Search
Close this search box.
DSC_6110
  • Research

Sustainability in education

Education can contribute much to the transition to a sustainable society. Among other things, schools play an important role in increasing students' knowledge and skills in circularity and sustainability. In order to support schools in the field of sustainability, five ministries (see below) joined forces and established the interdepartmental Sustainable School Working Group in 2021. On behalf of this working group, research firm Oberon, together with SME, investigated the questions of po-, vo- and mbo-schools regarding sustainability. This article offers a review of this process, which included working visits and a roundtable session.

Interdepartmental Werkgroep Dhourly School  
Ond research firm Oberon and SME conducted a multi-year research project during the period 2022 - 2024. They did so by order of the ministry from IenW, which the interdepartmental working groupSustainable schoolinitiated in which five ministries are represented: Education, Culture and Science (OCW), Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV)., Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK)., Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK). and Infrastructure and Public Works (IenW). Thethem interdepartmental working group will use the information gathered to draft future policy. 

 Working visits  

Oberon and SME organized working visits at schools with boards interested in sustainability and/or circular economy in February 2023. They involved six schools from different education sectors: primary, secondary, secondary vocational, specialized and practical education*.. The seven members of the working group, officials from the aforementioned ministries, spent about half a day at each school. They conducted interviews with administrators, school leaders, teachers, pupils and students, and were shown around classrooms, outdoor space and other relevant learning spaces. We give two examples below of what these working visits yielded in terms of insights. 

*These were IKC De Hoge Hoeve (primary education), Ashram College (secondary education), Nova College (secondary vocational education), De Ommezwaai (specialized education), PRO33College (practical education) and PCOU Willibrord (primary and secondary education).

 Nova College (mbo) 

The Nova College in Haarlem set up a successful and award-winning refurbishing workshop a few years ago. Due to staff changes, this workshop was relocated and continued at the Hoofddorp location. MBO students with a support need in the area of motivation or behavior learned there how to refurbish written-off ICT devices. The school would very much like to continue this refurbishment project, not only because of the sustainability aspect, but also to be able to give the devices away to people who cannot afford a laptop or tablet themselves. In this way, they hope to contribute to the fight against inequality of opportunity. Nova College is currently facing a challenge regarding the shortage of devices and licenses. Although hard drives can be erased, it is important for businesses to do so according to a specific certification. Unfortunately, the educational institution does not currently have the accreditation to erase these hard drives, making further progress difficult. This lack of accreditation affects the ability to refurbish used devices because the old hard drives cannot be adequately erased. Nova College is aware of this problem and is working hard to find a solution. However, Nova College remains committed to contributing to sustainability and reducing waste through the refurbishing program. They are making every effort to overcome this challenge and continue the project. This case makes it clear that the feasibility of good sustainability ideas in practice is recalcitrant, even if the ambitions are there. 

 Case study Ashram College (vo) 

The working visit to the Ashram College in Alphen aan den Rijn took place at a time when a completely new school building was under construction. The school's ideal was to build as sustainably as possible, but that proved difficult to achieve.There were a number of bottlenecks. First of all, the desire to build completely circular proved too costly, and so the high ambitions did not materialize. Another issue the school ran into was grid congestion, or, the limited capacity of the power grid. The school is a large consumer of electricity, and the power grid was not prepared for that when the new school wanted to open. Another intention that did not get off the ground in practice was to start cooperation with local residents, by purchasing joint heat pumps, sharing a water storage facility and installing solar panels. That idea turned out to be too complex in terms of laws and regulations. The school pleaded - also based on these experiences - with the working group for more standardization and knowledge sharing between schools. For example, it would be very useful if there was a knowledge base that all schools wishing to build circularly could call on. Or if the different counters within the municipality would coordinate among themselves what they do and do not require from schools in new construction. Moreover, there are great differences between municipalities: one municipality spends much more money on new school construction than another, and one alderman takes a completely different approach than another. An undesirable situation, according to the school.Fortunately, the school did manage to use various materials from the old building in the new building. For example, the floorboards from the gymnasium, the tiles and fencing from the grounds and a partition wall were reused in the new building. 

 

 Work Conference 

The five collaborating ministries organized a working meeting for school leaders and school administrators from po, vo and so on November 27, 2023. This meeting was titled 'Giving direction to sustainability in educational practice' and took place at the Groote Museum Artis. The working meeting was an initiative of IenW and LNV in cooperation with OCW, EZK and BZK. The central question was: how can school administrators and school leaders weave sustainability into their vision and how can this work out in practice? All kinds of practical examples were presented and there was plenty of discussion about what the government can do to help schools.  

 

During table sessions, participants watched videos outlining real-world case studies of two schools working on sustainability in different ways. Session participants were then able to offer advice to these schools. One of the schools was PRO33College, a practical school from Amersfoort, where the working group also went on a working visit in February 2023. At this school all sorts of things are happening in the field of sustainability, but in practice it appears to be difficult to secure and connect the various separate initiatives. The school is also looking for ways to involve the environment in sustainable development. You can read more about this in this article about the collaboration between PRO33College and a volunteer organization that uses the greenhouse on the school grounds to cook according to different cultural traditions and host guests who come to eat.  

The other real-life case study was De Ommezwaai, a special education school run by school board the Education Specialists. In February 2023, the working group also visited this school as part of the working visits. Sustainability is already strongly embedded in the policy of the Education Specialists. For example, there is a sustainability task force active within the board and there is a sustainability coordinator who is indispensable in rigging sustainability projects, advising around sustainability issues and seeking connection with other local partners in the area. The central question in this case study was that policies on sustainability have been formulated, but how do you then ensure ownership on the floor? 
 

 Roundtable session  

In January 2024, Oberon and SME completed the research process by organizing a roundtable session with two forerunner boards. At the table were representatives of two school groups (De Onderwijsspecialisten and Meerscholen) who discussed with each other the various sustainable initiatives they have taken in recent years. One board has appointed a sustainability coordinator who arranges everything related to sustainability at the schools, from lesson ideas and student projects to charging stations for electric cars. The other board is working hard to make school buildings more sustainable. Within two years, all of the foundation's schools must reduce CO2 emissions at each school by half with the help of solar panels, better insulation and heat pumps, among other things. The common thread of the conversation was: government is better at inspiring and motivating than controlling and enforcing. Whether it's sustainability in the curriculum or making school buildings more sustainable. Want to read more? In the education journal Didactief (April 2024) states a article about this roundtable session.  

 

 Retrospective  

Sustainability in education is a complex issue that needs to be addressed holistically, according to the schools that participated in this study. They therefore found it highly commendable that no fewer than five different ministries are represented in the Sustainable School Working Group. The process - which has now been completed - also made it clear that all kinds of initiatives are underway in education that aim to make the planet a little cleaner. Thanks to the various activities, on the one hand, the ministries got a better picture of the type of problems schools face in practice. On the other hand, schools have been able to tell their stories and learn from each other. One thing is certain: much more can be achieved if the various ministries join forces and create joint policies to support education in realizing their sustainable intentions.   

 Text: Marleen Kieft (www.marleenkieft.nl) 

Photos: Hak van Nispen tot Pannerden (SME)

    Share this page: