Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Mohammad Shamsuddoha
Department of Marketing Studies and International Marketing
University of Chittagong, Bangladesh
Tasnuba Nasir
Faculty of Business Administration,
University of Science and Technology Chittagong (USTC), Bangladesh
Abstract
This paper attempts to discuss the sustainable development of Bangladeshi higher
education. There are many ways in which universities can be involved in sustainable
development. Approaches can vary from functioning simply in an environmental friendly way to
signing declarations and focusing the mission and management on the quest for sustainability.
There is no doubt, however, that the challenge of sustainable development for universities goes
beyond just economizing energy and changing operations. It is recognized that both the content
and form of education must change so that sustainable development becomes the only
alternative for future generations. However, the researcher tried to explore the role, coverage,
way, importance, present status and other relevant issues under the sustainable development.
Keyword: Sustainability, Higher education, Bangladesh
Introduction:
Sustainability is today one of the most widely used words in the scientific field as a
whole and in the environmental sciences in particular, but the analysis of the evolution of such a
concept is a difficult exercise. This is because the records of the systematic use of such an
expression, whose reference in the current vocabulary and political discourse is nowadays so
popular, are scattered around. Until the late 1970s, the ``word'' sustainability was only
occasionally employed, in most cases to refer to ways through which forest resources should be
used. It has, in other words, strong connections with the forestry sector from where, some
believe, it originated. Other than that, the expression ``sustainability'' has been traditionally used
as synonymous with words such as ``long-term'', ``durable'', ``sound'' or ``systematic’’, among
others. Indeed, out of the context of the English language, sustainable development is very often
referred to as ``durable development'' in French, while word-by-word translations are found in
the German (nachhaltige Entwicklung), Spanish (desarrolo sustenible) and Portuguese
(desenvolvimento sustentavel) languages (Filho, W.L., 2000). It is always important for higher
education that it have sustainability in all respect. However, to maintain sustainability education
institutions have to do lot of works to maintain it for a long run.
Literature review:
Developing countries like Bangladesh is also concerned about the major environmental,
societal and durability problems. There is a growing tendency of people from rural areas to
migrate to urban areas and as such it creates enormous pressure on land, housing, education,
sanitation and other social overheads. To face all the challenges sustainable education can play a
vital role in Bangladesh. Research also supports the concept of connecting education and
sustainable development. Until the late 70s, the word sustainability was occasionally used and in
most of the cases it indicates the way of using forest resources. Some believe that it originated
from the forestry sector and consequently it has strong connection with the sector. Traditionally,
the term Sustainability has been used as synonymous with the words like “long term”,
“durable”, or “systematic” (Filho, W.L., 2000). Sustainable development is one of the important
challenges of the 21st century. The concept of sustainability has different meanings in different
culture and countries. Sometimes it is really difficult to use the proper word to express the
1
notion of sustainability. Sustainable development can be defined as the combination of social
development, economic development, and environmental protection which are mutually used to
benefit present and future generations (World Commission on Environment and development,
1987). In order to define, implement and evaluate the strategies related to sustainability various
initiatives were developed and all of those include education as a critical component.
From the preceding research it was exposed that education can increase agricultural
productivity, decrease population growth, increase awareness regarding environmental or
ecological issues which is essential for Bangladesh. On the other hand, there is a strong linkage
between sustainable development and higher education. In developed and developing countries
higher education is essential to create jobs and also business having fewer environmental
impacts (McKeown, R., 2001). Higher education may have several goals but the important
goals may be, to make people wiser, more knowledgeable, better informed, ethical and
responsible to the society (Weenen, H.V., 2000). Definitions of sustainable development
revealed that it is the combination of social and economic development along with
environmental protection to benefit not only the present but also the future generations and the
goal of higher education can help a lot in this regard. Therefore, in a developing country it can
be achieved only through sustainable education which encompasses the present issues along
with the probable future outcome. In Bangladesh the issues regarding sustainability are in the
introductory stage. There is a lack of proper knowledge about the technological advancement,
ecology and environmental issues and also their impact on society and human being. Albeit, in
Bangladesh various universities, colleges and institutions are offering various courses keeping in
mind the issues of sustainability. Various courses have been introduced to comply with social
and economic development and environmental issues which is essential to face the present
challenges and also to keep the benefit of the future generations intact. Bangladesh is an agro-
based country and the development of this country mostly depends on the development of the
agricultural sector. Proper education, knowledge and exp ertise are required to develop this
sector. To face the challenges of sustainability proper initiative is required and in this connection
some universities are offering Agro-MBA in Bangladesh. This could help a lot to move towards
the sustainability by combining economic, social and environmental development.
1
Assessment of sustainability, studies at universities and colleges in Lithuania.
Figure 1. The university’s role
in society with regard to
sustainability (International
Journal of Sustainability in
Higher Education, Vol. 5 No. 3,
2004, pp. 255)
All educational institutions have an important role in the further implementation of rules and
should aim at being linked to internationally or nationally recognized development strategies or
the equivalent; to have staff fully trained and competent in education for sustainable
development; and to provide all students with relevant opportunities and methods for learning
about sustainable development (Haga Declaration, 2000). Again, the World Commission on
Environment and Development define the term as “development that meets the needs of the
present generation without compromising the needs of the future generations” 1 (Segivia, V.M,
2002). Moreover, the concept of sustainability has different meanings in different culture and
countries. Sometimes it is really difficult to use the proper word to express the notion of
sustainability. Sustainable development in higher education requires implementation of new
ways of teaching and learning (Kliucininkas, L.,2001).
The notion of sustainability can be used in different context according the nature of the
discipline. Every teacher can include different sustainability content based on his/her education
and experience along with the understanding of social processes and social structure.
Consequently, the way of introducing sustainable curriculum depends, to some extent, on the
individual instructor (Kliucininkas, L., 2001). Environmental and ecological issues along with
other factors have a great impact on sustainability. Universities and other institutions are trying
to make a bridge between sustainability and other emerging issues. There has been a remarkable
increase, over the last few years, in attention to course in business curricula related to the topic
of ecology or environmental and social issues. Courses like environmental marketing, ethical
practices in business, green marketing, waste management, environmental management have
been included in graduate and undergraduate program in various universities. In this modern
society, higher education are no longer considered a medium for repairing the shortcomings of
education systems, but a necessary element of them, at the same time it is not only for some
particular or marginal target groups, but for all exists in the education system (Sirajul Islam,
1986). Education serves society in various ways, like by creating consciousness and awareness,
identifying new concepts and ideas, and discovering new tools and techniques. Education is also
the means for developing skills and generating ideas to make the desired changes in every
aspects of life which also lead towards sustainability. In short it can be noted that education is
the best hope and most effective means in the mission to achieve sustainable development
(Weenen, H.V., 2000). After reviewing all relevant literature, the researcher did not find
plethora works based on Bangladeshi higher education. However, exploring recent status and
way to develop their education into sustainability was the main aims of the researcher.
Concluding Remarks
Bangladeshi Universit y have developed and implemented different strategy to carry out its
environmental and societal commitments through organized planning. Every plan has prioritized
the introduction of priority issues of society into education as the main focus. The development
factor of education is enormous compared to the direct environmental impact of university
activity. On the other hand, the inclusive nature of different strategy has mirror the importance
of the different and simultaneous approaches that necessarily need to be developed in order to
guarantee progress within the whole university. This strategy includes; initiating environmental
gauge into key decision- making process; working synergistically; designing environmental
research map; and building useful tools for decision making, particularly strategic planning
indicators. In that sense, university strategies have to be complemented with creative, high
impact and relevant programs that put sustainability in the main agenda of decision makers. This
strategy change must learn from all relevant experiences in various universities. There are three
critical dimensions that are relevant in the process of introducing sustainability in higher
education (Roorda, 2002) such as content oriented vs. process oriented; Quantitative vs.
qualitative; and Prescriptive vs. descriptive. It is noticed that Bangladeshi University are trying
hard to improve their course content, quantitative and prescriptive, while there seems to be some
consensus that the desirable dimensions. To conclude, we expect from the Universities are to be
consolidate the current work and extend it by the creation of new projects and programs mainly
targeted at education and research for the sake of sustainability.
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