Transforming early childhood education for sustainable development

Abstract

The world and its population are under pressure with serious socioeconomic and environmental problems and population growth is uncontrollable, with children adversely affected. There is a need to transform early childhood education for sustainable development to bring about the holistic development of the child today to secure his or her future. However, this can only be realized if the early childhood education intentionally takes into cognizance sustainability issues in its daily teaching-learning activities. This paper examined the ways in which early childhood education needs to be transformed for sustainable development. These ways include teaching children environmental security through play, personal hygiene, appropriate waste use and disposal, and nature awareness. It was recommended that early childhood education should be remodeled in ways that sustainability will be attained and that the curriculum and the national policy on early childhood education should include sustainability issues in education for young children.