Resumo

DE SOUZA, Ben. Sustainability-oriented teacher education for inclusive education in Southern Africa. Journal of Education [online]. 2025, n.102, pp.130-145. ISSN 2520-9868.  https://doi.org/10.17159/2520-9868/i102a07.

How do teacher educators prepare future teachers for inclusive education? This question is important since inclusive education is central to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4. However, the realisation of inclusive education has been constrained by systemic inequalities, resource shortages, and unsustainable practices. Research recommends ongoing efforts to address the need for greater inclusivity. In Southern Africa, one such effort has been the Sustainability Starts with Teachers (SST) programme, which involved teacher educators in 11 countries in capacity building for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through Change Projects. This qualitative case study research involved SST teacher educators in Malawi, Tanzania, and Eswatini to develop their capacity to enhance inclusive education through ESD practices. Focusing on disability inclusion, the research generated data through semi-structured interviews and workshop observations. The study's main finding is that the ways in which teachers understood the concept of inclusive education influenced how they taught student teachers about inclusivity in the ESD context. Using Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory to underline the sustainability-oriented teacher development, I argue that mainstreaming inclusivity in teacher education through ESD cultivates competencies and systemic changes that prepare teachers to embrace diversity as a resource. I conclude that inclusivity and sustainability are inseparable. Therefore, reorienting teacher education around this nexus is key to transforming education systems for more just and equitable futures.

Palavras-chave : change project; education for sustainable development; inclusive education; southern Africa; teacher education.

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