A world that is rapidly changing and confronting planetary limits and global injustice calls for bold and innovative education that is up to the task of ‘staying with the trouble’, as multispecies feminist theorist Donna Haraway puts it.
That is, an education that does not turn away but turns towards the times we find ourselves in. That collectively imagines new ways of being here and in the future, that upholds justice, ecological balance, and sustainable ways of living with the planet, its people, and the non-human world.
The South African Journal of Environmental Education, hosted by the ELRC, has just released an exciting new Special Issue on Transforming Education for Sustainable Futures, highlighting views from the Global South.
From within the ELRC, it features Distinguished Professor Heila Lotz-Sisitka, Wilma van Staden, Monde Ntshudu, Associate Professor Ingrid Schudel, Zintle Nonyameko Songqwaru, and Emeritus Professor Rob O'Donoghue.
Researchers were “invited to share new knowledge and insights that can assist education policy makers, practitioners, non-governmental and community-based organisations to implement policies and practices in education that are transformative and can contribute to ensuring equitable, just and environmentally sustainable development.”
The articles offer insight into the role of education in prompting climate action and co-creating sustainable livelihoods and cities, addressing inequalities, and showcasing the value of indigenous and inclusive knowledge for creating sustainable futures. It also offers insights into how climate change can be integrated into formal education.
The Special Issue is a culmination of a UKRI-GCRF-funded research project, which saw the University of Bristol partnering up across four sub-regional hubs: South Africa, Rwanda, Somalia/Somaliland, and India. This formed a TESF Network+ that worked with 67 projects over three years, and the issue offers us a glimpse into some of the imaginative educational projects that have emerged.
The issue was released in two Volumes: 40(1) in 2024, and 40(2) earlier in the month.
Take a look via the AJOL website: Southern African Journal of Environmental Education (Vol 1) and Vol. 41 No. 2 (2025) | Southern African Journal of Environmental Education (Vol 1)