Mainstreaming Education for Sustainable Development …
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bodies and institutions around the world. Accordingly, universities, as repositories
of knowledge and learning, can assume a leadership role in making the SDGs, and
supporting concepts, a part of the fabric of higher education. This is a tremendous
challenge and holistic approaches are necessary to improve faculty and administrative participation and engage relevant stake-holders in this shift towards sustainable
universities (Alshuwaikait and Abubakar 2008; Disterheft et al. 2015; Ferrer-Balas
et al. 2009). However, several barriers to change, such as conservatism, unwillingness
to change, or lack of sustainable development information, have slowed the process
of adoption at the university level (Lozano 2006, p. 791).
The seventeen SDGs have broad appeal and application, allowing them to link with
a variety of disciplines in higher education and facilitating their willing adoption.
Ultimately, the most effective approach is to integrate ESD in a wide variety of
disciplines. However, as seen with the case study of English as a Foreign Language
at the tertiary level in Japan, adoption of the SDGs and concepts like ESD is slow and
requires greater understanding of their significance and institutionalized backing.
1.2 ESD in Japanese Higher Education
Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT)
regards EFL as well as ESD as an integral part of Japanese education. All public primary and secondary schools require that each grade’s curriculum include a prescribed
number of hours for “integrated education,” which often includes ESD themes such
as environmental sustainability and local cultural heritage, although implementation
may vary by school. However, ESD in higher education is yet to be systematically
addressed:
ESD implementation in curricula or student-led initiatives at Japanese universities have
lagged behind what can be found in primary and secondary schools and in universities in
many other developed nations, but sustainability-linked research and green campus efforts
are expanding (Singer and Nagata 2017, p. 28).
Awareness of ESD and SDGs appears to be expanding at universities but there
remain some institutional barriers to effective implementation. For example, traditional faculty autonomy impedes attempts to implement ESD at the university level.
Moreover, these barriers appear even before students enter university. For instance,
MEXT has yet to identify SDG competencies or develop new ways of teaching and
learning together with ESD curricula in primary and secondary education (UNESCO
2009b).
547
bodies and institutions around the world. Accordingly, universities, as repositories
of knowledge and learning, can assume a leadership role in making the SDGs, and
supporting concepts, a part of the fabric of higher education. This is a tremendous
challenge and holistic approaches are necessary to improve faculty and administrative participation and engage relevant stake-holders in this shift towards sustainable
universities (Alshuwaikait and Abubakar 2008; Disterheft et al. 2015; Ferrer-Balas
et al. 2009). However, several barriers to change, such as conservatism, unwillingness
to change, or lack of sustainable development information, have slowed the process
of adoption at the university level (Lozano 2006, p. 791).
The seventeen SDGs have broad appeal and application, allowing them to link with
a variety of disciplines in higher education and facilitating their willing adoption.
Ultimately, the most effective approach is to integrate ESD in a wide variety of
disciplines. However, as seen with the case study of English as a Foreign Language
at the tertiary level in Japan, adoption of the SDGs and concepts like ESD is slow and
requires greater understanding of their significance and institutionalized backing.
1.2 ESD in Japanese Higher Education
Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT)
regards EFL as well as ESD as an integral part of Japanese education. All public primary and secondary schools require that each grade’s curriculum include a prescribed
number of hours for “integrated education,” which often includes ESD themes such
as environmental sustainability and local cultural heritage, although implementation
may vary by school. However, ESD in higher education is yet to be systematically
addressed:
ESD implementation in curricula or student-led initiatives at Japanese universities have
lagged behind what can be found in primary and secondary schools and in universities in
many other developed nations, but sustainability-linked research and green campus efforts
are expanding (Singer and Nagata 2017, p. 28).
Awareness of ESD and SDGs appears to be expanding at universities but there
remain some institutional barriers to effective implementation. For example, traditional faculty autonomy impedes attempts to implement ESD at the university level.
Moreover, these barriers appear even before students enter university. For instance,
MEXT has yet to identify SDG competencies or develop new ways of teaching and
learning together with ESD curricula in primary and secondary education (UNESCO
2009b).