Teachers as SDG gatekeepers: educator roles in Sustainable Development Goal integration among secondary students in Lebanon and Dubai

Purpose This study explores how teachers and school leaders influence secondary school students' engagement with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Lebanon and Dubai, UAE. Although the two contexts share a regional setting, they differ significantly in their institutional capacity to support sustainability education. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach was used. Quantitative data were collected through a survey of 267 Lebanese secondary school students. In Dubai, qualitative data came from focus group discussions with 30 students in three international schools. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with 11 education professionals across both contexts. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and inductive thematic coding. Findings The results show a clear structural difference between the two contexts. In Lebanon, sustainability education was described by participants as depending largely on individual teacher or school leadership initiatives. Where such initiative was absent, participants reported that the topic was less likely to be raised in class. In Dubai, participants described sustainability as already present through several national and institutional frameworks before it reached the classroom; the focus group discussions showed high self-reported SDG awareness and strong thematic engagement with Gender Equality and Climate Action among focus group participants. However, both contexts show a gap between awareness and practice: only 28.5% of Lebanese survey respondents reported practising sustainability outside school, and responsible consumption was the least prominently raised theme in the Dubai focus group discussions. Research limitations/implications The study has several limitations. The Dubai qualitative sample consists of 30 students drawn exclusively from internationally oriented schools, limiting statistical generalisability and representativeness of the broader UAE educational system. A methodological asymmetry exists between the two contexts: Lebanon is represented by quantitative survey data while Dubai is represented by qualitative focus group findings; direct numerical comparisons should therefore be read with caution. Data collection was disrupted by COVID-19 in both contexts. Future research should conduct parallel educator-focused studies across both countries and examine how the awareness-action gap evolves as national sustainability initiatives continue to develop. Practical implications Lebanon requires three structural changes: formal SDG integration into the national curriculum, discipline-specific teacher professional development, and stronger civil society and private-sector partnerships to connect sustainability content to students' lived realities. Where the state cannot provide this infrastructure, coordinated multi-stakeholder approaches offer a viable alternative. Dubai's challenge is different. High awareness exists but behavioural change lags, particularly around responsible consumption. Schools need pedagogical approaches that move beyond institutional knowledge delivery toward structured critical reflection, helping students examine the tension between sustainability understanding and everyday lifestyle patterns. In both contexts, systemic reform matters more than individual teacher initiative. Social implications When sustainability education depends on individual educators rather than institutional frameworks, access becomes unequal. In Lebanon, students encounter SDG content largely based on which school they attend and whether a motivated teacher is present. When that individual leaves, the learning disappears with them. This produces not only a curriculum gap but an equity challenge, as confirmed by the biographical educator profiles in Table 4. In Dubai, coordinated national frameworks reduce that inequality but do not eliminate the gap between awareness and behaviour, particularly around consumption. Across both contexts, consumption-driven lifestyles remain the most stubborn barrier to meaningful sustainability practice among young people. Originality/value The study provides a comparative institutional perspective on SDG education in two contrasting Middle East and North Africa (MENA) contexts. It proposes a provisional conceptual distinction between the educator as gatekeeper, characteristic of fragile institutional environments where sustainability education depends on individual initiative, and the system as amplifier, characteristic of contexts with established policy frameworks. Presented as an interpretation generated from these cases rather than a validated model, this framework offers a transferable lens for understanding how institutional capacity shapes SDG education across the Arab world and other resource-constrained settings.