Transition towards sustainable education
Every day we are confronted worldwide with the limits of our economic system and with related ecological and social challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, depletion of raw materials, growing inequality and increasing pressure on social services. We know things must change if we want to offer our children and grandchildren a bright future.
Education plays a key role in the path to a sustainable future. To prepare students for the challenges that come with it, a transformation of education is necessary to ensure that education contributes to a sustainable future for everyone. In all domains and aimed at an ideal balance between economic, ecological and social interests. Not only does this involve knowledge and competences, but also values. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a rich source of inspiration to rethink education.
In 2015, all 193 countries that are members of the United Nations (UN) endorsed these SDGs. The goals apply to all countries and to all people.
They are designed to build a greener, fairer and better world by 2030 and emphasise that we all have a role in achieving that. This requires a paradigm shift from price to value in our economic thinking. The HU has embraced the SDGs in its vision “Together for the Future” because the SDGs are recognisable and guiding for businesses, governments and educational institutes.
Institutes and study programmes further incorporate this HU vision in their own vision, and MTs implement this vision through their teams within their own domains and study programmes for the education of and for the future. They also organise time and professionalisation for lecturers to translate this into the educational body of knowledge and skills, learning outcomes, competences and learning environment.
The education of the future also requires a different attitude from lecturers and students and more collaboration: both within and with other study programmes. Colleagues and students may have different views about the future and how education can contribute to this. It is essential to keep having conversations regarding this topic with each other.
The HU has reserved time and budget for this transition towards sustainable education, for the development of, among other things, a conceptual framework and a number of tools. The sustainability monitor and the SDG House Conceptual Framework and Toolkit stimulate the conversation to initiate the transition and provide direction for what the HU aims for with sustainable education. Examples from others can be helpful in concretising the transition. Various examples are already included in the conceptual framework, the tools and on the website. We want to continue to supplement, update and share examples.
Together we will shape and further implement this transition so that we can meet the needs of the current generation without endangering the needs of future generations, both here and in other parts of the world.