Sustainable development goals and climate action in government schools in Thembisa township, South Africa

Abstract

Climate change is the biggest threat of the 21st century. The super wicked problem of climate change threatens the biosphere on which all forms of life depend. Climate change is a threat in itself but also a multiplier of other cultural, economic, and social problems such as poor-quality education, forced migration, reduced economic growth, health pandemics and so forth. This is the reason Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) goals number four (4) on quality education and number thirteen (13) on climate action fits squarely with each other. For example, climate action encompasses diverse areas of action, including Climate Change Education (CCE), which can also be referred to as Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Both CCE and ESD are subfields of Environmental Education (EE). Many actors and sectors recognised the role of different types of education in addressing climate change challenge. Climate Change Education can raise awareness thus promoting behavioural change to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This study explored factors influencing government schools’ engagement with the SDGs (SDG 4 and SDG 13), while promoting action through education. A mixed-methods research design was employed, with the study focusing on government schools in Thembisa, Ekurhuleni North Education District, Gauteng Province. A non-probability purposive sampling technique was used to select thirty (30) surveyed schools, including twenty (20) primary and ten (10) secondary schools. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics and Microsoft 365 (Excel and Word) to compile the report. Transformative learning theory and Sen’s capability theory were employed as suitable theoretical frameworks for ESD and development. The findings indicated that government schools engaged in climate action and education, focusing mainly on common environmental themes but not in an obvious or large-scale manner. Participation was inspired mainly by external initiatives more than just interest from schools and faced with various challenges related to but not limited to capacity, resources, time, and syllabus. This therefore highlighted the need to integrate climate change into the curriculum and support the compulsory implementation of Climate Change Education and action in schools accurately and comprehensively. The results also showed that there was no variation between climate action activities, reasons for involvement, suggestions for improvements and the type of school. Fundamentally, the study contributes not only to research but also to best practices in implementing climate change-related interventions. The study is also significant in encouraging schools to realise their capabilities, embrace their potential and become agents of change through climate action and education.