Current State of Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development in Primary and Secondary (K-12) Schools in Boyacá, Colombia

Abstract

Environmental education (EE) trains individuals to preserve ecological balance and understand the link between humanity and environmental protection. On the other hand, education for sustainable development (ESD) addresses social, cultural, political, and quality of life factors, and promotes the sustainable evolution of the planet. In Colombia, EE is more recognized compared to ESD, and this situation relates the objective of this research, to investigate the strategies applied in EE and ESD in the official primary and secondary (K-12) educational institutions in the department of Boyacá. This study used a Likert scale survey with numerical values from 1 to 5 to evaluate each category of choice among a targeted population. The results indicate that topics such as water resource conservation and protection of fauna and flora are covered in EE, while ESD issues are less prominent. The findings of this research suggest interventions to improve the implementation of ESD and contribute to the advancement of quality education in the country. It is appropriate to explore different methods to integrate environmental, economic, and social aspects in educational contexts, with the implementation and updating of curricula to improve ESD.