Preparing new secondary science teachers in the context of sustainable development goals: green and sustainable chemistry

Abstract School science teachers have an important role to play in preparing young people for a sustainable future. Yet their teaching is usually constrained by national school curricula, which may be slow to change to address the issues of sustainable development. Initial teacher education should anticipate the required changes in school curricula so that newly qualified teachers are better equipped to implement the changes when they happen. This paper is based upon the situation prevailing in South Africa, a country with some of the best and some of the worst schools in sub-Saharan Africa. It suggests ways that the BEd course for physical science education student teachers can be developed toward education for sustainable development, while accepting the constraints of the national curriculum, which has become the defining structure of the BEd.