Decade of Education for Sustainable Development – Polish Challenges

Taking into consideration Polish challenges in shaping educational system for sustainable development, the following issues should be underlined: need to enhance narrow understanding of education, aimed at “mind” side (intellect, intellectual rationalism) and very little referring to new paradigms of development for shifting to education for sustainable development, so wide approach to the role, scope, and educational tasks joined for coherent entirety of education for sustainable development, social education and economic education. Thinking in categories of need to improve quality of live, especially in the context of balancedness of its three holistic dimensions (physical/material, psychical and spiritual/affective) is giving us good arguments for the idea of sustainable development itself and means the need of integrated education, which should include different dimensions of quality of life in the aspect of its close connections with widely understood culture. The pillar integrating these areas of education should be clearly formulated axiological attitude, based on giving and shaping “warm” values (i.e. good, empathy, effectiveness). The basic transmitter of value systems to different spheres of holistic education is certainly culture, which should – in this role – infiltrate all dimensions and kinds of education. The essence of such education is directly expressed in European Strategy of Education for Sustainable Development, and is also the basic direction which is presented in the UN’s Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014.