Shimwooshili-Shaimemanya, Cornelia, Dr

Title: Educating for sustainable development: The teaching of desertification in Namibian Secondary Schools

Abstract: Education is held to be central to sustainable development. Indeed, education and sustainability are inextricably linked. Developing public understanding and awareness of sustainability is one of the major thrusts of education for sustainable development as stipulated in Chapter 36 of Agenda 21.  Education for sustainable development is a vision of education that seeks to balance human and economic well-being with cultural traditions and respect for the earth’s natural resources.  Desertification gets little attention from everyone else except from scientists yet the statistics are full of danger for the world.  The focus of this article is three fold.  First, the problem of desertification is discussed, emphasis is placed on Namibia.  Second, approaches used to teach desertification in the country and ways to improve the teaching of desertification are discussed, and lastly, desertification solutions are provided.

Title: Teaching Desertification: What effects do Teacher Attributes, Classroom Attributes and Instructional Strategies have on Namibian Secondary School Teachers’ Affective Domain?

Abstract.  The paper examines the effects of teacher attributes classroom attributes, and instructional strategies on Namibian junior secondary school teachers’ affective domain.  The paper draws on data collected in a larger study that examined the relationships among various teacher and classroom attributes, instructional strategies, locus of control, attitudes toward desertification, and self-efficacy of Namibian Junior secondary school teachers.  Sample consisted of 221 teachers from 218 schools in northern Namibia.  A questionnaire was used to collect data.  MANOVA results indicated that science content preparation, syllabus use, and Internet use had significant influences on teachers’ self-efficacy, but none of the IVs had a significant relationship with either locus of control or attitudes.  LISREL exploratory findings suggest that a stronger science content background can improve teachers’ desertification teaching; internet, textbooks, syllabus use, and age are vital desertification teaching factors. Combating desertification will contribute to the economic development of the country because the environment is central to Namibia’s economic developme

Title: The role of higher education institutions on education for sustainable development

Abstract: Education plays a vital role in addressing the critical challenges of sustainable development. Higher education not only facilitates the provision of quality education for sustainable development but it also helps build a Learning Society. Developing public understanding and awareness of sustainability is one of the major thrusts of education for sustainable development as stipulated in Chapter 36 of Agenda 21.  The World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa 2002, consolidated the evolving  international consensus particularly in the Decade after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio that education is central for achieving sustainable development.  Higher education conducts the scholarship and scientific research needed for generating the necessary new knowledge and train future leaders.   The focus of this article if five fold.  First, the concept of education for  sustainable development is introduced.  Second, major thrusts to begin the work of ESD are discussed.  Third, the role of higher education in ESD is explained.  Fourth, ways in which higher education institutes can contribute to sustainable development are discussed. Lastly, higher education institutions ESD recommendations are provided.