Sustainability in education: follow-up report

Higher education is considered as an important catalyst for sustainable development. Forming nearly 50,000 young people annually, it can and should strengthen sustainability thinking. Read the follow-up report for Sustainability in Research 2022.

Objectives

Through its education, Ghent University must contribute to 'a more sustainable society and sufficiently familiarise its students with social, ecological and economic sustainability problems and possible solutions'. In its pursuit of 'education with high social relevance, linked to and inspired by the challenges of today and tomorrow', Ghent University wants to integrate sustainable development in the content and process of its entire educational offering.

Strategic framework

To achieve the above objectives, an ambitious action plan is needed. Work is being done around 7 pillars:

  • Strengthening sustainability policy in the educational organisation
  • Content integration of sustainability in training provision
  • Teacher professionalisation: towards better subjects with a focus on sustainability

  • Supporting educational initiatives by students

Measures

Here is a list of some measures to integrate sustainable development in the content and process of the entire curriculum:

  • Surveying sustainability aspects in all course evaluations.
  • Developing a new interdisciplinary master's with a focus on (the governance of) sustainability transitions.
  • Supporting educational practices in which students in a transdisciplinary setting engage with sustainability challenges from within or outside the university: Community Service Learning, City Academy, Dare to Undertake, Living Lab Campus Sterre,...
  • Taking new steps to embed sustainability more strongly in their teaching through the university-wide policy choice sustainability.
  • Organising an annual Summer School Climate and Degrowth for and by UGent students.

For more info: www.UGent.be/duurzaam  > education