Ok, let’s get to the topic. It’s education for sustainable development.

It is the use of education to

achieve sustainability. In this case, it relates to the sustainability in economy, social, and
environment. Why do we need education to achieve the sustainability? The answer is because in
education individuals are equipped with knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes. It is hoped that
these individuals are able to come up with new solutions or even take part in dealing with their
environmental, social, and economic issues.

The next is how Education influences the sustainability of our environment? Education plays a
crucial role in improving the environment by fostering awareness, instilling a sense of
responsibility, and equipping individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to address
environmental challenges. For example, infusing climate change into the curriculum. Here,
students learn many things related to climate change, such as how people’s activities lead to
climate change and how its effects on the environment.

The next is about the impact of education on the economic sustainability. Education is a key
driver of economic development and prosperity. A well-educated population contributes to
economic growth in various ways. there are two of many examples of the impact of education on
economy. First, education enhances the skills, knowledge, and capabilities of individuals, turning
them into valuable human capital. A skilled and knowledgeable workforce is crucial for
economic productivity and innovation because he or she can do the job better than those who are
not. Better job equals to better values. Better values mean better wages. And better wages lead to
better economy. Furthermore, education fosters an entrepreneurial mindset and equips
individuals with the skills needed to start and manage businesses. Entrepreneurship contributes
to job creation, economic diversification, and the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises.
The business that they have significantly contributes to the sustainability of economy.

The other one is about the impact of education on the social sustainability. It is known that in
Indonesia, there are a lot of ethnics and cultures. The role of education here is to expose
individuals to diverse perspectives, cultures, and histories, fostering tolerance and respect for
cultural diversity. This understanding contributes to a more harmonious and inclusive society. In
addition, education could reduce social inequality. Here, the role of education is to create
individuals that treat persons based on who they are as humans rather than their socio-economic
status. Another, education provides opportunities to all people, regardless of their socio-
economic backgrounds. Furthermore, education takes a role in developing social norms and
values to individuals. Education shapes social norms and values by transmitting cultural and
societal expectations. It plays a role in instilling values such as empathy, responsibility, and
cooperation, contributing to a more compassionate society.

Here is the illustration, as you can see how social, environment and economy are interconnected.
For example, a healthy, prosperous society relies on a healthy environment to provide food and
resources, safe drinking water and clean air for its citizen. In other words, good environment and
economy lead to a good society.

What about the example in a big scale, like a country. Well, you know Japan in world war II
after Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945). Emperor Hirohito at that time commanded his generals to
find all available teachers. These teachers were meant to teach people in order these people to
have knowledge, skills, and values to contribute to the country. Today, Japan is considered as
one of the most developed countries in the world.

How does the implementation of ESD in Indonesia? Both government and educators already put
much attention on social, economic, and environmental issues. In other words, it’s already
implemented quite well. It can be seen from subjects at school. For example, in biology subject,
it discusses many things related to the environment. In sociology subject discuss how individuals
should interact with people in a society based on norms and values. In economy subject discuss
many things related to economy such as, entrepreneurship and many more.

Next, today educators are aware with the issues. For example, some educators are conducting
development studies on climate change where this product can be very useful for many parties.

There are a few studies related to ESD. The title of this study is Education for Sustainable
Development (ESD) Infusion into Curricula: Influences on Students’ Understandings of
Sustainable Development and ESD. this study aims to find out whether the infusion of ESD into
courses have the impact or not. The finding revealed that before infusion, the students claimed
that they had no idea about the concept of ESD. Then, after infusion, the students became
familiar. In brief, ESD infusion enhanced students’ awareness and knowledge of SD and ESD.

The next study is about the implementation of education for sustainable development to enhance
Indonesian golden generation characters.