Furthering ESD through scenario-thinking for the whole school

COVID-19 has challenged education systems in unprecedented ways and demanded
a new level of readiness. Schools needed to adapt to changing environments and reoccurring waves of the pandemic. Many school systems struggled in securing formal education for students while having to move from in-person to remote or hybrid ways of teaching and learning for health and safety reasons. While the overall goal of a quality education as stated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is yet to be achieved, the interruptions of 2020/21 hold potentials for new knowledge and positive changes in education. Learning from the management theory of scenario-thinking and focusing on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as a guiding principle to reorient current education systems could be key to achieve the quality education desired for to strive towards a sustainable future. References to
the education system´s pandemic response in Ontario (Canada) add practical examples to the discussion.

Katrin Kohl & Charles Hopkins. Striving Towards Education Quality During Pandemics—Forwarding ESD through Scenario-thinking for the Whole School[J]. Journal of Comparative Education, 2021, No.336(06):3-16. Available for download here.