Introduction
Ireland’s Second National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) or ESD to 2030, was launched in June 2022 to integrate and promote sustainable development in education through meaningful research, learning and teaching. In its second phase (2022-2026), the policy continues to be aligned with the larger UNESCO[i] Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030[ii].
Higher education institutions (HEIs) have emerged as key actors in implementing the objectives of the SDG 2030 agenda (Topalidou, 2025). Beyond addressing sustainability goals through pedagogical reimagining, HEIs are increasingly becoming strategic in their ideation, approach and management. Ireland’s HEIs have actively adopted the SDGs since the Second Strategy. According to the Higher Education Authority (HEA, 2024)[iii], the ESD to 2030 policy is meant to create an enterprising, collaborative, and inclusive roadmap across the Irish higher education sector. There has been an increase in the number of dedicated projects, funding, and training programmes that have appointed various national- and local-level actors such as educators, youth councils, and voluntary organisations to embed ESD more holistically into the curricula.
This paper seeks to examine the ESD to 2030 policy in light of the role played by Irish HEIs in its incorporation and implementation by analysing secondary sources including government reports, whitepapers, media pieces, and academic articles. This paper argues that HEIs can meaningfully contribute in furthering ESD policy objectives as ‘intermediate policymakers’ with the right infrastructure, resources and support from enabling ecosystems including national and local stakeholders.
Aims of ESD to 2030 Policy
Following on from the first ESD Strategy (2014-2020), the Second Strategy aligns with the 2030 Agenda. It contributes to the achievement of SDG target 4.7[iv], which mandates HEIs play an essential role in preparing learners for sustainability leadership through active engagement (Behan et al., 2022). Aligned with the SDG target and the broader UNESCO framework, the Second Strategy outlines five interrelated priority areas:
- Advancing policy: Embedding ESD in education and other relevant policies as part of a lifelong learning approach.
- Transforming learning environments: Using a whole-of-institution approach to provide learners with opportunities to acquire the knowledge and skills.
- Building capacities of educators: Providing educators and trainers the opportunities to develop capacities and integrate ESD into their offerings.
- Empowering and mobilising young people: Young people are supported to be agents of change for sustainable development.
- Accelerating local-level actions: Promoting local action through collaboration among education providers, communities, and civil society organisations.
HEIs can play an enterprising role in bolstering priority areas 2, 3 and 4 and influencing learning environments and end-beneficiaries (students, parents and teachers). Through collaborative partnerships between academia and government agencies, funding bodies, and civic society organisations, robust measures and enabling infrastructure can lead the way for ESD transformation across all levels of teaching and learning. It therefore becomes imperative to explore the need to shift from transmissive to transformative higher education for sustainable development (Boström et al., 2018).
ESD to 2030 Policy In Action: HEI Sector
In January 2025, the ESD steering group compiled a Progress Report (2025)[v] detailing the achievements from 37 Government departments and agencies, and 17 HEIs. The compilation of projects, under each priority area, demonstrates that while the implementation of the ESD to 2030 policy is still underway, the policy has had a positive influence on Ireland’s educational institutions. Listed below are some of initiatives and policy actions undertaken by national-level stakeholders to fast-track ESD policy uptake in higher education:
| Funding | The HEA renewed the Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement Funding (SATLE) initiative in 2024 by allocating €5 million to support HEIs actively integrating ESD (Government of Ireland, 2024). Funding was provided to universities for innovative projects supporting sustainability goals. For example, Maynooth University researchers were awarded €730,000 under Research Ireland’s National Challenge Fund. |
| Management | The HEA appointed Dr. Mark Kelly as the policy advisor to help shape the national approach and support sectoral engagement with the goal of embedding sustainability (O’Shea, 2024). Additionally, universities are encouraged to cross-collaborate through partnerships and promote ESD objectives. This led to over 80% of HEIs collaborating with local communities to enhance engagement at the local level (Government of Ireland, 2025). |
| Engagement | As part of ESD agenda, the Minister for Children, Disability, and Equality co-hosted the National Youth Assembly in 2024, where 70 delegates from Local Youth Councils (Comhairle na nÓg) and climate organisations provided input from a youth perspective to the Environment, Climate and Communications department’s campaign on climate action planning (DFHERIS, 2025). |
| Infrastructure | 72 sustainable laboratory certifications were announced by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to promote research spaces in 12 HEIs and encourage dedicated sustainability research as part of ESD (Department of Education and Youth, 2025). |
| Recognition | The University of Limerick became the first academic institution in Ireland to be awarded the National Transport Authority’s Smarter Travel Mark gold accreditation in 2023. It made sustained investments in infrastructure to support cycling and shared mobility options, enabling bicycle parking, mobility parking bays, and charging stations, etc. (Government of Ireland, 2025). |
HEIs are playing a pivotal role in fostering sustainable, environmental, and social transformations (Filho et al., 2019). As can be observed for Ireland, various policy actions are boosting interconnectedness among the stakeholders, wherein educational institutions and management are increasingly assuming additional responsibilities that involve decision-making. ESD in HEIs has evolved to align with the UNESCO Agenda 2030, requiring standardised global policies and curricula (Shava et al., 2023). It can be argued that HEIs have emerged as ‘intermediate policymakers’ who have newfound relevance in the educational development paradigm. The accelerating institutional engagement demonstrates the evolution of their roles and responsibilities, which makes it easier for them to gain a seat at the negotiating table and demand greater ESD policy action and transformation.
Role of ‘Intermediate’ Policymakers in HEIs
Gallagher-Cooke (2023) argues that HEIs have more autonomy and agility than most other public sector organisations in today’s world. HEIs can write and transparently publish their own statutes, regulations and procedures for the effective operationalisation of their distinct missions. Gallagher-Cooke’s (2023) analysis also focuses on Irish HEIs, which have the capacity to self-govern within an agreed sectoral framework to be able to successfully embed environmental sustainability. Through sound governance, visibility of outcomes, and dedicated seed funding, Irish HEIs can enable tangible change.
Like Gallagher-Cooke’s arguments, much of the discourse on embedding ESD is centred on HEI leaders and higher management decision-makers. For example, SATLE funding prompted universities to drive internal funding calls and sponsor cross-college projects. Universities like TU Dublin organised SDG competitions and events to promote ESD among college students (Department of Education and Youth, 2025). Beyond management and engagement, there are also efforts to produce academic literature on mainstreaming ESD across higher education systems. Here, the focus of HEIs is primarily on driving educational policies and frameworks through the collaborative forces of local stakeholders. Over time, HEIs have adopted a multifaceted approach in corporealising ESD as they rethink their education models (Coetzer, Morales and MacMahon, 2022) and adopt evidence-based approaches.
Decision-makers (leaders, educators, management, etc.) have surfaced as intermediate policymakers. They are involved in aligning statutes, regulations, and procedures of the respective HEIs with the demands of the ESD to 2030 policy, alongside collaborating with government bodies (such as the Department of Further & Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science) to meaningfully integrate ESD and SDG objectives into their theory of change. Whether such decisions will maximise gains is open to debate but the role of such stakeholders have earned prominence as they steer local decision-making and capacity-building.
Gaps in ‘Intermediate’ Policymaking in HEIs
While the role and contribution of intermediate policymakers is undeniable, there is another side to this coin. Evidence suggests that HEI management and leaders often deal with promising projects that conclude with superficial outputs. Dillon (2024) discusses this in light of the first ESD strategy. Despite efforts from HEIs, the systemic integration of intersectional ESD in Ireland remained weak. She illustrates her own experience at Maynooth University in elucidating the underlying gaps. While the university’s purpose of creating better futures focused on ‘research excellence’ around sustainability, there was no mention of ESD objectives in official documents.
Sterling (2025) also calls out the systemic inefficacies from a macro perspective, arguing that there is ambivalence in meaningful ESD transformation. Although he gives credit to ESD, recognising it as an instrument of systems-level change across educational policy and practice, he also alerts readers about the practical limitations. More often than not, ESD gets reduced to lip service as institutions claiming that they have delivered sustainable education outcomes fail to recognise the implications for the system as a whole. This could be due to a lack of resources, complex and disparate structures within HEIs, a lack of funding, and other challenges. Sterling (2004) insists on a more holistic approach where ESD is perceived more as a systemic change (change alters the system), instead of an accommodative change (change occurs within a system that remains unchanged).
The inadequacy of the intermediate policymakers highlights that there is no linear, systematic, and straightforward approach to policymaking (Cairney, 2019). In reality, policymakers often scramble through policy options to select the best possible choice for the greater good. This is due to limitations posed by time, resources, more powerful actors (the government), etc. Therefore, the intermediate policymakers (in this case, the HEI leaders and management) are left with limited agency over their environment, which is uncertain and complex, leading to policy decisions based on trial and error or at the commands of the state.
Rethinking the Role of Intermediate Policymakers for HEIs
A report on ESD country initiatives[vi] submitted by Ireland details the ESD status in relation to the priority action areas. With respect to the priority areas 2 (transforming learning environments), 3 (building capacities of educators) and 4 (empowering and mobilising young people), Ireland’s performance is in need of improvement. Change is especially needed in terms of adopting a whole-of-institution approach and engaging educators and students more effectively. While several initiatives are already underway, as noted previously, there is a case for strengthening sustainability infrastructure and resources at a systemic level.
HEIs need to rethink and reconsider their educational models to update their leadership role (Coetzer, et al., 2022). Boyer (1996) criticises existing higher education systems that focus on private benefits and calls for renewed models that prioritise public good. A new social contract should be considered to evaluate the role and responsibilities of HEIs (Coetzer, et al., 2022). It can start with local and global partnerships, with greater cooperation with governments, businesses, and civil society organisations. HEIs can assume a more official and formalised role to address some of the SDG challenges by driving critical decisions, strategies and frameworks on the ground. For example, universities’ mission and vision statements can reflect ESD commitments and feedback mechanisms can catalyse information exchanges with national and local stakeholders in a more streamlined manner. The social responsibility of universities alongside institutional leadership could become more pronounced to mobilise meaningful change throughout the education system.
From a policy perspective, successful policymaking lies at the intersection of sound evidence, effective management of political context, and a robust plan around how the policy will be delivered (UK Gov, 2013). For the ESD to 2030 policy to flourish in the HEI sector, it is critical to balance these expectations. From green policies, such as waste management in university campuses, to free and mandatory SDG training and professional development programmes for the staff, such actions can propel changes to become cultural, behavioural, and sustainable.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Irish higher education sector has been taking significant steps and making strides towards achieving the objectives of the ESD to 2030 agenda. The Progress Report is instrumental in mapping the developments and the ‘thinking ahead’ sections demonstrate a future-forward commitment towards ESD. Nevertheless, there is scope for HEIs to strengthen their approach and mitigate the limitations they face as intermediate policymakers.
Going forward, HEIs could assume a leadership and governance role within the whole-institution approach (Kohl et al., 2022). Firstly, they could leverage the presence and role of end-beneficiaries such as students and educators to gain quick wins at a granular level. HEIs could map ESD 2030 priorities into their course provision and structures (Dolan, 2022), through learning programmes, assessments, and learning outcome measurement to train students and staff. HEIs can also engage students in ESD curriculum co-creation and implementation. Students emerge as key stakeholders in higher education, who can offer innovative and unique perspectives by communicating their needs and concerns (Green Campus Ireland, 2022). HEIs ought to support student-led initiatives and projects that explicitly support the ESD 2030 agenda. Additionally, HEIs can utilise local partnerships with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other communities for co-creation, facilitation and delivery on ESD objectives with the required rigour and momentum, which otherwise cannot be fast-tracked or achieved through top-down (national) support and mechanisms.
On the policymaking side, HEIs could act as ‘evidence partners’ that align their internal research, evaluation, and impact indicators with the overall ESD goals and strategic aims. HEIs inform national governments about specific challenges and opportunities (Andereggen et al., 2012), as they are regarded as trusted sources of academic and scientific knowledge. Therefore, HEIs can develop shared metrics and policy-outcomes measurement frameworks that contribute to effective monitoring and reporting. Through digital tools like impact dashboards and communication efforts such as policy implementation briefs, progress reports, and open-access publications/resources, this can enhance visibility and accountability of HEIs as active agents and advocates of the larger ESD agenda.
Therefore, organised dialogue and synergy among HEIs and national- and local-level stakeholders could mediate a meaningful top-down change, which could further create a bottom-up transformation.
Acknowledgements
This paper is based on research conducted for the Public Administration and Policy Making module at University College Dublin. The guidance and feedback of Assistant Professor Nat O’Connor on this paper is gratefully acknowledged.
About the author:
Shreyashee Roy is a Master of Public Policy student at University College Dublin. The paper is the result of research undertaken for the Public Administration and Policy Making module at University College Dublin.
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Endnotes
[i] UNESCO or United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations that promotes international cooperation in education, arts, culture.
[ii] The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
[iii] The Higher Education Authority (HEA) leads the strategic development of the Irish higher education and research system.
[iv] SDG 4.7: By 2030 ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including among others through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
[v] Education for Sustainable Development: ESD to 2030: 2nd Report on Progress https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/e6d6694b/ESD_to_2030_Second_Report_on_Progress.pdf
[vi] Country Initiative on Education for Sustainable Development: Ireland (2023) https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000386127/PDF/386127eng.pdf.multi
[vii] Shreyashee Roy is a Master of Public Policy student at University College Dublin. The paper is the result of research undertaken for the Public Administration and Policy Making module at University College Dublin.