Emerging dimensions of sustainability in institutes of higher education in India

Bantanur, Shaila; Mukherjee, Mahua; Shankar, R.

doi:10.1016/j.ijsbe.2015.03.004

Cited by 29 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Currently, there are syllabuses where ESD is being established as a specific course, not only in degrees with competence in the field of educational sciences, but also in other degrees in the field of experimental sciences [ 60 ]. In other cases, a greening of the curriculum carried out by some professors is also found [ 61 , 62 ], which deepens the knowledge acquired in previous stages, since HE should not only provide specific models of excellence in education, but also guidance to the community on social improvement and environmental sustainability in order to develop the proper competencies [ 18 , 48 , 56 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Differences across Future Teachers Regarding Attitudes on Social Responsibility for Sustainable Development

Estrada-Vidal

Gómez

López-Cordero

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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In the search for sustainable development, in which the ecological footprint is carefully considered by consumers and companies, teachers play an important role within a social and economic framework. This role relates to aspects of social responsibility. It should involve knowledge about education for responsible consumption in order to care for the environment both individually and socially. Considering this, the aim of this study is to find out whether there are differences in the level of awareness and the habits of future teachers of Early Childhood and Primary Education regarding sustainable social responsibility. A non-probabilistic sample of 30 Early Childhood Education degree students and 22 Primary Education degree students was used. Semi-structured interviews and an inductive process were conducted to examine the importance of Sustainable Development in society, the relevance of Social Responsibility for Sustainable Development (individual versus corporate), the attitudes and habits relative to Sustainable Development and the education on Sustainable Development in schools: knowledge, attitudes, and proposals. Students agree that they consume excessively. This is everyone’s individual responsibility (as regarded by all participants), although changes could be supported by institutions and companies (Early Childhood education students argue in favour of corporate responsibility). Knowledge deficits were identified in relation to production, distribution, and sale processes. They consider education to be the main factor for sustainability, while society is ranked as the least important, observing an evident disagreement in relation to environmental and economic factors (perception of collective responsibility; Early Childhood versus Primary Education students). Finally, they also outline teaching proposals (active and participatory) to foster education for sustainable development at schools.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Differences across Future Teachers Regarding Attitudes on Social Responsibility for Sustainable Development

Estrada-Vidal

Gómez

López-Cordero

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…Higher Education Institutions have the societal responsibility of providing guidance to students, faculty, staff, and administration (Viebahn, 2002;Bantanur et al, 2015), and their decisions affect the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the communities and regions around them (Katiliute et al, 2014). Universities have been considered significant contributors to the promotion of sustainability and the pursuit of regional sustainability (Karatzoglou, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of higher education institutions in sustainability initiatives at the local level

Filho

Vargas

Salvia

et al. 2019

Journal of Cleaner Production

123

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Universities are central players and important economic actors in many regions, and many of them are, in general, nationally and internationally active in respect of matters related to sustainable development. But there is a paucity of research which examines their contributions towards sustainability efforts at the local level, i.e. in the places they are situated. This paper addresses this need, by reporting on a qualitative study deploying a Matrix, which allows an analysis and reporting of regional sustainable development initiatives of a set of 22 universities in industrialised and developing countries. Recommendations to enhance their role are provided, including the importance of pursuing partnerships and joint initiatives, understanding the need of local communities, and making their know-how more widely available. The scientific value of this research is related to the understanding of how the interaction between universities and local communities happens and by shedding light to this topic, it supports universities to improve their own actions. Its implications are twofold: it demonstrates the potential of universities as local players, and outlines the range of activities they may engage with, and which may allow them to act as pillars to local sustainability initiatives.

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“…The newly released National Education Policy (NEP 2020) also talks of the crucial responsibilities of HEIs in community engagement, support for the school system, and value-based education and ED [30]. However, the idea of sustainability in the Indian higher education system is nascent and under-researched, which primarily addresses environmental issues [31]. Unfortunately, Indian universities generally focus only on the curriculum, the intake number, faculty development, facilities, necessary infrastructure but not enough thought has been given to the campus sustainability [32].…”

Section: Sustainability Issues In the Indian Higher Education Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We can see only a few universities and institutes that practising only certain aspects of sustainability. A study carried out at the Indian Institute of Science and Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur) reported some sustainability aspects such as rainwater harvesting, waste and wastewater management, transportation, biodiversity enhancement and utilising renewable energy resources [31]. However, they have not taken any step to integrate these practices into their system.…”

Section: Sustainability Issues In the Indian Higher Education Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building Sustainable Societies through Purpose-Driven Universities: A Case Study from Ashoka University (India)

et al. 2021

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Sustainable Development (SD) is the universal essentiality of present times, and universities have a critical role in implementing this initiative through their functioning, policies and practices. To integrate SD goals, universities should have a global outlook that is still locally rooted in its strategies. In the last decade, various theories and recommendations have been proposed and adopted globally for integrating sustainability in higher education systems. In India, environmental education has been mandated at all formal levels in the education system. Still, there is a strong argument that it is not simply a matter of overhauling syllabi and curricula. Instead, universities should be incorporating SD goals into their research and their own operations. Our study aims to investigate the sustainability model of Ashoka University (India) that approaches its commitment through sustainability-focused courses, research, and operations. This study involves an in-depth literature review and uses an established framework to assess the condition of the university towards sustainability issues. Our case study employed observations, data collections, document reviews, and interactions with different stakeholders. The study concludes that the university is mostly in adherence with the framework at this stage. Critical areas of future development within the framework are proposed considering the global context. This research serves as an entry point for evaluating sustainability issues of the Indian higher education system, and hopes to motivate higher education communities to do further research to improve their sustainability performance and their role as agents of change.

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Emerging dimensions of sustainability in institutes of higher education in India

Cited by 29 publications

References 7 publications

The Differences across Future Teachers Regarding Attitudes on Social Responsibility for Sustainable Development

The Differences across Future Teachers Regarding Attitudes on Social Responsibility for Sustainable Development

The role of higher education institutions in sustainability initiatives at the local level

Building Sustainable Societies through Purpose-Driven Universities: A Case Study from Ashoka University (India)

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