<<Biblioteca Digital del Portal<<INTERAMER<<Serie Educativa<<Education for a Sustainable Future in the Americas
Colección: INTERAMER
Número: 67
Año: 1999
Autor: Eloísa Trellez Solís and Gustavo Wilches Chaux
Título: Education for a Sustainable Future in the Americas
Scope for Transformation
If education is to become a meaningful tool in the pursuit of sustainable
development, strategies should be designed to transform basic processes and
structures with respect to a) thought, b) organization and participation at
local, national and regional levels, and c) action. With respect to intellectual
and analytical strategies, a number of elements should be considered: the conceptualization
of the world as a complex system; analysis of continuing interactions and interdependencies;
the reappraisal and appreciation of traditional forms of knowledge; the establishment
of a dialogue among knowledges; and an awareness of Latin American
environmental thought. The objective of these reflections is far-reaching: to
perform an in-depth transformation of our way of thinking about ourselves as
individuals and as societies.
In terms of organization and participation, strategies for change refer to
the encouragement of organized participatory processes, within which educational
work is executed in accordance with flexible and democratic procedures, incorporating
different social sectors and linking their experiences in an integrated and
creative vision of regional reality. Local forums must be the point of departure
in developing processes that can integrate the countries and the region as a
whole. The horizontal exchange of ideas and experiences must play a decisive
role, and countries should be receptive to experiences from other regions.
Action strategies should make us aware of the need for meaningful participation
and lead us to a reliance on facts, supported by thoughtful analysis and by
organizational structures. All social sectors must open new spaces for organized
action and express their perceptions and their expectations in the process of
sustainable development.
Reflection, organized participation, and action are three aspects of education
that must become articulated elements in all teaching and learning processes.
They will require a new drive, a creative mind and a great willingness to change.