Norway has implemented SDG target 4.7 of acquiring skills for sustainable development and global citizenship by mainstreaming these concepts across its entire education system. Three topics - sustainable development, democracy/citizenship, and health - have been integrated as core subjects and cross-curricular themes from kindergarten through secondary school. While progress has been made in formal education, more work is still needed in higher education and teacher training. The strategy involved advocacy from civil society, dialogue across sectors, and respectful discussion of how to reform curricula, policies and learning resources to address the most important issues facing current and future generations from a holistic, interconnected perspective.

1. IMPLEMENTATION OF SDG 4.7
NORWAY AS AN EXAMPLE
EDUCATION FOR A MORE JUST AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD?
Judith Klein, judith.klein@inn.no
Researcher on ESD/GCE
UN 4.7

2. ”We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we
created them”
Albert Einstein

3. SDG TARGET 4.7
All learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to
promote sustainable development & global citizenship
INDICATOR 4.7.1
Extent to which GCE and ESD are
mainstreamed at all levels in:
a) national education policies
b) curricula
- c) teacher education
- d) student assessment

4. ”Sustainable development can not be achievd by political
agreements, financial incentives and technological solutions alone.
We need to change how we think and act, and that is where
Education (…) has a critical role to play. No doubt Education is
shaped by society, but Education also shapes society in profound
ways” (Hodge, 2013, Unesco)

5. WHATS NEW?

6. REFORM OF THE FORMAL EDUCATION SECTOR
TROUGH NON-FORMAL EDUCATION SECTOR
Change of national curriculum:
Three new cross-curriculum main topics is mainstreamed into all curricula in
every subject * & every level:
• Sustainable Development
• Democracy and Citizenship
• Health and Life skills
From primary school up to high school

7. Both as
core subjects
+
cross curricula

8. SDG 4.7 now intergrated in formal & non-formal education sector
 Kindergarden
 Primary school
 Seccondary school
 Adults Education & Folk highschools
 NGOs (DEAR)
Mission not completed:
• Higher Education
• Teachers Education
Indicators 4.7.1
 a) national education policies
 b) curricula
- c) teacher education
- d) student assessment

9. WHATS THE STORY?

10. BASELINE 10 YEARS AGO
«Youth in Norway have got knowledge about the facts in the
world, but they are lacking a holistic understanding of global
interdependence» (LNU, 2012)
- Root causes behind global poverty and economic inequality
- Pover relations and connections between why rich countries are rich and poor
countries are poor

11. 1)DISCOURSE OF EDUCATION IS
CHANGED:
• 2010: “The main purpose with school is to teach the
kids to read, write and count” (MoE)
• 2020: “The main purpose with education is to learn
competences to meet the main challenges in our
world” (ESD+GCE)

12. 2) DISCOURSE OF SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT IS CHANGED
• 2010: ESD understood as Environmental
Education & local/individual approach
• 2020: Three dimensions: Economic, social and
environmental aspects are integrated.

13. INTERNATIONAL
Trough 4.7 ESD into the mainstream
Education for all discourse (Goal 4)
From EFA - Education for all
towards ESD/GCE

14. Core message
”What is needed now is not necessarily to teach the
poor how to read and write, but to re-educate the rich in
the North”
Sibusiso M. Bengu
Ministery of Education under Nelson Mandela
(RiO 1992)

15. WHAT WAS OUR STRATEGY?

16. KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
• 10 years of advocacy from actors from non-formal education
sector (funding of NGOs critical policywork+DEAR)
• Broad network/ multi stakeholder approach consisting of a variety
of civil society organizations, The RORG-network, UNA, the teachers
union, School Pupils Union, 50 NGOs, higher edu institutions,
researchers (Wals, The Big 5)
• Systematic strategy + state funding of NGOs
• Create spaces for dialogue between sectors, make discussions and
strategies. Shared vision, goals and targets

17. PROCESS
2013-2015
 Ludvigsens Framtidens skole NOU 2015:8
2016
 Meld. St. 28 (2015–2016): Fag-Fordypning –Forståelse-En fornyelse av Kunnskapsløftet
Bygger på Ludvigsenutvalgets NOU Fremtidens skole (NOU 2015:8))
 Overordnet del - verdier og prinsipper ( Fastsatt 2017 av KD)
Bygger på Opplæringslovens formålsparagraf §
2017
 Kjerneelementer utvikles i hvert fag (KE fastsatt juli 2018 av KD)
2018
 Kompetansemål utvikles av læreplangrupper i hvert fag
2019
 Fastsatt av KD november 2019
Høst 2020: nytt læreplanverk trer i kraft. Behov for ny kompetanse og nye læringsressurser

18. KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
• SDGs + 4.7: opened the window!
• NGOs in front of every stage in the process. Post 2015 started in 2013.
Open Working Group: NGOs
• ESD into the Education for all discourse. (Goal 4)
• International networks
• Acknowleging the links between non-formal + formal education
• Respectful dissensus. Pluralistic approach
• Use other countries as great example. Finland!
• In-deph analyzes of all steering documents

19. STRATEGY: IMPLEMENTATION ON ALL
LEVELS
 Policy level:
steering documents, Official documents, White papers, statements, National
strategies, Action Plans
MoE, The Norwegian Directorate for Education
 National curriculum
Core subjects
General curriculum
Specific curriculum
 Teachers education: Curriculum & guidelines for the teachers education
 Practical/didactical level: didactical tools, contents, activities in schools.
learning resources

20. ESD: IN THE END A CONCEPT NO ONE
CAN DISAGREE WITH
What will be the very most important questions pupils of today will meet
tomorrow?
What kind of competencies, knowledge and values do future generation
need in order to leave a world that is more just, sustainable, both
socialy, economically and environmentally than what we have today?

21. KLAFIS EPOCH-TYPICAL KEY PROBLEMS
«Every learning process should start with the most important
key problems within the paradigm of each generation».
Some of these epoch-typical key problems are universal and timeless:
• Global inequality /poverty
• Environment/ climate
• Peace / conflict
• Existencial/relational questions (love)
• Technology
Klafki, 2001.

22. DIDACTICAL APPROACH:
STARTING WITH REFLECTION OF BIG QUESTIONS
(PHILOSOPHICAL LEVEL)
Didactical tools:
Travel to the moon,
seeing the world
from different
perspectives,
acknowledging that
we could have been
born anywhere,
travel to the future
(vision).
Imagening a vission
makes it more likely
to happen… (sport

23. EXPLORING GLOBAL COMPLEX
INTERCONNECTIONS TROUGH
SIMPLE EXAMPLES
• Starting with the concrete instead of
abstract concepts
• What? Where? How? Why?
• Why-why-why chains

25. REMAINING CHALLENGES?

26. 1. MISSING ECONOMIC DIMENSION
#SDG 10
Poverty,
inequality,
interdepend
ence, pover
relations

27. 2. MISSING: TEACHERS EDUCATION &
HIGHER EDUCATION
LEVELS OF IMPLEMENTATION
 Policy level:
steering documents, Official documents, White papers, statements, National
strategies, Action Plans. MoE, The Norwegian Directorate for Education
 Curriculum
Core subjects
General curriculum
Specific curriculum
 Teachers education: Curriculum & guidelines for the teachers education
INDICATOR 4.7.1
Extent to which GCE and
ESD are mainstreamed at
all levels in:
a) national education
policies
b) curricula
- c) teacher education
- d) student assessment

28. DRAW A SCALE FROM 0-10, WHERE 10 IS BEST
a) On the scale from 0 -10, how important do you think Education for
sustainable development is?
b) to what extent do you feel this was part of your own schooling?
c) How satisfied are you with the integration of ESD in your own
context?
10
0

29. d) What will characterize that your
institution moves upwards the scale?

30. «We are not only going to
think outside the box – we
have to smash the box»
(Van der Merwe, 2010)

31. «IT ALWAYS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE UNTIL
IT IS DONE…»
(Mandela)

32. WHATS THE STORY?

33. EXPLORING GLOBAL COMPLEX
INTERCONNECTIONS TROUGH
SIMPLE EXAMPLES
• Starting with the concrete instead of
abstract concepts
• What? Where? How? Why?
• Why-why-why chains