Enabling Higher Education Institutions Towards Sustainable Practices

Education has always shown the path to bring about change and transformation in society. It has ushered in change through new knowledge, ideas, thoughts and values and equipping learners with skills and behaviors needed to address social, cultural, economic and various other challenges. As challenges get more difficult, issues overlap and seem to be interconnected, the education system needs to gear itself to meet the demands of this increasingly complex world scenario. Educational institutions need to move from the traditional set goals of teaching and learning and encompass a larger purpose by incorporating sustainable practices. Sustainable Education was defined by UNESCO 2014 -"Education for Sustainable Development allows every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future. Education for Sustainable Development means including key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning; for example, climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction, and sustainable consumption. It also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behavior and take action for sustainable development. Education for Sustainable Development consequently promotes competencies like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way. Education for Sustainable Development requires far-reaching changes in the way education is often practised today."