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The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a worldwide commitment to a set of ambitious goals that advance sustainable social justice across the globe. Higher education (HE), while featuring in SDG 4: Quality Education, needs to occupy a bolder and more explicit position in the formulation of the SDGs and in their attainment, not only as an instrument toward the achievement of the SDGs but also in the sociocultural consciousness of countries towards a more sustainable and socially just world. Engaging with students in HE around these issues plays a vital role. Given Student Affairs and Services' (SAS) role and position in terms of support and development of students worldwide, it is a key player in supporting HE to become a more effective instrument in advancing the SDGs and in advancing students' attitudes and commitment to SDGs. To explore how SAS can play a more impactful role in advancing the SDGs and SAS' role in and contribution to SDGs around the world, we researched SAS practitioners' awareness of and engagement with SDGs. To collect data, we used a survey with open and closed questions via snowball sampling with self-selected participants from fifty-three countries (N=318). The results of our study suggest that SAS practitioners engage with and utilize the SDGs in a variety of ways across the globe, thus contributing to the role HE plays in advancing SDGs. In exploring the patterns, it emerges that SAS in the Global South (GS) and Global North (GN) engage differently with the SDGs. According to the results of our study, SAS in the GS appears to have more awareness of, engage more deliberately with, and use the SDGs more broadly in their work with students. While there are different trends on the role SDGs play across the global HE sector, the consensus seems to be around the need to discuss and engage with the SDGs more deeply, at curricular and co-curricular levels in higher education. Our research suggests that HE and SAS can do much more to generate awareness of SDGs, particularly in the GN.

This study interrogates how one of the least-studied regional intergovernmental organisations, the African Union (AU), operationalises or recontextualises the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the process of developing its post-2015 education and development strategies. Employing critical discourse analysis and drawing on multidisciplinary theories, the author examines the "emergence" of the SDGs in Africa and the strategies used to make them "hegemonic." The analysis indicates that the AU positions itself as an emerging education policy "node" negotiating between global development discourses and African needs and challenges. The strategies that the AU uses highlight potential issues in global governance. On the one hand, the AU positions itself as a victim of the unfair power relationships in global governance, by which international organisations and powerful economies maintain their institutional, structural and productive dominance. This seems to keep the AU "at bay" when it comes to decision-making at the global level. The AU consequently vows to become more critical and assertive, and to forge inclusive and fair relationships with its global partners. On the other hand, post-2015 African development strategies seem to benefit from global norms and make repeated references to scientific knowledge, expert ideas and best practices from the Western world. Overall, then, in order to carry out its role as a continental policy node "vis-à-vis" global expectations, the AU employs two apparently conflicting strategies: adoption and adaptation. These interpretations of the SDGs add more salience to both consensus and conflict-driven theories of global governance.

Theoretical roots of higher education institutions (HEIs) and Stakeholder Analysis date back to mid-1990s and research was focussed on the role of HEIs in society and sustainable development. While various studies have been published about 'triple-helix model' - bringing government, academia, and industry closer, the concept of HEIs and Stakeholder Analysis needs a comprehensive review of the work carried out till date. Bibliometric and content analyses were performed, incorporating citations from Scopus' database during last 25 years. Thematic mapping was carried out and evolving trends were identified. Findings and analysis of this research disclosed that during the last 25 years there has been a growing interest among scholars towards Stakeholder Analysis and HEIs. It was also noted that majority of research pursuits concentrated in western countries such as USA and UK, while Africa, Asia and South America were under-represented. This work will not only lay a foundation for academics to carry out further research, but it will also give new insights to the policymakers which would enable them to device strategies aiming at enhanced participation of universities/HEIs in the local, regional, and national development.

This paper presents a comprehensive review of existing literature concerning the domains of accreditation and quality assurance in various sectors. Accreditation and quality assurance play vital roles in ensuring the credibility, transparency, and effectiveness of educational institutions, healthcare facilities, industries, and other domains. This paper synthesizes the findings of numerous studies, focusing on the conceptual frameworks, methodologies, and outcomes associated with accreditation and quality assurance processes. The review encompasses a wide range of perspectives, including historical context, best practices, challenges, and advancements in accreditation and quality assurance. Through a systematic analysis of these scholarly works, this paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape of accreditation and quality assurance across diverse sectors and shed light on potential future research directions.

This article discusses the UNESCO concept of learning city in relation to the peculiarities of the African city. After reviewing earlier theoretical frameworks recommended for the promotion of learning city projects within sub-Saharan Africa, the article comes to the conclusion that those earlier theoretical frameworks are prescriptive. Upon further analysis of the peculiarities of the African city, the article opines that only within a reflexive theoretical framework that is supported by traditional African pedagogies would a learning city project in sub-Saharan Africa succeed.

Purpose: This article examines the role of Vocational Education and Training (VET) in a green transition of industry. In the world of industry, battling climate change is often treated as a technical issue, but recent research on VET has tried to balance the technological paradigm with more human-centric approaches. The literature review addresses emergent VET research that presents various and partially competing perspectives on the purpose of VET in relation to climate change. Methods: We use an integrative literature review to investigate this complex topic. This technique is particularly useful for making sense of emergent research concepts, as well as various, and partially competing, theoretical and methodological approaches. It also allows us to incorporate literature from different countries and VET systems. The main search was performed in Scopus during March 2023, and included studies published within a timespan of eight years (2016-2023). Findings: Through a qualitative content analysis, we have identified five cross-cutting themes in the literature--Conceptualising ill-defined concepts of green jobs and skills; high-tech solutions in the movement towards a fourth industrial revolution versus inclusive growth for VET greening; towards sustainable work-based learning for green skills in VET; radical transformative approaches to a just green transition; and the co-creation of skill-formation ecosystems. The analysis has highlighted the ways in which VET can take on different roles in the green transition, and that these roles can be developed successively in parallel with a green transition in industry. In the development of the role of VET, it is also relevant to consider the contrast between "transitional" approaches and "transformative" approaches in VET research. While transitional approaches are recurrently marked by empirical research in specialised areas and subsystems within society, transformative approaches are characterised by a stronger focus on societal transformation (large-scale changes), power dynamics, and social justice. Conclusion: In conclusion, we suggest an analytical model that synthesises research on what role VET can play in a green transition of industry. The development model highlights that VET can take on different roles in a green transition and can gradually develop in parallel with a green transition in industry.

The primary objective of this study is to examine the relationship between education aid and different levels of schooling, specifically primary, secondary, and tertiary education, from a gender perspective, with a particular focus on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) four. The study is structured into three main parts: the analysis of female outcomes, the analysis of male outcomes, and conducting a comparative analysis of results between females and males. Firstly, the study analyzes the impact of education aid on completion rates for females and males at the primary level, net enrolment rates for females and males at the secondary level, and gross enrolment rates for females and males at the tertiary level. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of the female and male outcomes is conducted. The study drew data from a 19-year panel (2002-2020) of fifty low and lower-middle-income countries. The system GMM (One-step GMM and Two-step GMM) was utilized for the analysis. Both methods demonstrated a favorable correlation between education aid and primary and secondary education. However, the results suggest that males benefit more from education aid than females at primary and secondary levels. Additionally, the findings for the tertiary level demonstrate that the relationship between tertiary education aid and tertiary education is not optimal. The primary contribution of this study lies in its focused examination of the impact of a specific level of educational aid on particular educational outcomes, with a special emphasis on gender considerations within a comprehensive framework aligned with SDG four.

The concept of frugal innovation has gained significant traction in low middle-income countries due to its potential to contribute to sustainable development goals (SDGs). This study examines the role of universities in promoting frugal innovation and their capacity to drive socio-economic development through entrepreneurial initiatives. The objective is to explore how universities can serve as both entrepreneurial and development-focused institutions and to develop a conceptual framework to guide their efforts. The study utilizes an exploratory single case study methodology, focusing on the American University of Nigeria (AUN), a leading institution in Nigeria known for its development and entrepreneurship programs. Drawing on data from the AUN THE global impact ranking 2024, the results of the study indicate that the ability of a university to effectively manage technology and skills transfer in frugal innovations is influenced by six university capabilities, and the generation of frugal innovations is moderated by policy and innovation ecosystems involving government agencies, regulatory bodies, and policymakers. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by initiating a discussion on how development and entrepreneurship can support frugal innovation, and offers practical insights to inspire other universities to develop their own models for societal and economic impact. The study underscores the necessity of integrating "development" into the vision of universities, particularly in low middle-income and developing economies, and emphasizes the significance of universities embracing both entrepreneurial and development-focused roles. The findings highlight the potential of universities in advancing sustainable development goals, particularly in low middle-income and developing economies, as they work towards meeting the global SDGs by 2030.

This paper examines the development of e-learning mediating tool(s) for an online professional development programme, focusing on sustainability and teacher education, implemented across 11 countries in the southern African region. The paper focuses on how we approached the design and development of an online mediating tool(s) for interactive, situated learning that seeks to support sustainability practices and engagement of teacher educators at a local level while learning together with others across national borders. Using cultural historical activity theory, we elaborate on our understanding of mediation and then focus on the design and the development of the e-learning mediating tool, which we describe as an expansive learning process in our research and practice community. Our main finding is that to establish an interactive learning environment for situated, transformative learning in teacher education settings requires a comprehensive complex process of collaborative learning supported by a range of e-learning mediation tools, that are complemented by on-site engagement and support in communities of practice. We conclude that the successful deployment and use of an e-learning mediating tool depends on interconnected learning systems that is supported by the development of digital literacy skills, continuous online support, and similar communication tools.

Following the widespread adoption and implementation of Education for All (EFA) at the World Education Forum held at Dakar as part of the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, school enrolment at the basic level of education has increased in Sub-Saharan Africa. With the region having the lowest rate of youth enrolled in upper secondary schools in the world, countries are paying considerable attention to upper secondary education, which is argued to be a significant component of human capital formation and for meeting Sustainable Development Goal 4. However, unlike for basic level education, academic research on the factors that determine upper secondary school enrolment in the region is limited. Against this backdrop, the study investigates the effects of cost elimination on upper secondary school enrolment in Sub-Saharan Africa using macro-level panel data analysis of countries from 2003 to 2018. The results show that cost elimination, as a demand-side intervention, has a significant positive effect on upper secondary school enrolment. However, amid a high level of poverty rate, the magnitude of the positive effects of cost elimination tends to reduce. This shows that along with demand-side interventions that reduce direct costs to schooling, policies must focus on reducing the level of poverty for cost elimination to become effective in increasing school enrolment.

Purpose: The article aims to identify the determinants of the urbanization process given the magnitude of this phenomenon and also its economic, social and environmental implications and pressure on public authorities to find viable solutions in the context of sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach: The research is based on regression analysis with urbanization growth being the dependent variable and enrollment in higher education, GDP, value added by industry and female labor force as independent variables. Findings: The main factors that favor urbanization are the increase in population, industry value-added and the female labor force. Urbanization is an objective that must be pursued differently by public authorities in developed and developing countries, given the different realities they face-population growth in developing countries, and population aging and international migration in developed countries. Research limitations/implications: The present research has limitations generated by the selection of independent variables, which is why in future directions, the research will consider the use of other indicators such as the number of graduates, exports as percent of GDP or migrations as a percentage of the total population. Given the complexity of the phenomenon of urbanization, future research will focus on groups of countries as they resulted from the clustering made by this article. Practical implications: The impact of higher education on urbanization is low, which is why the intensification of partnerships between municipal authorities and universities could be a solution that ensures not only the transfer of knowledge from academia to the public sector but also from entrepreneurs increasingly aware of the importance of promoting SDGs for urban development in the context of the challenges posed by global warming. The involvement of women in the labor market is essential for the intensification of the urbanization process. The increasing presence of women in the labor market generates an increase in the income of families, an increase in the level of education and an intensification of national and international migration. The research findings can be used by policy and decision-makers to develop appropriate urbanization and education policies and strategies. Originality/value: The existence of inhomogeneous clusters is noticeable, which demonstrates the complexity of the urbanization phenomenon that is present in all countries around the world, but under the influence of different factors such as the export of natural resources (mainly oil) or the intensification of industrial activity. Taking into account the variables used, this study stands out in the multitude of articles published in the international mainstream.

This intellectual piece aims to repurpose African teachers for the achievement of Standard Development Goals (SDG) 2030 target through online global trends. To achieve this, a qualitative review method was adopted to gain insight to previous studies that have established the positive impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills and competencies in teaching and learning processes. The findings show that many African teachers need to be adequately equipped with ICT skills as captured in the UNESCO framework. The study, therefore, concludes that teachers are inevitably becoming reskilled and reequipped with a virtual learning-based framework so that the SDG 4 can be achieved. Hence, the virtual learning space model with potential to equip teachers with necessary and requisite skills and competencies was developed and recommended. This will enable teachers to transit into an online teaching environment, where the teaching and learning processes are sustained without being hampered by any future unprecedented circumstances.

Students' action competence must be taught and developed, particularly for prospective science teachers, to have a pedagogical perspective as environmental educators. As indicated by publications in respected journals, researchers' focus and alignment on the issue of action competence are highly expected. This systematic literature review aims to compare the findings of research articles published by Web of Science-indexed journals. The keyword used to find the articles on the Web of Science's database was "action competence," which discovered 193 publications. Furthermore, 25 articles met the criteria to be analyzed. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis was the inclusion and exclusion model used. In the last three years, research focused on action competence has increased. The research employed several methods, i.e., qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, and development research. Jelle Boevede Pauw and Wanda Sass were the authors who frequently published research that focused on action competence. The keyword action competence was directly associated with environmental education, sustainable development, education-based learning for sustainable development, and evaluation. The authors who published their research with this focus were from 16 countries, mainly from Europe, i.e., Sweden, Belgium, and Denmark. The continent diversity of authors who contributed articles indicated that the action competence issue had become a global concern. Furthermore, it was found that the number of non-collaborating publications (universities or countries) was higher than those collaborating, even though single authors rarely wrote the articles. The recent trend shows that publications are authored by scientists with various backgrounds such as fields, universities, and even countries. The authors of this paper developed and proposed eight ideas to be reflected by prospective science teachers or science teacher education providers in educating future science teachers concerned about action competence about sustainable development.

To ensure its partners have the capacity to implement gender responsive projects, COL introduced an online training programme on gender equality and women's empowerment. This paper reports the methodology and results in measuring the efficacy of this online training at individual and organisational levels. The ability of individuals and organisations to plan and implement transformative actions with a gender perspective require adequate knowledge, skills and a change in attitudes. Given this need, the commonly used Knowledge, Attitude, Skills (KAS) model was used to measure the efficacy of this online training at individual and organisational levels by defining different dimensions of capacities with three learning domains -- Cognitive, Affective, Psychomotor (Bloom's Taxonomy). The baseline and the end line of KAS at the individual level on the six core gender capacities was established for comparison. Two questionnaires were designed to assess the learning achievements of the participants and to measure the efficacy of the training. An analysis of the study registers a clear trend of positive outcomes at the individual level regarding improved knowledge, attitudes and skills on gender equality that could be applied in their work. Furthermore, the paper reports that the organisations demonstrate an enabling environment for more gender equal policies, structures and practices and proposes ways to convert the success of this training by integrating it into the broader gender equality strategy of these organisations.

After more than a year of living with the COVID-19 pandemic, much experience has been accumulated by countries around the world. There have been many failures, and there have been some things that have gone well. Adult learning and education in some form has played a significant role in public health since, without the ongoing continuing educational interventions mainly via the mass media, the number of doctors and hospital beds would likely have been insufficient. In this paper we focus on the role of group behaviours in relation to the risk of contagion and we argue that any attempts to define a strategy to combat the pandemic must include a strong commitment to information dissemination and to the training of the populations in order to encourage behaviour change necessary to mitigate the spread of the virus. Against the backdrop of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this article argues for commitment by governments to use adult learning and education as a tool for health prevention and health awareness and to prepare populations for whatever pandemics and national disasters that might emerge in the twenty-first century, the "century of pandemics". We therefore argue that populations must have at least a basic level of literacy and numeracy as foundational skills essential for enabling citizens to receive and act on vital information during a pandemic or disaster in order to engender greater resilience.

Cognisant of the wide range of cooperation between China and Africa and the existing strong Sino-African relationship, this article explores the international cooperation between Africa and China in the higher education domain, especially in the field of Open Distance Learning (ODL). The study employed data triangulation relying on both secondary and primary sources to address the main research questions. It sheds light on the development of ODL in Chinese Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with a focus on professional development of university teachers. The article argues that ODL is crucial for emerging economies' sustainable development. Key factors such as political, technological and socio-cultural features play a crucial role in the development and effective implementation of ODL. By exploring the potential opportunities and identifying related challenges, this article contributes to an understanding of how mutually beneficial partnerships between African universities and Chinese HEIs can be developed within the wider framework of Sino-African relationship.

Quality educational institutions are strategic tools for accelerating the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). All the 17 SDGs are interlinked. For instance, quality education (SDG4) reduces poverty (SDG 1,2) and inequalities (SDG10) and stimulates good health and wellbeing (SDG3). The paper applied unorthodox theoretical postulations such as convergence models, intergovernmentalism, neofunctionalism and neorealism in explaining how functional (educational) institutions are a necessary enabling environment in accelerating the attainment of SDGs. Empirically, the paper identified unclear modus operandi, lack of political will, political instability, small and fragmented markets and economies with heterogeneous characteristics, and lack of standardization of product and procedures, among other factors, as constraints to sustainability in tertiary education. A Vector Autoregressive (VAR) model was employed using data from 51 Sub-Saharan countries. The three variables were gross domestic product per capita (GDPP), governance and tertiary education expenditure. Results indicated significant short-run unidirectional causality from gross domestic product per capita and tertiary education expenditure to governance, but joint short-run causality was not established. However, transmission effects across the three variables became significant as the number of years increased to ten years. The study recommends a holistic approach from policymakers in order to ensure sustainability in tertiary education due to interlinkages, with emphasis placed on direction of causality.

The most recent incarnation of development goals, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), call for a more intentional integration of higher education in development. Research can provide an avenue by which this done, developing relevant solutions to social problems. But who benefits from research, and whose knowledge counts in this process? Formal engagement with Indigenous knowledge, honoring the voices, artifacts, histories, traditions, and "knowledges" of those Indigenous communities that buttress the university can potentially contribute to both the social and environmental justice at the heart of sustainable development. Our research was focused on how African academics at two public universities and community members in The Gambia and Zambia constructed the role of Indigenous knowledge within their community-based research activities. We highlight the specific epistemic strategies academic researchers used to engage Indigenous communities and knowledge, the dilemmas faced in the field, and the connections made through research relationships to sustainable development.

Post-pandemic, there is a growing recognition that higher education needs to take a more proactive role in addressing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals -- the 17 goals for 2030 that aim to balance global economic development with the need to tackle climate change and protect our natural ecosystems. This change of focus has profound implications for international higher education. For universities in countries like Australia, New Zealand and the UK, internationalisation has underpinned a successful business model. Recruiting children of wealthy elites in developing countries and charging them high tuition fees allows universities to invest in research and facilities and drive themselves up global rankings tables. But recruiting students from the Global South imposes an environmental cost in terms of the carbon footprint and perpetuates structural inequality. This article explores solutions to moving beyond the current business model and adopting an internationalisation strategy that prioritises social justice and environmental sustainability.

The aim of the research and investigation methodology was based on an expert survey, using questionnaires translated into German, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese languages. The experts, interviewed in this study as part of the international community, represent institutions or organizations, that are involved in educational policy or in university research and teaching contexts with the topics and content as well as the implementation of ESD. The answers of the experts provide a different and wide range of variations in assessments of the implementation of the UN Decade and its characteristics of democratic potential and support. This shows that the potential democratic influences can always be assessed much more positively through sustainable development than that of actual democratic changes, particularly in reference to good governance, to the basic and human rights, to the protection of minorities, to civil society participation and to the separation of powers and the rule of law.

The UNESCO International Commission on the Futures of Education imagines a positive future in which skills development can be harnessed for the benefits of people and planet, in line with the loftiest vision of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, skills systems often remain marginalized within educational debates and plans, with vocational learning often dismissed as low quality and low status. Reflecting on the work done for the commission on future skills, this article considers the nature of the challenges of the present in building better skills futures for Africa. It argues that we must be clear-sighted regarding the failings of past theory and practice if, together, we are to construct better futures for learning, working, and living. Only then can we develop institutions, programmes, and curricula that can meet the challenges and realize the opportunities of the future.

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the possible link among the African Development Bank (AfDB), Results Measurement Framework 2016-2025 and the research published at institutions of higher education on the continent in the last five years. The unregulated commercialisation of higher education in most African countries has been prone to large-scale abuse through wanting curriculum development and processes accruing to competence, skills needy and job market disoriented graduates. Design/methodology/approach: This study took a qualitative literature review analysis where research papers published in the last five years on higher education in Africa were searched. These were from Google and Semantic scholar and these were categorised in a detailed concept matrix. Findings: Findings indicate that there is hardly a connection between the AfDB Group development agenda on the continent and the research conducted and published by institutions of higher learning on the continent. Practical implications: Universities should prioritise a needs-based research agenda in their strategic planning and this implies commitment in terms of funding, human resource competency empowerment and partnerships with development agencies on the continent. African institutions of higher learning have not emphasised applied research practices to tackle pervading knowledge needs on the continent. Just like findings indicate, research in most of these institutions has been donor driven. Originality/value: This study brings to speed the fact that if transforming Africa is going to take a strategic direction in the post-COVID-19 era, then partnerships between higher education institutions and development agencies operating on the continent will be an inevitable venture.

Eco-Schools is the largest global sustainability school program, with over 59,000 schools that engage 20 million students and 1.4 million teachers across 93 countries. The program was developed in response to the needs identified at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (also known as the Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Eco-Schools has grown to become a global model for environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD) and has been recognized by UNESCO and UN Environment. Today, the Eco-Schools program is coordinated internationally by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), an umbrella organization with over 100 members worldwide. This article discusses why the program is an ideal way for schools to embark on a meaningful path toward improving the environmental footprint of both the school and the local community while at the same time having a lifelong positive impact on the lives of young people, their families, school staff, and community members.

Currently, in the field of Sustainable Development (SD), one of the most significant debates is the necessary incorporation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education and, specifically, in higher education institutions (HEIs). In the process of truly integrating the SDGs in HEIs, it is necessary to know and identify what is already being done and evaluate the efficacy or deficiency with which universities are carrying out studies and actions to integrate the SDGs. This systematic review aims to respond to this claim by analysing the most recent scientific evidence published in the period of 2015-2020 regarding SDGs in the university context at the international level. The results of this study identify: (1) a general approach on the SDGs from a global dimension in the reviewed studies, with SDG 4 (Education) being the most frequently referenced SDG; (2) the university area from which SDGs are addressed is research, followed by education; (3) the most frequent action gathered in the reviewed studies is the integration of the SDGs in the curricular schedule, in the area of education and learning; (4) with respect to the geographic and university context in which the SDGs are developed, the review showed studies in four geographic areas (Asia and the Pacific, America, Africa and Europe), with most studies being published from European and Latin American universities.

Purpose: This study aims to assess the extent to which sustainable development practices are prevalent at the College of Open and Distance Learning (CODL), St. Mary's University, Ethiopia. The assessment focused on identifying the college's inclusion of the sustainable development agenda in its policy statements, various functions and practices. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a mixed-method approach and used a case study in its design. Data were generated from a standard survey questionnaire, adopted from the unit-based sustainability assessment tool (Togo and Lotz-Sisitka, 2009), a semi-structured interview and documentary evidence. Findings: The findings revealed that CODL has limited involvement in sustainability issues despite relevant policy directions set at national and institutional levels. Current engagement patterns are limited to teaching, course provision and a few areas of operations and management while a serious gap has been noted as regard the two core functional areas of research and community service which happen to be neglected. Research limitations/implications: This study was based on a single CODL, albeit an institution with a long history of offering distance education in Ethiopia. Despite its contribution to an understanding of how sustainability issues are addressed in the context of Africa in general and Ethiopia in particular, the generalizability of the findings to other similar institutions is limited. Originality/value: There is very little research in Africa as regard the involvement of higher education institutions in promoting the issues of sustainability in general and distance education providers in particular. In addition to addressing this gap, the study suggests the need for distance education institutions to improve their mapping strategies and respond to the greater concerns of sustainable development.

Purpose: In education concerning environmental issues, there are two predominant currents in the world, environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD). ESD is the formal commitment and therefore promoted by the United Nations, to ensure that countries achieve sustainable development. In contrast, EE was the first educational trend with an environmental protection approach. The purpose of this systematic review that seeks to show whether the migration from EE to ESD is being effective and welcomed by researchers and especially by universities is presented. With the above, a global panorama can be provided, where the regions that choose each model can be identified. In the same sense, it was sought to determine which of the two currents is more accepted within engineering education. Design/methodology/approach: The review followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyzes parameters for systematic reviews. In total, 198 papers indexed in Scopus, Science Direct, ERIC and Scielo were analyzed. With the results, the advancement of ESD and the state of the EE by regions in the world were identified. Findings: It was possible to categorize the geographical regions that host either of the two EE or ESD currents. It is important to note that ESD has gained more strength from the decade of ESD proposed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. For its part, EE has greater historical roots in some regions of the planet. In turn, there is evidence of a limited number of publications on the design and revision of study plans in engineering. Originality/value: Through this systematic literature review, the regions of the world that are clinging to EE and those that have taken the path of ESD could be distinguished. Moreover, specific cases in engineering where ESD has been involved were noted.

Developing sustainable and scalable educational initiatives is a key challenge in low-income countries where donor-funded short-term projects are limited by both contextual factors and programme design. In this commentary we examine some of the issues related to in-service teacher development in the context of sub-Saharan Africa, grounded predominantly in our work of over five years of iteratively developing, refining and evaluating an intensive school-based professional learning programme for primary school teachers. 'OER4Schools' integrates interactive pedagogy, Open Educational Resources (OER) and the use of mobile devices (where available). Our focus here is on identifying what the main factors are perceived to be in sustaining and scaling up such a programme, from the perspectives of participating teachers, workshop facilitators and the research team. Synthesising our previous research and drawing on recent work in the field, we identify the key characteristics of effective and sustainable professional learning in low-resourced contexts. Such characteristics include effective peer facilitation, school-based active learning, explicit programme structure, appropriate scheduling and resourcing, and mitigating resource constraints through the use of OER. Our conclusions offer insights concerning the importance and impact of wider influences on participation and engagement of stakeholders and lead to recommendations for future programme design and implementation.

The growing population of young people in the world today makes them an indispensable factor in international, regional, national and local development today. The UN World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) and the African Union's African Youth Charter all attest to the concern development stakeholders pay to youth development. This paper analysis youth policy within 9 member states of the Central African Sub region, showcasing the vital, yet significant role that polities are creating in fostering an enabling environment for youth participation. It explores the tenets of youth policy within this sub region by depicting how the participation of youths in societal activities and decision making instances should be an asset and a prerequisite for sustainable economic growth and social development. It also expresses abysmal concern about the magnitude of youth unemployment and underemployment throughout in Africa and its profound implications for the future of our societies, particularly those residing in the Central African sub region. The study is descriptive and applies a qualitative approach based on expert interviews and desk research. It employs the explanatory case study approach, and the combined anthropological research techniques through the use of key informant interview, written records and non-participant observations. The authors also conducted research in major databases like google scholar, PUB Med with the search phrase being youth policies, participation and youth governance. The 2016 Youth Development Index Report indicates that all 9 Central African countries have a low index, and 4 of the 9 countries are ranked in the bottom 10 of the classification. The findings also reveal that conflicts, underdevelopment and lack of political willingness are customarily accountable for the lagging of this Sub region in youth policy matters. The paper also proposes indicators to monitor and evaluate Youth Policies in the Central African Sub region, using the model proposed by Tanya BASARAB, develop initiatives to promote youth participation, and encourage networking among youth organizations and institutions with the Central African Sub region.

African countries have initiated programs to generate electricity from renewable sources such as; wind, solar, biomass and hydropower. These initiatives are intended to reduce the carbon footprint of these countries in the wake of heavy dependency on fossil fuels and also provide cheap and accessible electricity to rural areas. These renewable energy programs are expected to deliver regional development and economic empowerment. However, the lack of trained manpower for repair and maintenance of renewable energy technologies devices is likely to result in failure of these technologies, cause losses in revenue and reduction in consumer faith in renewable energy technologies. African universities must be at the core of solving these challenges by training specialized professionals in renewable energy at graduate level and through short courses to meet the increasing demands for qualified human resource to support the sector. Thus to establish the "readiness" of Universities in Africa to offer advanced education and training in renewable energy, a review of all Masters Courses, Ph.D. programs and short courses was carried out. The results identified 21 English-language Masters courses, 3 providers of Ph.D. studies and 9 short courses in or with significant renewable energy content. Generally, there is inadequate advanced training in renewable energy especially at Ph.D. level in Africa thus the need to attract more African Universities to offer such programs at both masters and Ph.D. levels.

This paper discusses the representation of resource exploitation and consumption in German geography textbooks. The aim of the paper is to contribute to a critical and reflective understanding of the representation of resource-related issues in textbooks by analyzing two scientific debates (resource curse and actor analysis). The paper shows that all studied geography textbooks contribute to a certain degree to awareness raising in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), but references to the everyday life of students are rare. There are only few action-orientated tasks in the frame of resource exploitation and consumption in the studied textbooks. As real-world examples help develop students' critical thinking skills and shape their ideas of sustainable development, these aspects reflect a pedagogical shortcoming.

YouTube now has more searches than Google, indicating that video is a motivating and, potentially, powerful learning tool. This paper investigates how we can embrace video to support improvements in teacher education. It will draw on innovative approaches to teacher education, developed by the Open University UK, in order to explore in more depth the potential of video. It will use case studies from three continents, and draw on research from different sources, in order to highlight the successes and the challenges. Looking across the examples presented, the paper will describe models of teacher learning and video use, and demonstrate that video can add value to teacher development activities provided that appropriate support and mediation, consistent with the pedagogy that is being promoted, is in place. Sustainable Development Goal 4 emphasizes the importance of improving the quality of the experiences that children have in school. This requires new models for teacher education, and has become an urgent issue. Video could be a significant part of the solution.

Higher education institutions and lifelong learning opportunities offer important skills and knowledge for developing the complex, sustainable, and integrated solutions that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) require. Utilizing interview data from a retrospective study of 14 African alumni of a US public land-grant institution, this research explores alumni's lived experiences to understand how their graduate education contributed to post-graduate civic engagement activities that are aligned with the SDGs. Each individual's social, civic, and political experiences are mapped along a spectrum of political and civic engagement to provide a foundation for drawing out the types of capacities developed. We contend that developing greater capacity for civic engagement may contribute to sustainable development as outlined in SDG 4.7. Findings indicate that while alumni experiences varied, the majority of alumni had greater engagement post-degree. Core capacities developed among alumni, which may have contributed to this engagement, include researchers' empowerment through development of hard and soft skills, expanded networks, and enhanced confidence for graduate students both intrinsically and because of the credential they achieved.

This study examines the implementation of information technology in the teaching/learning process for sustainable development of adults in West Africa Sub Sahara Region (WASSR). Three research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The population for the study was 3071 participants and instructors drawn from 10 education centres that were selected for the study. The sample for the study was made up of 823 participants and 30 instructors that were selected. Simple random sampling technique was used in drawing the sample for the study. Questionnaires were administered to the 853 sample population in countries that make up the region. The result indicates that it is necessary to implement information communication technology in the teaching/learning process for the benefits of sustainable development for adults. The following major findings emerged: The participants believe that information technology will make them independent in their studies. The educators are of the opinion that information technology can expand the community of learners to include virtually anyone who wishes to obtain information and who is not excluded by policy or cost. The major recommendations: that government through the schools should initiate effective programmes to create mass awareness by educating the participants about the benefits of computer literacy in this 21st century. The schools should offer face-to-face workshops; self-placed learning modules and online courses that assist with the development of the essential skills. Formulating approaches to the use of information and communication technology and incorporating it into the curriculum of formal and non-formal education of adults and other learners with exceptionalities for sustainable development.