Higher Education in BRICS Countries Committed to the Sustainable Development Goals: Community Engagement and Research Practices
Keywords:
sustainability; sustainable development; Sustainable Development Goals; education for sustainability; BRICS; community engagement; research practicesAbstract
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 social, economic, and environmental goals to be achieved by the year 2030. World leaders have committed to the 17 SDGs because there is an urgent need to shift the world onto a more sustainable path. Education for sustainable development (ESD) is necessary if BRICS nations are to achieve the SDGs and their targets by 2030. Higher educational institutions (HEIs) play an essential role in achieving sustainability as they nurture future leaders, policymakers, business owners, and professionals. Although the SDGs have been reported on in the scholarly literature, there is a call for more studies that explore how HEIs in developing countries, such as BRICS nations, contribute to the SDGs. Employing a qualitative document analysis of 60 documents, grounded in the principles of grounded theory, the purpose of this study was to explore how BRICS nations such as Brazil and South Africa have aligned their community engagement and research practices to contribute to the 17 SDGs. The findings revealed that HEIs should not limit the implementation of the SDGs in their community engagement and research practices. The curriculum content and teaching pedagogy should also be aligned with the ESD and the 17 SDGs. Further improvement will require adopting a holistic approach towards ESD in all core activities.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.24.12.27
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