ESD in the Asia-Pacific

Abstract

The article is an attempt to describe the challenges and opportunities in integrating ESD into mainstream policy-making in the Asia-Pacific. The role of education in development is variably understood. It is widely recognized as a sui generis guarantor of personal and collective development. Educating for sustainable development has much untapped poten-tial both in driving development in general and improving the contribution of edu-cation as a sector within development. ESD in the Asia-Pacific has diverse forms of expression. Effective, frank and constructive intellectual exchanges could lead to significant progress in ESD. Reorienting “quality” in education should assume priority position in education and will ideally, for the sake of its relevance, appeal and continued development, include several dimensions of sustainable develop-ment.