Bringing the SDGs into Everyday Learning
The School of Education, Sunway University, brought together more than 300 participants at the SDGs in Education Symposium 2026 on 3 October, drawing on academic and practitioner perspectives to examine how education can contribute to a more sustainable future. Co-organised with industry partner Eduwis, the symposium explored how the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can inform everyday learning, from early childhood education to the wider education system.
The School’s contribution centred on the relationship between educator preparation and the experiences educators create for learners. This placed teaching approaches, inclusive learning environments and the development of responsible decision-making at the heart of the discussion on sustainability.
In her welcoming address, Professor Dr Malissa Maria Mahmud, Dean of the School of Education, connected the experiences of young children with the responsibilities they would carry into adulthood: “A child who develops empathy, environmental awareness and a sense of responsibility in the early years eventually becomes the university student, professional, parent, policymaker or community leader making decisions about our collective future.”
This perspective gives early childhood education a significant place within the sustainability agenda. It connects with SDG 4: Quality Education, particularly Target 4.2 on quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education, and Target 4.7 on the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. For educators, these goals invite careful consideration of what children learn, how they participate and the values expressed through their learning environments.
Guillaume Lafortune, Vice President and Head of SDSN Asia at the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), spoke about the urgency of advancing the SDGs and the role of networks such as SDSN in supporting progress. His contribution highlighted the importance of translating global ambitions into local contexts, including the practices of schools and educational communities.
Associate Professor Dr Fadzilah Abd Rahman of the School of Education contributed an early childhood education perspective to the panel discussion. She considered the spaces in which children learn, the experiences they encounter and how education shapes their understanding of the world. Her contribution drew attention to the learning that takes place through everyday interactions, routines and choices.
The educational implications are practical. Sharing resources can create opportunities to consider fairness and responsibility. Caring for the surroundings can encourage children to reflect on their relationship with the environment. Inclusive activities can help children experience participation and belonging. Educators give these experiences a clearer sustainability purpose when they encourage children to ask questions, reflect on their actions and consider their effects on others.
The symposium also underscored the importance of connecting university expertise with the contexts in which educators work. Collaboration with Eduwis brought perspectives from early childhood practice into the discussion, creating an opportunity to examine how educational ideas relate to the experiences of practitioners. This university and industry engagement reflects the emphasis of SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals on collaboration in support of sustainable development.
For the School of Education, co-organising the symposium formed part of its commitment to advancing education for sustainable development through academic engagement and collaboration with the sector. The exchange reinforced the importance of preparing educators to make inclusion, responsible choices and care for the environment purposeful elements of everyday learning. It is through such educational decisions that the SDGs become meaningful in the lives of learners.
