Sustainability is a popular term in modern times, which is approached in many ways. In Pakistan, on one hand we need higher education for sustainable development and on the other hand, we need sustainable development in higher education. Both of them supplement and complement each other.
Education for sustainable development can be defined as a learning, which needs to maintain and improve our quality of life and the quality of life for future generations to come. The educational role of universities in the implementation of sustainable development is especially important. The most important challenge for universities is to adjust their structure for new expectations in the 21st century, and at the same time implement the concept of sustainable development.
To achieve the above mentioned goals the higher education in itself needs to maintain, innovate and improve continuously. This creates new challenges for the universities and calls for practical implementations of sustainable development in higher education. 21st century is a century of knowledge-based society, where knowledge is the most wanted good. The universities have to adopt, adjust and innovate continuously.
Sustainability is a key area of development for higher education sector and it is important to consider how to best embed it into learning and teaching strategies.
In Pakistan the universities have started moving in this direction under the guidance of Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan. A process has been started in the right direction, but this is a very long term process, requiring continuous perseverance and uninterrupted patience. At the moment certain apprehensions are being expressed in some corners of society as to whether the good initiatives made by HEC, will be sustained, and continued. Hence a categorical assurance from the Govt. is required.
Conclusion: Higher Education for sustainable development requires two commitments in Pakistan. A firm commitment of the Govt. of Pakistan to provide resources for higher education.
The Higher Education in Pakistan on the other hand must address following areas:
To integrate sustainable science and education. To strengthen co-ordination, collaboration between different levels of education for sustainable development. In Pakistan the Primary and Secondary education are weak links.
To transform information and knowledge gaps between different parts of Pakistan (particularly; urban and rural) and ultimately between various parts of the world.
Comments
Comments are closed.