The Contribution of Education for Sustainable Development to Transformational Leadership among Selected Namibian School Principals

Alex Tubawene Kanyimba^1*, E. N. M. Katewa², Pamela Claassen³

¹Faculty of Education, University of Namibia, Windhoek Campus, Windhoek, Namibia.
²Faculty of Education, University of Namibia, Rundu Campus, Rundu, Namibia.
³Research and Publication Office, University of Namibia, Windhoek Campus, Windhoek, Namibia.

DOI: 10.4236/jss.2015.33028                

Abstract

There is a growing interest among educational leaders in Namibia to promote transformational leadership in schools. The aim of this paper is to report on the contribution of education for sus-tainable development to transformational leadership among school principals in Namibian schools. The results of the study show that education for sustainable development can be seen as a tool to promote transformational leadership because it provides an opportunity for the sharing of responsibilities, opening communication channels, and achieving change in terms of leadership as well as managing personal hygiene by learners and the wider community. The results also show that the contribution of education for sustainable development to transformational leadership is challenged by the fact that education for sustainable development is a new concept. This shows a lack of awareness, a lack of parental involvement, and a lack of teamwork and unavailability of funding. This study shows the need to run training and awareness programmes by positioning education for sustainable development at the interface of self-leadership strategies and components of transformational leadership. It also indicates that school principals need to be provided with the skills required to implement education for sustainable development. The Namibian environmental education/education for sustainable development policy and related strategy must be aligned to address the roles and responsibilities of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Environment, other ministries and departments, and civil society and private actors who have a stake in education for sustainable development. The rewarding of committed environmental clubs and associations is also recommended. These directions should be incorporated as a non-negoti- able aspect for the contribution of education to sustainable development and transformational leadership in Namibian schools.

Keywords

Transformational Leadership, Education for Sustainable Development, Environmental Education, Natural Science Education

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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