The document discusses the role of universities and higher education institutions in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It makes three key points: 1) Universities can contribute to achieving the SDGs through their teaching, research, and community outreach activities. This includes incorporating the SDGs into curricula to educate students and conducting research to help solve sustainability challenges. 2) International organizations like the International Association of Universities and Sustainable Development Solutions Network have provided guides for universities to assess their contributions to the SDGs and implement best practices. 3) India has made progress towards SDG 4 on education through initiatives like the Right to Education Act but still faces challenges in ensuring access to quality

1. ACCEI Institute &
ACCE (I) Bangalore Center
Sustainable Engineering Series (SES)
ROLE OF ACADEMIA IN ACHIEVING THE
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
&
PROVISIONS IN NEW NEP 2020
TOWARDS SDG4
Talk 9 Dr. Aswath M.U
President, ACCE(I)
Principal, BIT,Bengaluru-560004
aswathmu@gmail.com
Saturday, 21-11-2020

4. • Universities, colleges, and other higher education
institutions (HEIs) play a critical role in the
achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development
Goal Agenda.
• HEIs are mentioned specifically under SDG 4 on
quality and inclusive education, but in fact their
influence extends across all the goals through
, , and
.
• HEIs facilitate social, environmental, and economic
development.
• They are one of the most significant
and , and
their central position amongst networks of
government, civil society and industry partners mean
that they

5. Since the international
community of Member
States came together to
agree upon the 2030
Agenda, some HEIs have
established campus greening
initiatives to improve their
internal sustainability, while
others have implemented
community outreach
programmes, student groups,
and research and innovation
hubs.
International
Association of
Universities
(IAU) lists
some actions
undertaken by
universities
related to the
SDGS.
Incorporate the SDGs in university curricula,
as well as to encourage PhD candidates to
write their thesis and do research on themes
related to SDGs.

9. Support of universities to achieve SDG’s

10. How universities can contribute to the SDG’s?

15. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development covers a wide range of interrelated
goals, including poverty eradication and economic growth, social inclusion,
environmental sustainability and peace for all people by 2030.
Policy decisions to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) need to be
informed by policy-relevant evidence co-designed and co-produced with the pertinent
stakeholders, taking into consideration local and political contexts.
Universities are uniquely placed to lead the cross-sectoral implementation of the SDGs
and advance the 2030 agenda.
This commentary provides the case for building, strengthening and institutionalising
university partnerships with governments and communities to achieve the SDGs.
The authors call for a change in mindsets and culture in both academia and
government, and invite both parties to start the dialogue if we are to rise up to the
global challenge.
Changing roles of universities in the era of SDGs: Rising up to the global challenge
through institutionalising partnerships with governments and communities
-Fadi El-Jardali, Nour Ataya & Racha Fadlallah
https://rdcu.be/caQjM

16. Changing roles
of universities in
the era of SDGs:
rising up to the
global challenge
through
institutionalising
partnerships
with
governments and
communities
Benefits of
university
partnerships
with
governments
and
communities
What is needed are
long-term and
sustainable
strategic
partnerships to
bring universities,
governments and
the communities
they serve together
in addressing
pressing challenges
and transforming
societies

17. Institutionalised partnerships within universities can facilitate engagement with
governments and communities at different levels to achieve the SDGs
Play a lead role in strengthening the science–policy interface
• Universities have the capacity to generate, translate and disseminate knowledge
relevant to achieving the SDGs.
• They can work with policy-makers and other stakeholders to identify policy
priorities/problems, assess policy options, implement solutions and evaluate policies.
• Importantly, they can help translate the SDGs into measurable and country-specific
targets by actively matching academic capital with public policy priorities and making
knowledge and resources readily available to the government and community.
• Universities can engage in collaborative knowledge generation alongside other
stakeholders leading to knowledge co-production or co-creation, which has the
potential to increase societal impact of research through dynamic, locally
adaptive partnerships, power sharing and ongoing conflict resolution
• They can also engage in reciprocal rotations, secondments, policy fellowships and
internships with the government and community to encourage experiential learning and
translational research.

18. • Universities can initiate and facilitate dialogue across
multiple actors, including;
 government,
 private sector,
 academic and scientific community,
 civil societies and
 the public.
• Dialogue can help ensure commitment to and
strengthen implementation of the SDGs, as well as
promote the political accountability needed to attain
them.
Universities Provide neutral platforms for cross-sectoral dialogue

19. Support integrated and coherent policies and actions for SDGs
While there is a general consensus on the importance of policy coherence, efforts to
achieve this tend to stall at the implementation phase. The interconnectedness of the
SDGs provides an opportunity for universities to deepen understanding of implementation
considerations for effective and coherent policies .
Universities can catalyse actions in this area by conducting analyses to identify policy
coherence issues, enhancing understanding of connections and trade-offs for successful
SDG implementation, and developing new metrics to facilitate integrated monitoring.
Universities can also contribute to advancing the fields of systems thinking and planetary
health through conducting integrated, transdisciplinary and context-specific research to
strengthen understanding of managing interactions between environmental and human
health.
This is especially pertinent to LMICs, where weak regulation for sustainable consumption
and production may have critical health consequences
Importantly, universities can actively champion new governance mechanisms that
promote cross-sectoral collaborations and policy coherence.

20. Universities can organise, synergise and coordinate
lobbying and advocacy activities to influence and shape
public policy, particularly with regards to the SDGs. At
the same time, governments and other key players
should ensure that universities are central in
discussions on SDGs.
Get involved in the political process

21. Strengthen transdisciplinary learning and educational interactions
Universities are responsible for training and shaping the future leaders of sustainable
development.
By integrating the SDGs into curricula, they can provide students with the knowledge and
skills needed to address them [5].
Moreover, they can establish educational programmes that emphasise interdisciplinary
learning and promote multidisciplinary, systems approaches to solving the increasingly
complex challenges facing societies today.
For instance, achieving health-related SDGs in LMICs requires professionals proficient in
designing and evaluating cross-cutting interventions within resource-constrained
settings, developing innovative solutions and advocating for partnerships [19].

22. Demonstrate commitment to effective engagement and impact
Universities have the capacity and capability to map, track and systematically document
efforts to link research to policy and practice.
They can establish meaningful frameworks and metrics for identifying, measuring and
reporting on the right indicators in a valid way.
Evaluating the impact of these efforts enables demonstration of commitment and progress,
which are critical for learning and improvement, promoting transparency and sustaining
partnerships.

23. Conclusions
Three years into the SDG discussions, the pace of progress has not been adequate. There is
still a clear disconnect between governments, academic institutions and other key actors.
The risk of an SDG ‘fatigue’ may ultimately manifest in reverting to silo approaches to
development.
To avoid this, a necessary starting point would be to steer the debate away from whether
universities could transcend institutional boundaries and be part of the transformation of
societies, to discussing how they should lead the latter. This would also require a shift in
focus from data collection and monitoring of SDG progress to actively shaping better policies
and actions in support of the SDGs. Universities need to embrace their changing roles and
their unique position of influence. In parallel, governments and other partners need to
acknowledge the role of research, data and knowledge in informing the SDGs, and the
potential of academia to integrate different evidence ecosystems and disciplines for
successful implementation of the SDGs.
A change in mindsets and culture is needed in both academia and government if we are to
rise up to the global challenge. This is a call to initiate the dialogue. Let us start the
conversation today so that we can achieve the SDGs by 2030.

24. The Role of Universities in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
Paola VillafuerteJune 30, 2020
The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) released two guides for
universities that are on the path of implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals Gs).
Five years after the definition of the Objectives and Goals of Sustainable Development, educational institutions
continue to detail the steps to be taken for their implementation in university communities. These 17 objectives,
adopted by the United Nations in September 2015, are part of the 2030 Agenda and extend the Millennium
Declaration.
Each one contains specific goals to attain over the next 15 years and addresses the themes for optimal human
development for the international actors who are involved.
The areas suggested for development include gender equality, the reduction of inequalities, actions to address climate
change, and quality of education, among others.
Universities are the primary institutions for the dissemination of knowledge, a key player in the attainment of these
goals.
Since its incorporation, Academia has had to come up with new educational measures that couple the formation of
citizens with human awareness and learning communities.
The Spanish Network for Sustainable Development produced two documents distinctly crucial on this issue during the
webinar, "Universities as Agents of Change," namely, the guide, "How to Assess the Contribution of the Universities to
the SDGs," and the dossier, "Case studies in Education for the SDGs." Both publications (in Spanish) reflect on the
transformation that the educational institutions must undergo to play a leading role in the items of the 2030 Agenda.
https://observatory.tec.mx/edu-news/2030-agenda-and-the-role-of-universities

25. The role of universities in implementing the SDGs
Higher education unquestionably potentializes innovation and develops citizens with a
humanistic sense.
The role of higher education is usually highlighted in the fourth SDG, which calls for
inclusive, equitable, and quality education. Moreover, for this to take place, it is
expected that these objectives are addressed transversally in all the various areas of
university life, including training, research, and extension, and all those who make up
educational institutions must be involved directly and indirectly.
"The need to act and accelerate the
processes underway to achieve the
transformation of our societies has been put
into evidence, for which the universities are
fundamental pieces."

26. The University of Alcalá explains that academia plays a fundamental role in the formation
of global citizenship and designs strategies to develop socially responsible competencies in
students, who will be the agents of change in the future.
A large part of the direct education that should address transcendental problems occurs in
the area of teaching and research, which generates active feedback in the society where
the university develops.
Along these lines, the universities should incorporate the vision of the SDGs and the
development of appropriate competencies in the various professional disciplines.
Through teaching and searching for information aimed at social improvement, academia
can manage to respond to the problems set out by the 2030 Agenda to address.
Using these objectives as benchmarks for educational administration not only makes timely
implementation possible but also gives an advantage to those universities that want to
build alliances with other involved stakeholders and have access to various sources of
funding.

27.  The guide, "Getting Started with the SDGs in the Universities," published in 2017 by
SDNS Australia/Pacific, was the first of its kind.
 It provided information on the tools needed for the 2030 Agenda to be adopted by
educational institutions.
 Here the question was answered, "What can the universities do to achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals?"
*The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)

28. What can the universities do to achieve the SDGs?
1. Bestow the student bodies with the knowledge, skills,
and motivation to understand and address the SDGs.
2. Create more opportunities for student training and building
professional skills in developing countries to meet challenges
related to the SDGs.
3. Support the full spectrum of research work needed to address
the SDGs, including interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary
research.
4. Foster innovative solutions for sustainable development.
5. Align university governance structures and operational policies
with the SDGs.

29. The experiences with the implementation of the SDGs in the area of
teaching were highlighted in the document.
The most significant of these experiences serve as inspiration for
other universities on the path to implement the 2030 Agenda in
their educational communities.
The guide suggests that a correct initiative revolves around
"providing students and university staff with the knowledge,
skills, and attitudes necessary to address the complex
challenges of sustainable development through any career or
life trajectory that they take."
It proposes "implementing the SDGs appropriately within the local academic framework,
considering the university strategy and culture, the particularities of each center, its
degrees and subjects, and the interests and capabilities of the university community."
Thus, each institution designs its development plans and procedures based on the
information they have but always in function of its capabilities.

30. Latin American Universities
• Since 2017, the National Strategy for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the National
2030 Agenda Council have been implemented in Mexico.
• The Mexican universities saw these organizations as a concrete step toward the vision of the 2030
Agenda.
• A year later, the National Association of Universities and Higher Education Institutions published
the document "Vision and Action 2030".
• It suggests and creates a clear outline of the process that Mexican academia must go through to
become an active change agent.
"Work on projects must be collaborative among
the different faculties on the university campuses,
with integrated disciplines, and dynamic leaders
who cheerlead the processes of change."

31. Can the current crisis accelerate the movement toward the 2030 Agenda?
• The SNSD argues that the COVID-19 pandemic has provided the ideal scenario for
understanding the importance of implementing the Sustainable Development
Goals.
• It is essential to identify and strengthen the tools that will be of great use to fulfill
them, especially in this panorama.
• "The need to act and accelerate the processes underway to achieve the
transformation of our societies has become evident; the universities are
fundamental pieces of these processes."

32. Abstract: India has made significant progress towards
implementing the scheme of Education for All. Several key
programmes and policies have been initiated to provide free and
compulsory education to all children in the age group of six to
fourteen years as a Fundamental Right.
Initiatives such as Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Right to
Education (RTE) have given the desired impetus to education
system in India. Though it has significantly improved the
enrolment rates across the country in primary education,
challenges remain to be addressed.
The broad focus of the paper is on the current approaches
adopted by India to contextualise Goal 4 on education of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Indian context by
integrating them into the formulation of New Education Policy
and its positive impact on achieving quality education, as
emphasised in SDG 4.
It examines the trends in education attainments at primary,
secondary and tertiary levels in India and explores some major
challenges facing the quality education and accessibility issues in
education sector. Keywords: India/SDGs/ Quality Education/
Access/Equity/ Inclusion

33. If ‘learning for all’ is not given top most priority, if clear and achievable goals are not set, if
teachers and parents are not supported in their efforts to help children learn, India will lose
all the potential benefits of bringing every child to school. For a bright and hopeful future,
whether as individuals, as families or even as a country, we must aim for “every child in school
and learning well.” (Rukmani Banerji, ASER, 2016)

34. Asian countries have made the most
progress towards the SDGs since the
adoption of the goals in 2015. Asian
countries have also responded most
effectively to the Covid-19 outbreak.
While the world as a whole has
made progress on the SDGs,
countries in East and South Asia in
particular have progressed the most
in terms of their
SDG Index score. Countries in this
region have also managed the
Covid-19 outbreak more effectively
than in other parts of the world.
While the situation is still evolving,
the shift of the geopolitical and
economic global center of gravity
from the North Atlantic region to
the Asia-Pacific region is likely to be
accelerated by the crisis.

35. NITI Aayog has constructed the SDG India Index
spanning across 13 out of 17 SDGs (leaving out Goals
12, 13, 14 and 17). The Index tracks the progress of all
the States and Union Territories (UTs) on a set of 62
National Indicators, measuring their progress on the
outcomes of the interventions and schemes of the
Government of India. The SDG India Index is intended
to provide a holistic view on the social, economic and
environmental status of the country and its States
and UTs.

38. http://www.niepa.ac.in/download/NIEPA%20Perspective%20Plan%202020-30_web_1.6.20.pdf

39. development
Six Signature Solutions
Signature Solutions are integrated
responses to development against
which we align our resources and
expertise, to make real impact.
United Nations Development
Programme
INDIA

40. Provisions in New “NEP 2020” Towards SDG 4
NEP 2020-1

41. Provisions in New “NEP 2020” Towards SDG 4
nep2020

52. https://www.aicte-india.org/schemes