Integrating Culture into Education for Sustainable Development at Tertiary Level: Challenges and Opportunities.

Abstract

Education for sustainable development is widely recognized as essential for building a resilient and equitable future. However, its effectiveness depends not only on policies and curricula but also on its grounding in culture. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities of integrating culture into education for sustainable development at tertiary level in Zimbabwe. Drawing on an interpretive paradigm and qualitative methods, through a idiographic, including interviews and focus group discussions that were held with thirty participants. The study highlights barriers such as resistance to change, linguistic diversity, resource constraints, gender inequality, and entrenched social hierarchies. At the same time, it identifies opportunities of preserving indigenous knowledge, enhancing student engagement, promoting diversity and global citizenship, ethical grounding through cultural philosophies such as Ubuntu, resilience against globalization, and stronger connections between global sustainability goals and local realities. The findings suggest that culturally responsive curricula, inclusive language policies, equitable resource allocation, and community engagement are critical for transforming ESD into a holistic and impactful framework. By embracing cultural diversity, tertiary institutions can ensure that sustainability is not perceived as an external imposition but as a lived practice rooted in identity and heritage.