Education for sustainability policies: ramifications for practice

While it is well understood there is an urgent need to
address global environmental problems, there is less understanding
around how these problems can be addressed. At each level of
government, policy is initiated as a response to a perceived problem.
However, research has shown governmental policies are overly
generalised which creates a universal approach, with little regard for
contextual difference. This paper seeks to push back against unspoken
assumptions surrounding Education for Sustainability (EfS) policy
processes from development to implementation, showing that context
is important in the interpretation of policy. Through a mixed method
survey, the findings illustrate how EfS policies are often overloaded
with infrastructure rather than educational benefits, minimising the
policy objectives for sustainability as a cross-curricular priority.
Three key points are raised to advocate for a new ‘systems thinking’
approach to policy implementation, with ramifications proposed to
enable a more effective enactment of Education for Sustainability into
curriculum