis methodology was adopted for an in-depth analysis of the subjective responses of teacher educators, teaching graduate and post-graduate level courses of teacher education programs of India's Chandigarh region. A codebook was developed on the basis of UNESCO's Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future (TLSF) program for the analysis. The findings of the research identified how and to what extent the indicators of ESD were addressed through broader categories of knowledge, skills and values. The research joins larger conversation of reorienting the teacher education programs particularly through the lens of cultural sustainability to achieve a sustainable future.