Sikkim Initiatives in Incorporating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Learning Outcomes in the Textbooks at Primary level

Abstract

Development of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Learning 
Outcome integrated textbooks has been the major concern and discussion for the educational 
agencies and institutions both at the national and international level. The vital focus is to 
prepare our children to meet the future challenges of environment, society, and economy 
leading towards sustainable learning and living. Sikkim has been following the National 
Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) curriculum from Class VI onwards, 
however, textbooks upto Class V are developed by SCERT-Sikkim. Thus, in keeping with 
national and global aims for sustainable learning and living, in 2017- 2018, SCERT Sikkim 
initiated the task of embedding ESD and Learning Outcomes in its textbooks at the primary 
level for all government schools. Selected school teachers and teacher educators of the state 
were involved in the process of writing the new textbook. The new textbooks are in alignment 
with the Learning Outcomes of the NCERT, (2017) and the integration of ESD for the 
implementation of UN's 2030 agenda for sustainable development goals of education for 
peace and sustainable development. The paper tries to discuss the textbook imbibing 
Learning Outcomes and ESD elements with exemplar from the chapters of EVS textbook. The 
paper further discusses the student's involvement in the teaching-learning process rather 
than teacher directed classroom. The paper has two sections. The first section gives an 
insight into the textbooks- its theme, sub-themes, and syllabus. The second section will share 
an exemplary chapter showing how learning outcomes focus on learner and guide teacher to 
design the pedagogy and assessment.