From environmental education to sustainable development - a new global paradigm

In times of great technological changes and increased environmental problems schools should take more
action and responsibility for students’ education about sustainable development. Knowledge of the nature
and environmental protection has existed for many years. During that time, environmental and political
conditions have changed, as well as the expectations of those engaged in educational work.
The aim of this paper is to analyze the curriculum of the subject Biology for secondary education (four�year high school and three or four year vocational education) in order to determine the incorporation of
education for sustainable development in the subject curriculum. During the analysis of the curriculum
of the subject Biology all six program areas from the first to the fourth classes were scanned. The
program of the subject Biology deals mostly with topics related to education and upbringing for the
protection of the environment and the preservation of natural resources. The analysis of the curriculum’s
contents of the subject Biology unequivocally shows that the teaching content of this subject can
contribute to the education of students in the field of sustainable development, although in the teaching
objectives of Biology education for sustainable development is not mentioned in any curriculum and it is
not explicitly mentioned as a term.
There is a lack of contemporary and practical examples that would help educators in the modernization
and organization of teaching. For the implementation of more contents that treat the problem of
sustainable development, specific scientific articles for analysis as well as presentation of targeted video
materials as illustrations are more than necessary. With that, teachers would have an opportunity for a
new way of implementing the program.
In comparison of the number of contents and the predicted number of hours according to the program,
it is evident that there is insufficient time for the realization of laboratory exercises and practical
application of the acquired knowledge.
In order to achieve the strategic goals of sustainable development, teachers must necessarily follow the
current issues and be up to date with all scientific achievements in the field of sustainable development,
so that they could give directions to the next generation about how they should act according that in the
future.