Embedding sustainable development in higher education institutions

Author: Muhammad Zahid

Almost every sphere of life demands sustainable practices. Climate change, water scarcity, economic problems, energy crises, social injustice, poverty alleviation, and a massive increase in the world population compel every discipline to incorporate the theme of sustainability. The higher education institutions (HEIs) around the globe are now reshaping their domain to contribute to the broader agenda of sustainable development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Embracing the theme, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has initiated many programs towards the direction and integration of sustainable development. In doing so some of the HEIs unveilings into these practices.

The case on hand is the City University of Science and Information Technology (CUSIT) Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) which welcomes the agenda of sustainable development. The university has initiated sustainability endeavors intending to further improve and excel. For the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the HEIs, the curriculum is considered one of the important aspects, among others. The university is trying to contribute in this area. The university is offering sustainability centric courses on under and postgrad levels. They are offering courses such as corporate sustainability, corporate social responsibility, business ethics and society, carbon emissions and management, education for sustainable development, environmental social and governance, as well as some other related courses. Apart from that, the university is invited to guest lectures and experts in international conferences on the topic of sustainable development goals and sustainability issues.

Research in the area of ESD further enhances domains and paradigms of sustainability in the HEIs. The university is committed to researching the subject areas and established City University Center for Sustainability Studies (CUCSS), which is closely working on sustainability areas. In the center, the students are assigned sustainability connected research projects. The student gets their degrees after completing these projects. Moreover, the concerned faculty members are also involved to publish relevant research in high index journals.

The HEIs should focus on different models to enhance their economic sustainability and revenue generation rather than relying on government funds

On environmental sustainability, the university is committed to reducing negative environmental footprints. They are trying to reduce the use of energy and installed solar panels that produce approximately 50 Kilo-volt-amperes (KVA). Likewise, they have installed energy-efficient equipment such as energy savers, DC invertors, and cooling plants as a source of renewable energies.

The university is committed to the reduction of waste and disposals by frequently sending notices and intimations to the stakeholders for waste reductions. They are also committed to using recycled materials such as the re-use of papers. Likewise, the university has announced paperless and limited use of the paper policy. For that, they track the number of prints for individual users and seeks comments on the violation of these rules. The university has also implemented City University Learning Management System (CULMS) for a fully paperless environment, which is used by the students, faculty, and administrative staff for course delivery and other internal communications. In the current situation of a pandemic due to COVID-19, the CULMS is a great companion for most of the programs in providing online education and class delivery.

On the social and economic development front, the university is trying to perform well. The university has started exchange programs with different universities around the globe to give exposure to the students and faculty members. In the domain of awareness and volunteerism, the university is involved in many activities to create and spread awareness regarding social, economic, and especially environmental sustainability by conducting seminars, social gatherings, and official meetings. They are also involved in promoting sustainable policies and practices by involving students and staff to go green especially by plantations inside and outside the universities. Towards the gender diversity endeavors, the university maintains a substantial ratio of female students and staff members in the different domains. Moreover, the university is trying to further well balance the ratio. As a tiny effort, the university is trying to compile the university sustainability report for the stakeholders. However, these efforts are not that real to meet the international standards and hence needed further energies.

In light of the above voluntary steps, it is recommended that the sample, as well as other HEIs, would initiate the following steps to integrate the agenda of sustainability.

As a first step top management of the HEIs would speak the language of sustainable development.
The HEIs should focus on different models to enhance their economic sustainability and revenue generation rather than relying on government funds.
Likewise, these HEIs should emphasize the integration of environmental practices most importantly producing renewable and clean energies for their daily usage.
The infrastructure of the universities in terms of buildings, education, and research activities would be motivated towards sustainable practices and development.
The HEIs should adhere to policies for the capacity building of the communities through awareness programs and social innovations.
The HEIs should also focus on other channels such as distance learning and the online system as a medium of education delivery.
Likewise, these HEIs integrate their degree program to ecopreneurship and entrepreneurial activities to generate economic and employment opportunities.
To further escalate these efforts, the HEC should work on voluntary Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the practical implementation of sustainable development agenda among the HEIs.
The HEIs should ensure gender and other diversity streams in their endeavors.
The HEC of Pakistan would encourage and incentivized the HEIs to follow the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of sustainability and sustainable development.
Last but not least, as a tinny step the HEIs should generate a sustainability report for the stakeholders.