A UNESCO-led capacity building programme for policy makers, heads of institutions, teacher educators and TVET educators on Education for Sustainable Development in Eastern Africa, implemented by Kenyatta University with UNESCO and UNICEF.
Policy dialogues and workshops across Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Seychelles.
October 3, 2025 News and Events Mr Pascal Gatabazi, Technical Advisor, Ministry of Education, Rwanda, officially opens the LEAD-ESD Rwanda National Policy Dialogue and…
Read more →September 26, 2025 News and Events The Vice Chancellor, Kenyatta University, officially opened the LEAD-ESD National Policy Dialogue and Workshop at Kenya School of…
Read more →September 25, 2025 News and Events Report Advancements in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and the strategic potential of LEAD-ESD in accelerating its…
Read more →The Leadership for Education for Sustainable Development (LEAD-ESD) course is for policy makers, heads of institutions, teacher educators and TVET educators. Teachers and TVET instructors could also benefit from the programme. The focus is on an action-oriented approach to transformative learning in teacher education and TVET institutions. The programme encourages teacher educators and TVET educators to put transformative education and learning towards sustainable development at the centre of their educational work. The course follows a 5-step action learning programme framework.
The LEAD-ESD mandate works through three areas.
Developing transformative content and teaching methods for sustainability education.
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Connecting schools with communities to address local sustainability challenges collaboratively.
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Shaping education policies that support sustainable, inclusive, transformative learning environments.
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LEAD-ESD is a regional programme that falls within UNESCO's 'Education for Sustainable Development: Towards achieving the SDGs' or 'ESD for 2030' programme. It aims to support capacity building for policy makers, heads of institutions, teacher educators and TVET educators in Eastern Africa to respond to regional sustainable development concerns and opportunities, the Africa 2063 Agenda, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this programme, you and your teacher education/TVET institution (TEI) will be supported to work on developing an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Change Project that will model best practice for ESD in your country, in the Eastern Africa region, on the African continent, and internationally.
Teacher and TVET educators need to use the professional learning on this course to improve the education of teachers and TVET instructors. In turn, this will support teachers and TVET instructors to integrate ESD into their teaching practice. The programme seeks to support educational engagement with 'The Africa we Want' by re-thinking what quality education and training is.
Change Projects are self-defined institutional change initiatives. They include curriculum innovations, pedagogical innovations and whole-institution innovations. Importantly, all Change Projects must be orientated towards sustainability, and to relevant policy in participating countries.
Change Projects in teacher/TVET education can focus on teaching practice improvements, assessment, integration of culture and indigenous knowledge into curriculum, community engagement, and science and technology innovations for sustainability. Whole institution sustainability initiatives are also welcome.
Join the interactive forum for policy makers, heads of institutions, teacher educators, and TVET educators/instructors involved in the Leadership for Education for…
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Join the interactive forum for policy makers, heads of institutions, teacher educators, and TVET educators/instructors involved in the Leadership for Education for…
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Download freely available resources including course materials and an e-library to support teacher educators.
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LEAD-ESD aims to strengthen Education for Sustainable Development and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in teacher/TVET education institutions.
Read more →Tree planting and sessions during the LEAD-ESD Regional Inception Workshop and national policy dialogues.
