2012 Volume 3 Issue 2 Pages 7-13
This paper examines the significance of the concepts of EFA and ESD occurring in attempts at education reform and education improve-ment in developing countries, and discusses the issues found therein. Within this discussion, this paper analyzes why it is important to implement ESD on multiple occasions along with the promotion of EFA, with particular focus on the im-portance of the role of education in achieving a democratic society. This paper will also consider the state of “citizenship education,” which is thought to hold a major key to the promotion of ESD. Based on the above conceptu-al examination, this paper then provides an overview of how ESD is being pro-moted in Cambodia today in historical, social, and cultural contexts as part of the implementation of EFA, from three perspectives: (1) acquisition and improve-ment of life skills; (2) enhancing environmental education; and (3) promotion of peace education and human rights education. It is worth noting here that although the educational activities conducted in Cambodia are not necessarily known as ESD, they certainly embody its principles and characteristics. Although EFA fo-cuses on the diverse states of education in and out of school, its chief concern lies in enhancing the quantity and quality of school education. Moreover, funda-mentally, it is public organizations, such as governments under international agreements, who take on most of the responsibility of promoting EFA, expanding basic education together with various other stakeholders. In contrast to this so-called top-down feature of EFA, ESD is a more bottom-up operation, based on autonomic educational activities by proactive citizens; the areas it covers include a wide range of issues, such as daily life, social forms, and the natural environ-ment. As a conclusion, the paper emphasizes that the positioning of EFA and ESD as essential lifelong learning is important to achieve a sustainable society.
