Eswatini
Eswatini Change Project workshops will take place in 2021. In the meantime, teacher educators who are interested in starting work on ESD teacher education Change Projects can consult other examples from the projects being developed in participating countries and make contact with the UNESCO office to share their work.
We will also be sharing examples of earlier ESD Change Projects that were developed in Eswatini from the ESD alumni network.
News & Events
Inclusion of ESD in school curricula and activities on course
Stakeholders and participants of the Capacity-Building Programme on Education for Sustainable Development (CAP-ESD) met in Harare on 31st January 2020 to review their Change Projects. Change Projects are institutional change initiatives to support the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into teacher education. Participants reviewed each other’s project presentations. They...
Change Project: Theoretical and practical reformation of the curriculum at William Pitcher Teachers’ college
Monica Nkwanyana, William Pitcher Teachers’ College
The gap identified by the CoP was both a theoretical and a practical one. They realised that their own knowledge about the SDGs 2030 and ESD needed to be developed before they could teach others and that the curriculum needed to be transformed by mainstreaming ESD across all departments. The CoP also recognised that it was important to teach student-teachers practical skills to improve their livelihoods and their environment. The CoP elected to do this with a three-pronged approach. Firstly, they initiated a project to green the campus in collaboration with the Eswatini Environmental Authority who donated trees, and the Malkerns Research Centre who donated herbal trees. Secondly, the CoP initiated a project to upcycle waste newspapers into fruit bowls and other ornaments.
These items were sold which provide income for the student-teachers. Thirdly, the CoP embarked upon transforming the curriculum. The infographic below illustrates the timeline and milestone of the curriculum revision. Through these change projects the CoP built up the networks within and beyond the College.
Change Project: Bottle recycling and soap-making
Bonsile Dlamini, Digital Technology Institute (DIT)
The CoP identified two problems which could be improved. The first was the amount of waste around the Institute and especially plastic bottles; and the second was that surrounding rural homesteads needed income to support their families. They decided that ESD could be brought into the Institute and to the student teachers through the practical project of soap making. The CoP created a detailed timeline with change project milestones. The first step was to advocate for the collection and washing of waste plastic bottles by the surrounding homesteads. The CoP organised the purchase of soap making ingredients and equipment. Next the CoP held workshops on soap making for Rural Women Working Groups. The women sold the handmade soap to generate an income for their households. The CoP plan to roll out this venture to other communities and to find sponsors for the soap ingredients and equipment. This change project benefited the surrounding communities as people could purchase soap which was affordable during the time of Covid-19. The practical project supported the integration of a module called 21st Century Education which was a compulsory module for all students.
Change Project: Transforming Southern Africa Nazarene University into a Living Laboratory: Feeding planet earth to nourish us
Dr N. Nkomo, Southern Africa Nazarene University
The CoP identified an opportunity to turn organic waste into manure to be used in a school garden which they would develop for medicinal and feeding purposes. The CoP planned to use the school garden as a demonstration site which would also include lessons on water harvesting. As the project progressed, the medicinal herbs were processed and an income derived from the product, for example, sisal was pressed into juice as an ingredient for face cream. They saw this practical change project as a direct way to transform the curriculum as they describe below,
We are therefore proactively trying to infuse ESD into our curriculum practices. We have come to appreciate the fact that it’s the day to day activities that are adding up to help us attain the global 2030 Agenda goals. Our CP has made us realise we can intentionally infuse ESD using lived experiences in all subject areas to prepare Pre-service Teachers (PSTs) for the task of incorporating ESE in their curriculum practices.
The CoP transformed nine courses to include ESD across the whole institution and incorporate first, second and third year student teachers. Two assessment tools were also designed: one tool focussed the assessment of learning by learners who were exposed to the change project, and the other one assessed for learning to gauge the effectiveness of our CP as a teaching and learning medium. The CoP described the impact in the future of the change project as,
Ultimately, our CP is explicitly serving as a tool to enrich our campus curriculum practices in transdisciplinary ways that interface with our community service initiatives to realise transformational teaching and learning experiences that are part of the vision and goal of SANU.
The project was beset by many challenges including lack availability of medicinal plants, Covid-19, lack of rain and financial resources constraints.
Change Project: Breeding Rabbits
Fikile Mdluli, Eswatini Ministry of Education and Training
The SST Course inspired Fikile to start a change project to help his son and other children and in his words,
For this project, I also wanted the children to have a sense of responsibility through feeding the rabbits and love through touching, cleaning the cages, and using the rabbit pellets as manure for the vegetables. By extension, the children will learn to value life and taking care of each other and other people. These days people do not have patience with each other. The slightest disagreement leads to loss of life and destruction. Life is no longer valued and yet living together as communities is very important.
This project promoted ESD through the ‘Ethics of Care’, i.e. visiting the rabbits, learning about rabbits and rabbit breeding, and looking after them was a practical form ESD which also taught the children to care for and appreciate ‘other than human’ life. The project Action Plan consisted of discussions about the idea with the family, budgeting to purchase a male and a female rabbit, building the cages and purchasing the equipment required for keeping the rabbits. Children were than able to visit the rabbits, touch them and take responsibility for caring for them. The change project is also an income generating initiative as the babies are sold to other rabbit breeders and people who want to start an entrepreneurial venture. My son inviting my grandchildren to touch and play with the rabbit. This encourages peaceful living with animals in our environment.
Change Project: Compost making and capacity building with neighbouring schools
Azaria Simelane, Eswatini University of Technology (UTECH)
Compost making and capacity building with neighbouring schoolsThe CoP decided on an ambitious change project that would infuse ESD into the mission of the school which is: To educate the mind and train the hands. This change project consisted of three sub-projects. The first change project was to develop a composting site to utilise the biowaste generated on campus. The students requested that a greenhouse was added to this project too. The second change project was a recycling one and the third project was to develop computer coding. One of the immediate challenges faced by the CoP was one of funding. Azaria said,
“In my planning for the project of change to succeed I thought that if the institution may not avail enough funds, then sending a requests to the Eswatini Environmental Authority for an environmental grant could be ideal and I filled the application forms and emailed them.”
They succeeded and were the only school that was granted funding which enabled them to continue with the change projects successfully. Positive relationships have been nurtured with other staff members, particularly the kitchen staff. The CoP plans to share the ESD learning with other schools.
Change Project: Growing trees and planting herbs
Mercy Ngcobo, Manzini High School
The gap identified at the high school was that there was plastic bottle waste, a need for fruit trees to feed pupils and herbs for medicine, and there were similar needs in the community and medical clinics. To address this gap Mercy started a change project to grow trees and plant herbs. As resources were very scarce, the participants used what they had on hand. Plastic bottles were used as planting containers for herbs, discarded concrete blocks were also used as planters, and trees were propagated using cuttings. The change project expanded to tree planting in community centres and Manzini teachers offering assistance to the less privileged as well as information about conserving nature. Herbs were planted at medical clinics and these provided organic medicinal help to the sick at little or no cost. Teachers were recognised for the ESD and the sustainable development leaders which they have become through the SST Course. The change project was a whole institution project. As Mercy noted,
ESD was applied to most practices in the school. All teachers were involved and did participate in the change project. The administration also took part in the change project. The students were also part of this change project. They participated in all the practical work. They actually played a major role in the change project. The community was also involved. Together with members of the community and the youth, we planted fruit trees in some homesteads around the community. The application of ESD knowledge did bring about innovations since more projects on sustainable living followed after in the school.
The teachers also noted that the high schoolers were more excited about the lessons as they were practical and that they readily got involved with the change project as a result. Monica’s remarks about how her own understanding has changed are as follows,
The programme has broadened my understanding of what really matters in Teacher Education. Students, teachers, parents and the community at large should be empowered to make informed decisions and responsible actions for environmental integrity, economic viability and a just society for present and future generations.