The evolution of sustainability education in the light of training and output requirements

Abstract

For a sustainable future, education must place sustainability at the core of addressing the world’s ever-increasing challenges. Therefore, it is crucial to train teachers (regardless of their specialization) who are well-equipped in this field. To achieve this, it is necessary to understand how sustainability education is positioned within the training system, what role it plays, how it is implemented during training, and what methodological training teachers receive to fulfil their responsibilities in sustainability education. Teacher training faces dual pressures: from teacher shortages and increased workload on the one hand, and the demand for professional development and the implementation of quality education on the other. In the context of quality and efficiency, I investigated the presence of sustainability education within teacher training. Using documentary and contextual analysis, I investigated the changes in regulations concerning the general requirements for teacher training and the training and outcome requirements for individual teacher education programmes, with a focus on sustainability education. In the training of biology, geography, and chemistry teachers, I examined the extent to which the topic of sustainability is integrated into their training. By analysing international and domestic statistical data and utilizing basic statistical indicators, I created comparative tables to evaluate the level of integration of sustainability education within teacher training. Additionally, I analysed the differences and similarities in higher education systems across countries concerning sustainability education.