<p><font color="#33711E"><strong>Day 1 – Plenary Session I: Paradigms of Development</strong></font></p>
Queen's Park 1, 11:00 - 13:00
Innovation of Higher Education for Sustainable Development
Samuel Lee
Korean National Commission for UNESCO, Republic of Korea
It is widely recognized that education plays a vital role in socio-economic development. Looking at the changes that have taken place in the Republic of Korea over the past 50 years, it is clear that the driving force for improvements came from gains in knowledge and technologies, and the transformation of value systems through education. Education plays a crucial role in development but we need to find the type of education that can bring about the changes needed for sustainable development. The important thing is the quality of education, and it is necessary for students to learn what truly matters. In order to steer society towards sustainable development, we must ensure that the values and skills required for sustainability are integrated into the various levels of education. For these reasons, the roles and responsibility of higher education institutions cannot be overestimated. This paper discusses the three major roles of higher education institutions in terms of achieving sustainable development. (1) Research. Higher education institutions are responsible for research and identifying ways of achieving sustainable production and consumption, including the necessary knowledge, skills and norms of behaviour. (2) Teacher Education. High-quality education depends on qualified teachers, and higher education incorporates institutions that train those teachers. (3) Leadership. Higher education produces the leaders and elites of society, who direct and manage political parties, government, and private industries. If higher education fails to educate students for sustainability, our future leaders will not be qualified agents for sustainable development. This paper argues that higher education institutions should be critically questioned as to the extent to which they are contributing to sustainable development goals, and it examines how higher education institutions can be reformed in order to meet the needs of participatory and sustainable development.
Download the paper (pdf, 70kb) and presentation (pdf, 210kb)