Educating for Sustainability: A Review of Higher Education’s Contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

A key player in accomplishing the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the UN General Assembly in 2015 are Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). HEIs continue to play a crucial role in fostering a world that is environmentally sustainable, economically feasible, and socially just as agents of knowledge. The purpose of this study was to comprehend how HEIs globally are implementing the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs and how these institutions contribute towards these goals. A thorough analysis of the literature was carried out by examining the role that HEIs play towards these global goals. The review covered research worldwide published between 2015 and 2024. The studies conducted before 2015 were not included in the review because the agenda of SDGs was adopted in 2015. A comprehensive exploration was conducted using reliable databases, including Google Scholar, Springer and the International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD) website. Keywords associated with “SDGs and HEIs,” “SDGs, education institutions” and “SDGs, Education for sustainability” were employed for reviewing the literature. A total of 22 relevant studies meeting the inclusion criteria were chosen for the review, and to find gaps in the body of existing literature a thematic analysis was utilized in the synthesis. The review unveiled the diverse nature of HEIs’ engagement with the SDGs, underscoring the critical role these institutions play in achieving them.