Differentiation, didactics and inequality: How rich and poor populations are educatied for sustainability

Abstract: In recent decades, education for sustainable development (ESD) has gained prominence as an urgent educational imperative. Although ESD is championed by UNESCO as contributing to a just, and sustainable future, the question remains open whether it is possible to address all of humanity in a just and equitable manner in a highly unequal world. Influenced by biopolitical theory, this compilation thesis draws attention to how differentiation, didactics, and inequality interlace in ESD. Article 1 problematizes the relationship between educational differentiation and inequality by critically engaging with the didactic who-question. Article 2 examines how UNESCO’s current ESD framework handles the varying living conditions of rich and poor populations, while Article 3 explores how ESD is practically implemented in different school contexts in Rwanda, Sweden, South Africa, and Uganda. Article 4 elaborates on potential didactic responses to the problematics identified in the previous articles. Through these studies, the thesis critically examines educational differentiation and how the construction of student populations as suitable for various forms of education risks perpetuating inequality. It also explores how educational differentiation manifests in ESD policy and practice, and how problematic differentiation can be challenged didactically.