Redefining Education and Development: Innovative Approaches in the Era of Sustainable Goals

The book’s introductory chapter explores the imperative integration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within educational frameworks, emphasising the role of education systems in fostering societal and environmental resilience. Sustainable development, which gained renewed focus following the Brundtland Report, is essential for balancing current and future societal needs. The evolution of education for sustainable development (ESD) reflects a strategic curriculum alignment with global aspirations, ensuring that educational institutions contribute meaningfully towards achieving the SDGs. This approach is exemplified through a comprehensive analysis of 493 journal articles published between 2007 and 2024, which document the broadening of sustainability discussions beyond natural sciences to encompass fields such as sociology, political science, and law. This chapter highlights the United Nations’ adoption of the 17 SDGs in 2015, marking a pivotal moment for educational systems worldwide to incorporate sustainability into their curricula. The analysis extends to the transformative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on educational practices, which has prompted a critical reassessment of pedagogical approaches and underscored the vulnerability of educational systems to global crises. The discussion sets the stage for subsequent chapters, which delve into the challenges and opportunities presented by integrating SDGs into higher education, particularly in the context of resilience building and curriculum innovation in response to societal and environmental challenges.