Education for Sustainable Development and primary school curriculum

Abstract

Education for sustainable development (ESD) provides great opportunities to our youth to participate and tackle the complex issues of sustainable development. In this article qualitative content analysis was used to describe the status of ESD in the primary school curriculum of Pakistan. Four subjects (General Science, Social Study, Urdu, and Islamic study) of grades 4 and 5 were scrutinized for different aspects of ESD. A coding scheme was developed for qualitative content analysis. Findings of the study revealed that some content about SD were present in the curriculum, however, the term sustainable development (SD) or sustainability was never mentioned in the curriculum. Overall the skill contents of ESD were the most concentrated element of ESD in the primary school curriculum followed by environmental and social content. Given their conceptual complexity economic element was among the least represented element of ESD in the curriculum. It indicate that the primary school curriculum was not developed according to the principles of SD. It is suggested that in the development or revision of primary education curriculum the principles of ESD must be considered