Inequality of resources for education for sustainable development

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Inequality of resources for education for sustainable development

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This problem can be roughly divided into three points. The first point is resource inequality. For example, the different economic conditions in different countries lead to uneven basic education facilities and teacher resources. Some poor countries cannot clearly and intuitively complete the teaching of sustainable development-related knowledge. The second point is the inequality of educational opportunities and knowledge acquisition opportunities. This is significant globally. Some backward countries cannot use the Internet, but it happens that a lot of knowledge is spread through the Internet and media in modern times. This information asymmetry leads to huge differences in the popularization of sustainable development education in different regions. The last point is cultural differences. The culture of some regions pays more attention to economic development, but it is often the easiest to ignore sustainable issues at this time. In addition, globalization has only had a negative impact on sustainable development because some multinational companies choose low-cost production to save costs.

From the perspective of the inequality of sustainable development education resources, the promotion of sustainable education faces layers of obstacles.

Example 

resource inequality and inequality of educational opportunities and knowledge acquisition opportunities.

Finland and Sub-Saharan Africa as an example

Finland is known for its well-resourced schools with technology-integrated teaching and learning environments and well-maintained basic

facilities that create an effective learning atmosphere (Sahlberg, 2011).

A significant proportion of schools in sub-Saharan Africa, for example in Malawi, do not have electricity, clean drinking water or proper sanitation, which has a direct impact on student health and learning outcomes (Lewin, 2009).

This is in stark contrast to the lack of universal access to education due to unequal resources for education. The same is true for unequal access to knowledge. The two examples above also show that in many cases the lack of good facilities means that there is no easy access to knowledge. Where there are good facilities, there will be easier access to knowledge.

Take Saudi Arabia as an example

Saudi Arabia's economy is tied to oil their culture is tied to rapid industrialisation and this emphasis has historically influenced educational priorities. As a result, the subject of environmental sustainability has not been the focus of education, which has focused more on economic and technical skills to support industrial and economic growth. This has delayed the integration of comprehensive ESD in schools and universities (Agboola et al., 2021).

Reference list

Lewin, K. M. (2009) ‘Access to education in sub‐Saharan Africa: patterns, problems and possibilities’, Comparative Education, 45(2), pp. 151–174. doi: 10.1080/03050060902920518.

Agboola, M.O., Bekun, F.V. and Joshua, U. 2021. Pathway to environmental sustainability: Nexus between economic growth, energy consumption, CO2 emission, oil rent and total natural resources rent in Saudi Arabia. Resources Policy. 74, p.102380.