Global Schools Program: The Opportunities and Challenges of Curriculum Localization for the Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goals: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13
- SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-Being
- SDG 4 - Quality Education
- SDG 5 - Gender Equality
- SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation
- SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 13 - Climate Action
Global Schools Program
THE OPPORTUNITES AND CHALLENGES OF CURRICULUM LOCALIZATION FOR THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS:
SUMMARY RESULTS OF THE GLOBAL SCHOOLS PILOT IN GHANA, TURKEY, AND MOROCCO
The Global Schools Program is an initiative of the UN SDSN in support of UNESCO’s Global Action Program on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Through research and advocacy, Global Schools develops the tools, resources, and programs to support schools and educators around the globe. The vision of the program is to create a world where every primary and secondary school student is being equipped with the knowledge, values, and skills necessary for effectively responding to the greatest challenges of this century and shaping a sustainable and prosperous world for all.
Introduction and Background
To build a more sustainable and prosperous society, individuals require the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes to create long-lasting solutions to global problems. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 goals set to improve the world by 2030. These goals were adopted from the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly Resolution: Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This resolution was adopted by the General Assembly on September 25th, 2015, and consists of 17 goals with 169 targets and 232 measurable indicators that the world should work towards. The SDGs recognize economic wellbeing, social inclusion, and environmental protection as key elements at the heart of sustainable development and provide direction on governing bodies, organizations, and individuals, and the targets and indicators create concrete ways to measure progress.
The SDGs are built upon the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of 2000-2015, but provide a more comprehensive framework to address world issues, including poverty, education, and climate change. The SDGs were born at the 2012 Rio +20 Summit in Brazil, and over the next three years, public negotiations occurred with world leaders, along with governments, businesses, communities, universities, NGOs, and youth, to draft the new Agenda 2030. As a result, in 2015, all 193 countries of the United Nations signed on to the 17 SDGs, committing to achieve them by 2030.
From No Poverty (SDG 1) to Zero Hunger (SDG 2) to Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3, the SDGs address the most pressing issues facing the world and its inhabitants. SDG 4 (Quality Education) is essential to achieving all of the other goals in the agenda. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light many challenges facing education systems and caused a series of human, economic, and social crises reversing sustainable development efforts around the world. Most governments have temporarily closed educational institutions, affecting more than 1 billion learners globally. Therefore, any attempt of a post-COVID 19 economic recovery must be accompanied by increased efforts and investment to improve education and individuals skills. This can be achieved through Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).