Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei stands to gain in implementing the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) programme, as it can help to resolve global issues through a practical approach which is learning by doing, head of education institutions heard yesterday.

ESD is seen as a way to resolve issues, as it is related to individuals' skills, values, attitudes and problem solving, said Hjh Norjum Hj Mohd Yusop, acting permanent secretary at the Ministry of Education yesterday.

During the opening of a briefing on ESD at the Civil Service Institute, she said that this holistic self-development is also aligned with the National Education System for the 21st Century (SPN2I) objectives, which further highlights the importance of spreading the message of ESD to teachers and students.

The acting permanent secretary explained that the Ministry of Education, through the Brunei Darussalam National Commission for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), was established to implement, analyse and monitor best practices of ESD which can be applied. "Issues that have been brought up in sustainable development are universal issues," she added.

She hoped that teachers present at the briefing would better understand the ESD concept and deliver the message to other teachers as agents or educators to students. "It is also hoped that teachers would provide feedbacks to EST committee members after sharing with teachers from respective schools so that it would prepare the committee in organising a workshop that is more effective and achieve results in schools' implementation stage," she said.

Hjh Norjum further said that ESD committee members are responsible to lead the programme into a bigger scope by involving other relevant ministries, private sector, non-profit organisations and the society.

Nor Erawadi Hj Ibrahim, senior education officer of the Science, Technology & Environment Partnership (Step) Centre, said that Brunei should pursue the ESD programme because it is a whole-school approach to solve community problems and is aligned with SPN21's aims to equip students with knowledge and skills in meeting social and economic challenges.

"As far as schools are concerned, ESD is about providing solutions to issues based on certain topics in a subject or issues that concern their community or the country," he said during the briefing.

He said that teachers can exercise their freedom if they wish to integrate ESD in their teaching. "How we see it is, hopefully the teachers will inculcate the principles of ESD in their teachings, especially on relevant topics they feel are ESD-relevant."

"Educators have a role to educate students on the importance of environmental conservation," said Sarimah Abu Bakar, another senior education officer at Step Centre.

She said that the centre played the role of disseminating information on environment to education institutions, and provided advice to schools on how to conduct their ESD activities.

A number of initiatives have been introduced as part of the ESD programme, including the formation of the Environment Club in schools and Energy Club, where 26 schools have or expressed the interest to establish.

Currently, a proper ESD framework has yet to be implemented, where there is an integration of how agencies and education institutions carry out ESD projects with common goals.

ESD aims to empower citizens to act for positive environmental and social change through a participatory and action-oriented approach, according to Unesco, the lead agency that coordinates the ESD programme at the international level.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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