Promoting higher education for sustainable development in the Global South: better universities for better leaders
Background
Education is seen as key to achieving the global sustainability goals set out by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. But even nationwide education systems in the global North have not led us to act more sustainably: decisions taken in everyday life still lead us to consuming too many resources and not being able to close the poverty gap both in industrialized countries and in countries of the global South. In high-income countries of the global North, a great deal is being invested in education, leading to an economic upturn. By comparison, investment in education in the South is very low and is often reduced in favor of defense budgets. The conditions in countries of the South must therefore be improved in order to provide education for all. At the same time, however, educational institutions must be designed differently in order to train the future leaders for sustainable development.
Objective
Establishment, review and institutionalization of sustainability-promoting university education and research structures in three regions of the global South.
Expected Benefits
• In the partner country: A groundbreaking sustainability-enhancing tertiary education structure that helps to reduce the global South’s dependency on the North’s academic university system – a system that has not yet proven to be compatible with sustainable development.
• In Switzerland: Higher recognition for sustainability research and education. Greater credibility: Swiss development cooperation cannot credibly recommend development scenarios to low- and middle-income countries, while further expanding the hegemony of the North in the fields of science and economy. Migration flows may be reduced by high-quality and sustainability-promoting education in the South.
Contact Information
Anne Zimmermann, , phone: +41 31 631 97 65
Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern
