From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
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Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, Minister for Education, Norma Foley, and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, have welcomed the publication of the ESD to 2030 progress report.
The report being launched today at the Eighth National Forum on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), is the first progress report under ESD to 2030, the Second National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development.
The Forum is being held in the TU Dublin Grangegorman Campus and is a joint event of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Department of Education and Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The event showcases examples of innovation and good practice in learning and action for sustainability across all levels of the education system.
Minister Harris said:
“Our learners are our future global leaders and it is vital that we equip them with the knowledge and skills to thrive in a complex, changing world and to create solutions to the world’s problems, including climate change.
"The Climate Action Plan has set ambitious targets for the decarbonisation of our economy and this will require significant levels of skills across a range of sectors, to support the transition to a green economy and society.
"Through the Human Capital Initiative, Springboard+ and Green Skills for FET initiatives, my department is providing substantial funding to support the upskilling and reskilling of people around the country to help them shape the green economy and advance sustainable development.
"My department is also providing funding for ESD through the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education to ensure that our educators are supported in bringing the latest thinking and innovations to bear in transforming our learning environments to make them more inclusive and sustainable."
Minister Foley said:
“Ensuring that our learners have the knowledge and the skills needed to promote Sustainable Development is a key priority for my department. As outlined in the progress report we are launching today, ESD is embedded across the school curriculum and further progress is being made under the reviews of Aistear, the Early Learning and Care curriculum, the Primary Curriculum and Senior Cycle. A new Leaving Certificate subject on Climate Action and Sustainable Development is being developed to enhance and deepen existing cross curricular content.
"Progress has been made under each of the priority areas including Funding from my department of over €1 million for schools and organisations for ESD projects in 2022 and 2023, the publication of a Sustainability Toolkit for Schools to support implementation of the School Sector Climate Action Mandate and the appointment of the Irish Second Level Students Union to the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, ensuring that the student’s voice is at the center of curriculum and assessment developments.
"Education is a key enabler for achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and collaboration among stakeholders is vital in this endeavor. The ESD Forum is an important annual event for our stakeholders to come together, share ideas and network, and I wish you all well for the day and the important work to be done."
Minister O’Gorman said:
“As Minister with responsibility for children and youth, I am delighted that my department are co-hosting the Eighth National Forum on Education for Sustainable Development. This forum provides an opportunity to reflect on the success we, as well our government colleagues have enjoyed over the past year.
"In particular, I am proud of the number of initiatives that aim to introduce ESD themes during early childhood such as the First 5 Garden of Wonder, the Wild Child Award, and a number of actions in the new First 5 Implementation Plan 2023-2025. Many of our attitudes and values are formed during this critical and distinct period. Cultivating an appreciation for ESD amongst young children at this stage will allow us all to progress to a more sustainable, more equitable and more just future."
Included in this year’s Forum programme are international keynote speakers, interactive breakout sessions, and panel discussion on the implementation of ESD to 2030.
Speaking at the event, Lord David Puttnam, renowned film producer, environmentalist and educator said:
"The topics under discussion at this event are truly urgent – conversations about climate change are absolutely essential, but action is what we really need. What better way to drive change than by speaking directly to educators, policy makers, and students about how they can best respond to the crisis we are facing? Education is a key enabler for achieving the sustainable development goals, and I’m very pleased to partake in an event that puts that idea at its very core."
Mohammad Naeem, UN Youth Delegate for Ireland said:
“In its eighth year, the ESD Forum adopts a collaborative approach to raising awareness about ESD and its significance in our evolving society. Young people are the catalysts for progress in education for sustainable development, shaping a future where knowledge is key to sustainability."
Speaking of universities role in education for sustainable development TU Dublin's Vice President for Sustainability, Jennifer Boyer said:
"The traditional role of universities is changing. We are operating within a new era of disruptive innovation and social and political unrest.
"TU Dublin is the first Irish university committed to embedding sustainability as a learning outcome across all academic programmes and we see our University's physical, digital, and social infrastructure as providing a neutral setting for greater societal engagement, bringing together communities, government, and industry into conversation through these challenging times."
ESD to 2030 is the Second National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development and provides a framework to steer and support the contribution that the education sector is making towards a sustainable future by 2030. This event is the second national ESD forum to be held under this strategy.
ESD to 2030 spans the continuum of education in Ireland, from early learning and care to third level education and research, and extends beyond to engage with local communities, and youth groups through lifelong learning. It is accompanied by an Implementation Plan 2022 – 2026.
The strategy aims to ensure that all learners are equipped with the knowledge, skills and dispositions that will motivate and empower them throughout their lives to become informed active citizens who take action for a more sustainable future.
ESD to 2030 is part of an international agenda, aligned with UNESCO’s ESD to 2030 agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 4.7.
ESD to 2030 and Implementation Plan are available here:
The Human Capital Initiative (HCI), launched by the government in late 2019, forms a key part of the strategic response to a changing world of work and the challenges the economy will face in the period ahead. The HCI directly addresses national strategic priorities such as: The Climate Action Plan; Housing for All; and Ireland’s Industry 4.0 Strategy.
Through the HCI, €300 million of National Training Fund (NTF) monies are being invested over 5 years (2020-2024) to increase capacity in higher education to provide skills-focused programmes designed to meet priority skills needs.
The HCI consists of 3 main pillars - graduate conversion and specialisation courses, additional places on undergraduate provision, and an innovation and agility fund.
Springboard+ was launched in 2011 as part of the government’s Jobs Initiative. It complements the core State-funded education and training system and provides free or 90% funded upskilling and reskilling higher education opportunities in areas of identified skills need.
Since 2011, over €360 million has been spent on Springboard+ and over 100,000 people have benefited from the programme to date.
Over 1100 green skills places are being made available through Springboard+ and HCI Pillar 1 in the 2023/24 academic year.
The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education is the national body responsible for leading and advising on the enhancement of teaching and learning in Irish higher education. It is under the aegis of the Higher Education Authority and works with those who teach, learn and shape policy and practice to ensure a valued and informed teaching and learning culture in Irish higher education.
SATLE – the Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement Funding in Higher Education – is a €6.1 million funding allocation in 2023 administered by the National Forum in partnership with the Higher Education Authority to drive teaching and learning innovation and enhancement across the higher education sector. The funding focuses on innovations in education for sustainable development, digital transformation and academic integrity.