| In the wake of Kenya’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which emphasizes inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all, the need to reimagine institutional leadership for curriculum transformation is both urgent and necessary. This paper explores how school leaders and institutional heads can spearhead meaningful curriculum leadership to align with sustainable development priorities, with a specific focus on teacher education. Drawing on qualitative data from selected teacher training colleges and secondary schools across Kilifi and Mombasa counties, this study investigates how institutional leadership influences the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into classroom practices and pre-service teacher preparation. Using a conceptual framework grounded in distributed leadership theory and transformative learning, the research analyses the role of school principals, teacher trainers, and Boards of Management in re-shaping teaching pedagogies and learning outcomes through innovative curriculum implementation. Key findings reveal that curriculum leadership in most institutions remains heavily centralized, with limited space for collaborative innovation or contextual adaptation. However, institutions that foster a shared leadership approach demonstrate higher responsiveness to sustainability issues such as climate education, gender equity, green entrepreneurship, and digital literacy. These institutions also report more student-centered teaching practices and a stronger alignment with Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) values. Notably, leadership development for heads of institutions remains minimal, with a mismatch between policy reforms and leadership preparedness at the grassroots level. The paper advocates for a systemic reconceptualization of institutional leadership within teacher education, where leaders become facilitators of sustainable change rather than mere implementers of top-down mandates. It recommends targeted capacity building programs for school leaders, incorporation of ESD indicators in school appraisal systems, and a national policy framework that promotes adaptive leadership and cross-sectoral collaboration. This study contributes to the discourse on curriculum innovation in Kenya by positioning institutional leadership as a critical enabler of transformative and sustainable education. It offers a reflective lens through which education stakeholders can evaluate existing gaps and opportunities in achieving a reimagined, equitable, and future-focused education system. |
