Vol. 3 - 2026
The need for effective leadership to implement sustainable development in education has entered the critical agenda, where integrating environmental responsibility, social inclusion and resource efficiency into education systems is a pressing need. This study attempted to assess the role of educational leadership towards sustainable development in secondary schools in Nigeria, with emphasis on awareness of sustainability policy, implementation of sustainability policy, sustainable resource management, engagement of stakeholders and gender differences in the effectiveness of educational leadership. A descriptive survey research was used in the study. A total of 38 school administrators (principals and vice-principals) from secondary schools in Imo State, Nigeria were sampled. A structured questionnaire, namely Educational Leadership and Sustainable Development Questionnaire (ELSDQ) was used to collect data, with acceptable internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.79). The data were analyzed by mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions and an independent samples t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The results showed that the sustainability policy awareness of school administrators was at a moderate level (Grand Mean = 2.62). Administrators were effective in implementing sustainability policy (Grand Mean = 2.70), sustainable resource management (Grand Mean = 2.63) and engaging stakeholders (Grand Mean = 2.73). But, there were still issues that needed to be addressed in the long term such as the adoption of renewable energy, development of sustainable infrastructure, and better cooperation with external bodies. The findings also revealed no significant differences in awareness, implementation, resource management, or stakeholder engagement regarding sustainability policy between male and female administrators. The study holds that educational leadership has a significant role to play in the promotion of sustainable development in Nigerian schools but this requires enhanced institutional support, capacity development of educational leaders, targeted funding and improved partnership with external stakeholders. The study proposes incorporating sustainability leadership education into educational management curricula and enhancing collaboration among schools, government institutions, and sustainability-focused organizations.
Educational leadership, Sustainable development, Sustainability education, School administration,
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