CURRENT ISSUES IN TEACHER EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA
By

Mrs. Kumari Berkmans M.Sc., M.Phil., M.Ed., MPhil. M.Sc.(Psy)

&
Professor M. Nirmala Jothi, Dept. of Education, SMPVV University, Tirupati.
Organised by School of Education &HRD, DRAVIDIAN UNIVERSITY-Kuppam
Research scholar , Sri Padmavathi Mahilavisva vidyalayam University, Tirupati

Abstra
ct:
The development of any country
into a great nation is only possible if there
are competent and dedicated teachers to
impart the appropriate knowledge, aptitude
and skills. The training of teacher must be
given by the government through relevant
and
functional
teacher
education
programmes. Teacher provides the
required competence, skills, knowledge
and ideas that would transform the
individual into efficient and useful
member of the community he belongs to.
This paper focuses attention on Current
issues in Teacher Education, Importance of
Teacher Education, Current situation on
Teacher Education curricula vis--vis ESD
and effectively incorporating ESD into the
Curriculum and Guidelines for Teacher
Education Institutions.
1. Introduction:
Teacher education is a
central focal factor for national
development because the entire sector in
the society depends on human resources
for efficient work and continuous
development.
To
produce
capable
citizenship of high quality, we need high
quality education. We need to improve the
quality of teacher education and develop
educational standards that contain local
and national issues.
Teacher education should occupy, a
special position because, teachers are very
important in the development and progress
of a nation. No nation can be developed
without any good educational system and a
planned programme of action and policies.
India needs to be supported in developing
its own ESD indicators as well as methods
for
capturing
information
in
a
contextually-relevant manner.
Education plays a critical role in
development

Learning for change Learning

to change
Learning to live together
sustainably
(Kochiro Matsuura, UNESCO
Director-General)
As Mahatma Gandhi said, "Education for
life, education through life, education
throughout life", opportunities for
education exist everywhere and it is a
continuing process of learning.
Educating for a more sustainable
future includes improving quality
basic
education,
reorienting
education to address sustainability,
improving public awareness, and
providing training to many sectors of
society. This document focuses on
one aspect of education teacher
education especially the role of
institutions of teacher education in
reorienting their curricula to address
sustainability.

Teacher education institutions and teacher

educators are key change agents in
reorienting
education
to
address
sustainability. TEIs fulfil vital roles in the
global education community. They have
the potential to bring changes within
educational systems that will shape the
knowledge and skills of future generations.
Teacher education institutions serve as key
change agents in transforming education
and society. So such a future is possible
only through teachers and Teacher
education institutions.
2. Sustainable Development (Meaning
and Definition):
ESD is a process of learning how to
make decisions that consider the long-term
futures of the economy, ecology, and the
equitable development of all communities.
The three pillars
of sustainable

development are economic, environment,

and social.
2.1 What is sustainable development?
Sustainable development takes
into account social (such as health,
education and rights) and economic as well
as environmental factors. It incorporates
the concepts of both intragenerational
equity (providing for the needs of the least
advantaged now) and intergenerational
equity
(fair
treatment
of
future
generations). Young people are citizens of
today, not citizens in waiting. Education
for citizenship is about developing in
learners the ability to take up their place in
society as responsible, successful, effective
and confident citizens both now and in the
future.

requires participatory teaching and

learning methods that motivate and
empower learners to change their
behaviour and take action for sustainable
development. Education for Sustainable
Development consequently promotes
competencies like critical thinking,
imagining future scenarios and making
decisions in a collaborative way.
2.2. Definition
for
sustainable
development:
Sustainable development is defined as,
meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future
generations
to
meet
their
own
needs(world commission on Env. and
development.1987).
Education for a sustainable society is
defined as;
Enables people to develop the
knowledge, values and skills to
participate in decisions that will
improve the quality of life now without
damaging the planet for the future.
Higher education is taking a leadership
role to prepare students and provide the
information and knowledge to achieve a
sustainable society.

Education for Sustainable Development

allows every human being to acquire the
knowledge, skills, attitudes and values
necessary to shape a sustainable future;
including key sustainable development
issues into teaching and learning; for
example, climate change, disaster risk
reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction,
and sustainable consumption. It also

Sustainable development is a continuous

learning process. The increasing largescaled industrial activities cause sideeffects which become obvious only many
years later, for besides the negative impact
on the natural environment, and
consequently on peoples health. The
industrial activities threaten to exhaust the
natural resources in the short or medium
term. From the middle of the 20th century,
these effects were clearly visible and for
the first time. So Seventeen national
Higher Education associations and twenty
national disciplinary associations are
creating initiatives on education for
sustainable development.

3. Factors influence on ESD:

with HIV and AIDS and other major

widespread health risks.

The factors exerts strong influence on ESD

are;
Health
water
Indigenous knowledge
Cultural diversity
Curriculum for excellence
Gender equality
Poverty
Sustainable life style
3.1 Health:
Health is defined in relation to the
environmental and human characteristics
of peoples daily lives and the links
between them. Health includes the impact
of human activities on the health of
individuals and groups, their economy and
their environment.
Hunger, malnutrition, malaria, water-borne
diseases, drug and alcohol abuse, violence
and injury, unplanned pregnancy, HIV and
AIDS and other sexually transmitted
infections are just some of the problems
that have enormous implications for
health. So awareness and education are
powerful ways to drive behavioural change
related to health.
3.1.1. Powerful
ways
to
drive
behavioural change related to health:

Health promotion is the process of

enabling people to increase control over
and improve their health.

The goal of universal education

cannot be achieved while the health needs
of all remain unmet.

Education should also enable

people to learn to live healthily in a world

Policy, management and systems

should provide guidance, oversight,
coordination,
monitoring
and
evaluation to ensure an effective,
sustainable,
and
institutionalized
educational
response
to health
challenges.
Education should enable learners to
adopt caring and supportive attitudes to
others as well as protective and healthseeking behaviours for themselves.

3.2. Water:
ESD provides an opportunity for learners,
especially the excluded or marginalized, to
receive
a
water-related
education,
including
science,
water-fetching,
sanitation and hygiene as well as to
develop the relevant knowledge, skills,
values and behaviours in a water
sustainability-friendly context.
This implies that:

Learning
encourages
behavioural
changes and provides the skills
required for participation in water
governance.
Schools
and
other
educational
environments
promote
water

sustainability, with access to safe water

and sanitation facilities.
Educational structures, policy and
management
provide
guidance,
oversight, coordination, monitoring
and evaluation to ensure an effective,
sustainable
and
institutionalized
educational
response
to
water
governance challenges.

3.3. Indigenous knowledge:

By bringing indigenous knowledge on
board alongside science provides a
foundation for enhancing biodiversity
management.

ESD aims at promoting teaching

which respects indigenous and
traditional
knowledge
and
encourages the use of indigenous
languages in education

Indigenous worldviews and

perspectives
on
sustainability
should be integrated into education
programmes at all levels whenever
relevant.

Local knowledge and languages are

repositories of diversity and key
resources in understanding the
environment and in using it to the
best advantage. They foster and
promote local cultural specificities,
customs and values.

The preservation of cultures is

linked to economic development.
However, tourism and cultural
industries can run the risk of
commodifying
culture
for
outsiders.

Cultures must be respected as the

living and dynamic contexts within
which human beings find their
values and identity.

3.4. Cultural diversity exerts strong

influence on ESD:

Cultural diversity exerts strong

influence on ESD.

All ESD must be locally relevant

and culturally appropriate.
Culture influences what this
generation chooses to teach the
next generation including what
knowledge is valued, skills, ethics,
languages and worldviews.
ESD
requires
intercultural
understanding if people are to live
together peacefully, tolerating and
accepting differences amongst
cultural and ethnic groups.
ideal professional development for
practising in-service teachers by
updating their knowledge and skills
create teacher education curricula
carry out research
contribute to textbooks
provide expert advice to local
schools upon request
provide
expert
opinion
to
provincial and national ministries
of education
educate and certify headmasters,
principals, and other school
administrators

Because of this broad influence in

the education community, faculty
members of teacher education
institutions are perfectly situated to
promote ESD.

3.5. Curriculum for excellence:

Curriculum for Excellence specifically

refers to young people 'developing a
knowledge and understanding of the world
and India's place in it'.
Curriculum for Excellence is underpinned
by the values of wisdom, compassion,
integrity and justice. Within this, education
for citizenship provides learners with the
opportunity to develop an understanding of
fairness and justice, equips them
with skills of critical evaluation and
encourages the expression of attitudes and
beliefs to respond to the challenges we
face as global citizens in a constructive
and positive manner.

Issues addressed through education for

citizenship
include
human
rights,
sustainable development, peace and
conflict resolution, social equality and
appreciation of diversity. International
education helps to prepare young people
for life and active participation in a global
multicultural society, by developing in
them knowledge and understanding of the
world and India's place in it.
3.6. Gender Equality:

Gender equality in education is about

giving equal opportunities to learning, in
formal and non-formal education settings,
as a fundamental human right for all, girls
and boys, women and men. The pursuit of
gender equality is central to the vision of
sustainability where each member of
society respects others and fulfils her/his
potential. Despite progress, girls and
women continue to be disproportionately
excluded from education, especially at
secondary education level and in the area
of adult literacy.
Gender-based discrimination in education
is both a cause and a consequence of deeprooted disparities and discrimination in
society. Factors such as poverty,
geographical isolation, ethnic background,
disability, traditional attitudes about the
status and role of girls and women
undermine the ability of women and girls
to exercise their rights.
Harmful practices such as early marriages
and pregnancies, and gender-based
violence (GBV) particularly in school
overlap with gender discrimination in
education laws, policies, contents and
practices that prevent girls form enrolling,
completing
and
benefitting
from
education, compared to their male
counterparts.

The personal, social, economic, health and

other benefits from education are
important,
so
are
the
negative
consequences of failure to do provide
education to individuals particularly girls
and women, mainstreamed throughout
educational planning from infrastructure
planning to material development to
pedagogical processes. They must be
addressed at all levels of education, from
early childhood to higher education.
3.7. Poverty:
There are clear linkages between
education,
poverty
reduction
and
sustainability. The poor and marginalized
are disproportionately more affected by
poor environmental and socio-economic
conditions.
ESD can contribute to sustainable
environmental management to improve
livelihoods, increase economic security
and income opportunities for the poor.

Educational responses to poverty need

to address the fact that many of the worlds
poor do not participate in the formal
market economy but in non-formal
economies, and many are self-employed
entrepreneurs. Education that is relevant
and purposeful has the power to transform
peoples lives. ESD has the potential to
equip people with skills needed to improve
their livelihoods.

3.8. Sustainable Lifestyles:

Globalization has made consumers
powerful actors in our world economy.
Our daily choices as consumers affect the
lives of workers in distant places and the
way people live.
Sustainable consumption means buying
goods and services that do not harm the
environment, society, and the economy.
Although it is predominantly an issue for
high-income and emerging economies,
consumption is an excellent entry point for
teaching about sustainable development.
Consumer education is practical, touching
the daily lives of people near and far away.
Local consumer action can have a global,
social, economic, and environmental
impact, both today and tomorrow.

3.8.1. Education has an important role

to play for consumers:

Education therefore has an important role

to play for consumers in terms of:

Learning to know about the

products we buy.
Encourage curiosity about how and
where goods are produced as well as what
the working conditions are in the country
of origin? How far are goods shipped to
reach the supermarket shelves? What is the
environmental footprint of the production
and transport of certain products?
Using knowledge about the impact
of our economic choices in order to change
our behaviour and consumption habits.
However, knowledge is not enough. ESD
is a transformative learning process and
aims to change the way people interact
with the world.
4. Importance of Teacher Education:
Teacher education has the following
importance:
Institutions of teacher education are
ideally situated to play central roles in
educational reform, and teachers are
the key change agents.
To support global implementation of
ESD we need international cooperative
programmes
for
administrators,
curriculum developers.

Teacher education provides confidence

among teachers to face the class and
challenge associated with teaching.
Teacher educators train new teachers,
provide professional development for
practising teachers, consult with
regional and national ministries of
education.
Teacher educators not only write pre
service teacher education curriculum,
but also officially mandated curriculum
for primary and secondary education.
Progress in re-orienting programs
towards ESD, especially in terms of
curriculum.
content, but lacking in terms of
modes of instruction and assessment.

4.1. Current issues on teacher education

curricula vis--vis ESD:
Few current issues on teacher education
curricula vis a-vis ESD were discussed
here are;

ESD is mostly taught in a crossdisciplinary way, in sciences as

opposed to in the arts or
Humanities section.
More research on ESD is
necessary,
in
particular
on
indicators
to
assess
ESDchallenges.
ESD contributions, ESD skills,
competences, values and goals.
Lack of communication with
stakeholders in the community on
ESD.
ESD by nature is holistic and
interdisciplinary and depends on
concepts and analytical tools from
a variety of disciplines.
Sustainable development is a
complex and evolving concept.
Many scholars and practitioners
have invested years in trying to
define sustainable development.

One of the greatest expenses of

implementing ESD will come with
providing
appropriate
basic
education Meeting these goals will
require hiring many more teachers.
These new teachers must be
trained, and current teachers must
be retrained, to reorient their
curriculums
to
address
sustainability.
Envisioning how to achieve it on
national and local levels. Because
sustainable development is hard to
define and implement and also
difficult to teach.
Even more challenging is the task
of totally reorienting an entire
education system to achieve
sustainability.

4.2. Educational reform:

The current widespread acknowledgment
of the need for educational reform may
help advance ESD. If it can be linked to
one or more priorities of educational
reform, ESD could have a good chance for
success. However, if promoters try to add
another issue to an already over-burdened
system, the chances of success are slim.
One current global concern that has the
potential to drive educational reform in
many countries is economic security.
Around the world, ministries of education
and commerce are asking: What changes
will prepare a workforce that will make
our country economically viable in the
changing
economy
of
the
new
millennium?
One educational effort that can boost the
economic potential of entire nations is
educating females. During the last decade,
some national leaders have recognized that
educating the entire workforce, both males
and females, is important for economic

viability. In addition, Lawrence Summer of

the World Bank says, "Once all the
benefits are recognized, investments in the
education of girls may well be the highestreturn investment available in the
developing world" (King and Hill, 1993, p
vii). Accordingly, some nations are
removing barriers to girls attending school
and have campaigns to actively enroll girls
in school.
4.3. Effectively incorporating ESD into
the curricula:
Societies generally expect educational
systems to prepare young people for their
future professional life and/or continued
studies. The educational system is seen as
having a socialising role and is expected to
contribute to preparing young people to
take up their responsibilities in helping to
shape the complex society in which we all
now live.
It is because of the latter reason that, by
the mid-sixties and early seventies, socalled adjectival educations such as
environmental education, health education,
citizenship, peace education etc.- were
introduced into the curriculum of many
educational systems. So the teacher
education institutes are the whole and sole
for the development of ESD. Some
important guidelines are suggested to
teacher education institutions.
4.2.1. Guidelines for Teacher Education
Institutions:

Decide which themes to emphasize

within their curriculums, syllabi,
practices
Policies to ensure that teachereducation
programs
fit
the
environmental,
social,
economic
conditions and goals of their
communities, regions, nations.
Ensure
that
educators
and
administrators understand the concept
of sustainability and are familiar with
its principles.

Avoid overloading the curriculum and

to solely link ESD to one or two
disciplines.

Be open to diverse learning strategies

to
effectively
implement
ESD
principles and contents at the school
and classroom levels.

4.2.2. What does it mean to integrate

sustainable development in education?
Unlike education about the
environment, which is focused on
preserving
natural
resources,
sustainable development is centred
on man, says Claude Villeneuve,
director of the eco-consultancy chair
at the University of Quebec at
Chicoutimi (Canada). And it is
humankind, being asked to change
its behaviour that is at the heart of
the Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development (20052014).
It is less about a prescribed body of
knowledge and more about concrete
exploration of issues.
Education
for
sustainable
development needs to be related to
the learners needs and to engage
with real world issues, says
Stephen Sterling, an independent
British consultant on education
related to environmental issues and
sustainable development. It is
important to start from where the
people are at, in order to establish
the issues personal relevance. Then
we can help people expand their
perspective.
5. Current situation in India:
India organized a national workshop on
ESD, to create awareness about sustainable
development among faculty members.

Through other IASE workshops and

meetings, faculty members identified
broad course content for reorienting
teacher
education
to
address
sustainable development. The broad
areas identified included: concept of
sustainable development, education for
sustainable development, consumer
education,
population
education,
sustainable agriculture, environmental
conservation, resource management,
impact of technology on the
environment, and womens education
and sustainability.
These topics have been incorporated
in some optional papers as well as in
some teaching subjects of the Bachelor
of Education (B.Ed.) degree. The
following changes were incorporated at
the B.Ed. level beginning with the
2002-2003 session
IASE increased links with other
universities and NGOs in Delhi and
provided opportunities for deeper
interaction with people involved in
similar disciplines.
Objectives for institutionalizing of the
revised curriculum were achieved on
time.
IASE organized in-service programs
for Delhi teachers on sustainable
development.
Craft
instructors
started
using
handmade papers and reusing or
recycling, waste products.
.
Student teachers are undertaking
projects based on environmental
problems in their communities.

6. Recommendations:
Few important recommendations were
suggested here;
Schools of education, curriculum
development institutes and educational
research
organizations should be at
the forefront of the search and
development of these new forms of
teaching and learning.

The kinds of curricula, learning

environments and school community
relationships that are needed to allow
for such learning to flourish.
At the same time educational policies
and support mechanisms that allow for
more integrated forms of teaching and
learning should be strengthened.
The successful implementation of a
new educational trend will require
responsible, accountable leadership
and expertise in both systemic
educational change and sustainable
development.
We must develop realistic strategies to
quickly create knowledgeable and
capable leadership

7 . Conclusion:
. As ESD triggered in teaching are still in
their early stages, there is a worldwide call
for alternative methodologies that can

strengthen peoples SD related capacities

such as : understanding complexity; seeing
connections
and
interdependencies;
participating in democratic decision
making processes; and questioning. So s
upport for ESD-related research is needed
to enhance both the quality and the
evidence base of ESD.
References:
United
Nations
Programme(1995).

Development

Human development report,

Oxford
University press.

Human Right Education UNESCO

Org.Publication1984.

Kishan, R.N.(2007). Globalisationchallenges in teacher education.

World commission on Environment

and development. 1987.

Contributors:
1.Mrs. Kumari Berkmans
Research scholar
Education department
Sri Padmavati Mahila Vishva Vidyalayam University, Tirupati.
Ph:8125977451
Email.ID: kumara.josemon@gmail.com
2. Prof. M. Nirmalala Jothi
Education department
Sri Padmavati Mahila Vishva Vidyalayam University, Tirupati.