Speaker
Description
Osagiede, L. A.
Federal College of Education (Technical) Ekiadolor, Benin-City, Edo State
lawlauraose@gmail.com
Track: Sustainability and the Future
There is no gainsaying that “sustainability" and the "future” are Siamese twins that deserve greater prominence in higher education curricula if the overall aims of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are to be achieved. Sustainable development refers to development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development underscores the pivotal role of higher education in achieving the 17 SDGs. Despite this well-thought-out mandate, tertiary institutions in developing economies grapple with structural constraints such as funding deficits, curriculum inertia, and a weak academia-industry nexus, which undermine their capacity to contribute meaningfully to sustainable development. Against this backdrop, this paper addresses the gap by proposing a “CORE” institutional alignment framework. The framework integrates four strategic approaches: curriculum mainstreaming of SDGs, campus operations for sustainability, research focused on local SDG challenges, and engagement through partnerships with MDAs, industry, and communities. The paper argues that institutional alignment does not necessarily require additional budgetary allocation, but rather a paradigm shift in institutional vision and practice. It further demonstrates that SDG-aligned tertiary institutions can advance SDG 4 on quality education while catalyzing progress in SDG 1, SDG 8, and SDG 13. It concludes that infusing SDGs into the core functions of teaching, research, and service is critical for producing future-ready graduates and positioning institutions as agents of sustainable national transformation.