Welcome to the TESF Network Plus
We support collaborative research to develop understanding of how education systems can act as drivers of sustainable development in India, Rwanda, Somalia/Somaliland and South Africa.
The Transforming Education for Sustainable Futures network is funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund through the Economic and Social Research Council Network Plus scheme. It is coordinated out of the University of Bristol and works with partners in India, Rwanda, Somalia/Somaliland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. It is due to run for three and a half years, from November 2019 to April 2023.
Our research addresses the role of education in climate action, decent work and sustainable cities. Addressing inequalities relating to poverty, gender and the status of indigenous knowledge are cross-cutting themes in our work, as are concerns for foregrounding marginalised voices and decolonising research.

Funded projects
Our aim is to develop new knowledge that can assist education policy makers, practitioners, non-governmental and community-based organisations to implement policies and practices in education that are transformative and can contribute to ensuring equitable, just and environmentally sustainable development.
We are funding and supporting a balanced mix of 60+ exploratory, innovative studies and pilot projects lasting up to 12 months within the four countries of India, Rwanda, Somalia/Somaliland and South Africa.

Latest research
A presentation from South Africa on the Covid-19 education response providing intersecting perspectives on why water, food and livelihoods matter in transforming education for sustainable futures.
Action-based research in Rwanda exploring the use of solar-powered radios to reach poor communities in remote areas.
A Sociology Mind article exploring the educational and broader social impacts of Covid-19 control measures in the education sector in Somalia/Somaliland.
A rapid response paper reflecting the network’s collective experience in terms of responses to the current crisis caused by the pandemic.

Latest outputs
- Remote Learning among Vulnerable Families during COVID-19 in Rwanda
- Building a Reciprocal Relationship between Education and SDG 11
- South Africa First Engagement paper
- South Africa - Background paper
- Somalia/Somaliland - Background paper
- Rwanda - Background paper
- India - Background paper
- Co-Creating Education for Sustainable Futures
- Skills for Sustainable Futures
- Transforming Education for Sustainable Futures: Foundations paper

Latest events
- UKFIET Conference - TESF Symposium
- Webinar - Evidence, Knowledge and Research in the Context of Covid-19
- Webinar - Re-imagining Curriculum in India: Charting a Path beyond the Pandemic
- Webinar - Skills for Sustainable Futures
- Webinar - Unintended Methodologies: arts-based research practices as forms of listening
- Webinar - Re-imagining UK Education Research Partnerships in the South
- Webinar – Conceptualising Education for Sustainable Futures: Framing the work of the TESF Network Plus