LEADING PEDAGOGICAL INNOVATION FOR EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (ESD)

Abstract

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has emerged as a critical framework for addressing complex global challenges such as climate change, social inequality, and environmental degradation. This chapter examines the role of pedagogical leadership in fostering innovative teaching–learning practices that advance ESD in higher education. It explores the conceptual foundations of ESD and analyses how leadership influences the adoption of experiential, interdisciplinary, transformative, and digitally enabled pedagogies. The chapter highlights the importance of learner-centred and action-oriented approaches in developing sustainability competencies, including systems thinking, critical reflection, and ethical responsibility. Attention is also given to institutional enablers and barriers that shape pedagogical innovation, as well as the need for context-responsive and inclusive leadership, particularly across diverse global settings. The chapter argues that sustained pedagogical innovation requires visionary, strategic, and ethically grounded leadership to embed ESD meaningfully within institutional cultures and practices, positioning higher education as a key agent of sustainable development.