Creating classrooms where learning is interwoven with real-world issues affecting our planet isn't a far-off dream. It's a critical future that Associate Professor Dr. Subarna Sivapalan is helping to build through her work in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). 

Students engaged in a classroom activity 

Thinking Beyond the Syllabus  

With a passion for empowering learners to care about the planet and people, Dr. Subarna embarked on a national study to assess the current state of ESD within formal education in Malaysia. While ESD is infused in the national curriculum, her study investigated if it was truly taking root. She assessed the awareness of teachers, school leaders and students and the alignment of school practices with ESD goals. 

She found that while passion for sustainability education existed, the understanding of its interdisciplinary fundamentals could be enhanced. Dr. Subarna’s research further highlighted the need for a ‘whole school’ approach, where sustainability becomes part of a school’s DNA—integrated through teaching and learning, policy, practice and community partnerships. 

ESD is not just about the 3Rs

The findings called for sustainability and SDGs aligned interdisciplinary teaching and learning, systemic interventions and sustained teacher capacity building to empower learners beyond traditional subject silos. 

Importantly, the study underscored this is a shared responsibility, involving not just the Ministry of Education but the entire school ecosystem. The findings of this study have been used to inform discussions of the upcoming National Education Blueprint and the 2027 National Curriculum Review.  

Dr. Subarna is a national reference point for ESD and sits on the National ESD Coalition led by the Ministry of Education Malaysia. She has also shared her ESD insights on national media and global platforms like the COP and UNESCO’s Greening Education Partnership.

Supported by Amanah Alam Lestari and research collaborators including WWF Malaysia and local universities, Dr Subarna’s work is shaping real change on the ground. “Sustainability and ESD must live and breathe in every classroom and at all levels of education,” she says. “That’s how we empower resilient generations of the future”.