17.4 – Education for the SDGs

17.4.1 – Education for SDGs commitment to meaningful education

UKM Sustainability Policy 2030

UKM has a commitment to meaningful education around the SDGs across the university, relevant and applicable to all students. As a leading university with a global mission and vision, UKM is ready to shoulder the responsibility towards creating a more sustainable future. The UKM Sustainability Policy 2030 was approved by the University Management Meeting (MPU) No. 5/2024 dated April 3, 2024. UKM embraces the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda formulated by the United Nations (UN) as a universal roadmap for the advancement of the university and all its citizens, which comprising staff and students, and is committed to integrating SDG principles into every activity and core process of university life.

The image contains UKM’s Sustainability Policy 2030, outlining its commitment to aligning with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Here’s a breakdown of each SDG as per UKM’s policy:

• No Poverty: Ensures access to essential resources and support for all citizens, regardless of race, religion, or gender.
• Zero Hunger: Implements programs to reduce hunger and promote sustainable agriculture, healthy diets, and food security for citizens.
• Good Health and Well-being: Prioritizes mental and physical well-being through accessible health services, promoting healthy lifestyles, and public health awareness.
• Quality Education: Integrates sustainability into the curriculum and provides SDG-focused education and workshops open to non-UKM citizens.
• Gender Equality: Promotes equality by supporting policies that empower women through education and community programs.
• Clean Water and Sanitation: Enhances water conservation, wastewater treatment, and research on water resources.
• Affordable and Clean Energy: Aims for 100% renewable energy by 2050, focusing on energy efficiency and renewable technologies.
• Decent Work and Economic Growth: Promotes employment opportunities, healthy work environments, and safety protocols.
• Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Advances sustainable infrastructure, cutting-edge research, and partnerships with industry leaders.
• Reduced Inequalities: Embraces diversity, social justice, and collaboration to bridge societal gaps, empowering inclusive communities.
• Sustainable Cities and Communities: Uses campus as a model for sustainable urban planning, effective waste management, and green infrastructure.
• Responsible Consumption and Production: Focuses on sustainable procurement, energy efficiency, water conservation, and community education.
• Climate Action: Strives to achieve Zero Carbon Campus by 2050 through emissions reduction, adaptation strategies, and climate-resilient practices.
• Life Below Water: Protects marine biodiversity, raises awareness on sustainable conservation, and supports marine ecosystem research.
• Life on Land: Conserves natural ecosystems by restoring habitats, improving biodiversity, and promoting ecological research.
• Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: Advocates for human rights, security, justice, and equality within the university community.
• Partnerships for the Goals: Collaborates with partners to accelerate progress towards sustainability through shared knowledge and engagement in research.

Each SDG aligns with UKM’s vision of “Cultivating Sustainability for the Future,” emphasizing knowledge, quality, and virtue as core principles. This policy demonstrates UKM’s comprehensive approach to sustainability, integrating environmental, social, and governance priorities across university operations.

UKM Sustainability Strategic Plan 2030

UKM has a commitment to meaningful education around the SDGs across the university, relevant and applicable to all students. The UKM Sustainability Strategic Plan 2030, themed “Cultivating Sustainability for the Future,” outlines Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s (UKM) comprehensive commitment to sustainable development, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This visionary plan builds on five fundamental pillars — Governance and Management, Teaching and Learning, Research and Innovation, Sustainable and Wellness Campus, and Community Engagement and Well-being — that collectively reinforce UKM’s role as a leader in sustainability for the region.

UKM enhances the quality of education as part of its Sustainability Strategic Plan 2030, UKM focuses on integrating sustainability into its curriculum and promoting health and well-being through educational initiatives. Besides, cultivating sustainability through education is our second objective for teaching and learning.

Under objective 1, Enhancing the Quality of Education, UKM’s efforts to empower lifelong learning through the initiative of offering Professional and Micro-Credential Certificates: UKM plans to provide more professional certificates, skills training, micro-credentials, and MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) certificates. This initiative aims to make education more accessible and flexible, enabling individuals to gain qualifications that suit their career needs. Under empowering lifelong learning, UKM also encourages the use of APEL A, B, and C within its community. APEL allows learners to gain formal recognition for their prior learning experiences, which can be converted into credits towards a degree, Master’s, or Doctorate program.

Second key indicator in this pillar specifically targets Enhancing TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) community programs and lifelong learning. UKM plans to establish industry and international professional certifications through collaborations, integrating these certifications with selected degree programs. This approach aims to provide both UKM and non-UKM community members with recognized qualifications that enhance employability. Besides, through industry collaborations, UKM aims to expose the community to new engineering technologies, supporting continuous learning and skill upgrades within the TVET field. UKM intends to develop TOT courses focused on key areas that impact the local community economy. These courses will train trainers who can then pass on valuable skills and knowledge to others within the community.

Enhancing the Quality of Education, specifically through Establishing Lifelong Learning Policies. The document highlights UKM’s commitment to fostering accessible, flexible, and continuous learning opportunities. UKM intends to establish guidelines for global online learning through its MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platform, creating a structured and standardized approach to online education. The university plans to offer a dedicated MOOC platform to enable global access to online courses, making UKM’s educational resources available beyond the campus and across borders. Besides, UKM plans to provide various types of courses on its MOOC platform, including:

• General knowledge courses
• Skill-based professional development courses
• Non-skill-based professional development courses
• Internal academic courses incorporating lifelong learning elements
  

Sustainability Pillar 2: Teaching and Learning focuses on Objective 2: Cultivating Sustainability through Education. It emphasizes UKM’s efforts to promote sustainability awareness and education in collaboration with government agencies, industry, and the community. First key indicator is on Implementing Programs with Government Agencies, Community, and Industry: This KPI is aimed at fostering partnerships to develop renewable energy, alternative energy applications, and waste management technologies. Second, increasing awareness related to the environment and climate change. This KPI focuses on organizing programs to raise awareness on environmental and climate issues at various levels. Lastly, offering courses/programs on sustainability, environment, and climate change. UKM aims to expand educational offerings on sustainability topics and integrate them into the curriculum.

UKM demonstrates a strong commitment to providing meaningful education on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making it accessible and relevant to all students. UKM’s Sustainability Strategic Plan 2030, titled “Cultivating Sustainability for the Future,” integrates SDG principles across core activities, including teaching, learning, research and community engagement. This commitment is reflected in UKM’s sustainability-focused curriculum, professional certifications and lifelong learning policies, which offer diverse educational opportunities like MOOCs, TVET programs and collaborations with industry and government agencies. UKM also implements initiatives to foster sustainability awareness through workshops, community programs, and climate action education, supporting an inclusive, impactful approach to sustainability education for all students. This holistic strategy underscores UKM’s dedication to embedding SDG awareness within its institutional framework, equipping its community to contribute meaningfully to sustainable development.