Tomorrow today; 2010 - unesdoc - Unesco

Image: Inpyoung Elementary SchoolImage: Tongyeong RCEStudents at Inpyoung Elementary School performing a role play in an ESD project classTongyeong RCE saw participants in an ESD Camp produce anartwork made out of wetland plantsglobal issues at a distance, the online networks weaving individualsand societal trends can be organized as transformative agents for everyeconomic and social activity.The Korean National Commission for UNESCO began to hold theESD Colloquium Series in a bid to tackle those impediments. Theunifying theme for the 2010 Series is ‘How shall Korea utilize ESD?’Each event, co-organized by the Commission and its partner institutions,intends to stretch the benefits and potential of ESD beyond the‘inner circle’. Thematic areas associated with the series include greentechnology, creative learning, local development, social integrationand educational innovation. The series is designed to foster conditionsfor identifying and expanding the alliances for ESD in Korea, so thatthe ESD constituency reaches out to diverse stakeholders, includinggovernment, civil society, the private sector and academia.More often than not, the Korean success story of realizing the principlesand values ESD has to offer focuses on Tongyeong, a harbour citylocated in the southernmost part of the Korean peninsula. Tongyeongis a costal region of 138,000 people in an area of 240 square kilometres.Marine resources and cultural heritage are the focus of itseconomic activities, based on fisheries and eco-tourism. Providingall citizens with a quality education in support of generational equityand global justice has been deemed an imperative for prosperity andfor the very existence of local society. Since being designated as aRegional Centre of Expertise (RCE) by United Nations University in2005, the island has vividly illustrated how ESD can lead to dramaticchanges in local education and people’s lives.An ESD model elementary school, Inpyoung, has integrated ESDinto its curriculum and extracurricular activities through a wholeschoolapproach. At first, teachers there had difficulty understandingthe concept of ESD and finding where and how to start the teachinglearningprocess. After participating in workshops and forums offeredby the RCE, however, they developed their own ESD syllabus bystudying the local environmental, social and economic issues. Parentsare also given chances to participate in school activities, such as theexhibition entitled ‘Future of Our Town,’ which saw parents, teachersand students all working together. In order to expand ESD within andoutside of the limited numbers of model schools, the RCE has operatedESD programmes and activities that have a significant impact onlocal communities, in collaboration with 35 local educationalNGOs. The efforts have led not only to sharing ofthe key principles, practices and values that are requiredfor the city’s sustainability among the local people, but alsoto bringing critical shifts in many aspects of educationalprogrammes organized by those NGOs.The main reasons for Tongyeong’s outstandingsuccess among many other RCEs worldwide includeenduring financial and administrative backing fromlocal authorities. People’s active participation andsubsequent feedback are also integral parts of the story.Encouraged by political and grassroots support, theRCE continues to plan the expansion of its ESD practisesat all levels, from kindergarten to college, until2012. While spreading and elaborating on educationalprojects, the city is preparing an ambitious schemefor the establishment of the Education for SustainableDevelopment Foundation and the RCE Eco-Park andCentre in an attempt to ensure the sustainability of theRCE itself. The Tongyeong case suggests that the widespreadapplication of its best practices in broader partsof the country could eventually change our notions ofcities, encompassing urban and rural areas. A city canbe transformed by spurring education for a sustainablefuture into people’s daily lives.Our tomorrow will be different if educational endeavorslike Tongyeong can be brought into the mainstream,contributing to achieving sustainable green growth inKorea and beyond. The beginning of change in thissmall city was made possible thanks to the proclamationof the UN Decade. However, history shows thateven a little personal or social change is much morepowerful than a big, swaggering political slogan. TheDESD still has a long way to go if it is to achieve its aimsand produce a strong case for ESD in the real world,not just in theory. In the end, the hope is that ESD willprove itself a sustainable form of future education andlearning for the people of the whole world.[ 51 ]