Environmental Education and Sustainable Development in the Colombian Context

Abstract

The aim of this discussion is to analyze environmental education in Colombia and its context in view of sustainable development, considering how to approach sustainability as a process of inclusion of educational institutions and based on the guidelines of national policy. Further, it highlights the importance of addressing environmental education in a context of social participation as a form of appropriation and action; in this sense, some conceptual bases are methodologically taken up and, from that point, we will be able to establish an analytical and critical stance. Its analysis considers four important aspects: i) sustainable development from its concept and evolution, ii) the concept of sustainability in education, iii) environmental education in Colombia, its evolution and impacts and iv) participatory action research as an important strategy to address the environmental education processes. The following conclusions were obtained: i) it is necessary to analyze the impacts generated by environmental education processes in Colombia, to determine whether its approach has been the most effective or if, on the contrary, there is a need to rethink and promote new scenarios for effective transformation processes; ii) environmental education is a challenge for all and it must be managed systemically and comprehensively. The analysis helps us to conclude that despite the great efforts that have been made in Colombia regarding environmental education, the country is still suffering from the problematization and adoption of an education for sustainable development that will allow for comprehensive training systemically involving all the scenarios that comprise sustainability.