Creative Leadership and Aesthetic Governance for Sustainability: Evidence from School Based Climate Education Reforms in South-South Nigeria
Ndebilie Chinyere Edwina
Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, Nigeria.
Onyebuchi-Igbokwe Grace Chizoma
*
Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, Nigeria.
Isiodu Kosieme Georges
Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Climate change presents significant environmental and educational challenges, particularly in vulnerable regions such as South-South Nigeria. This study explores how creative leadership and aesthetic governance can enhance school-based climate education by promoting innovative and context-relevant sustainability practices. This study examined how creative leadership and aesthetic governance practices influence the implementation of sustainability-oriented climate education reforms in public secondary schools in South-South Nigeria. Using a mixed-methods research design, data were collected from school administrators, teachers, and students across six states through questionnaires (n = 410), interviews, and spatial mapping of school–community environmental initiatives. The study integrated creative curriculum leadership, visual–spatial learning strategies, place-based geographic awareness, and civic-oriented social learning to assess institutional responsiveness to climate challenges. Quantitative analysis revealed a significant relationship between creative educational management practices and effective sustainability programming (p < 0.05), while qualitative findings showed that art-infused spatial representations and locally grounded social studies content enhanced student engagement and climate consciousness. The results indicate that aesthetic approaches to school leadership and curriculum coordination strengthen institutional capacity for climate action. The study contributes empirical insights to creativity-driven educational management and offers policy-relevant recommendations for embedding sustainability governance within African school systems (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2020; Strati, 2010; Leithwood et al., 2020).
Keywords: Creative leadership, sustainability education, aesthetic governance, climate action, climate education