NW 15: The role of partnerships in the transitions to sustainable development in education

Network
NW 15 Research on Partnerships in Education

Title
The role of partnerships in the transitions to sustainable development in education

Abstract
We invite contributions that critically examine the role of partnerships in the transitions to sustainable development in education. Proposals may wish to follow up on questions such as: What role do partnerships between different partners play when they join in the pursuit of sustainable development (SD) through education? Does the diversity of contributors (academic, non-academic, NGOs etc..), their goals and practices help or hinder the transition to become a sustainable society? Are the expectations in the role of education for a sustainable transition different partners hold necessarily the same and what happens if they are not?

The Call
Climate change and the need to transition towards a sustainable future is a challenge for European educators which reaches beyond national borders. Already, young people across Europe are taking action into their own hands, because they are not satisfied with the status quo; they quite rightly demand to have hope and be given more agency to address climate change (Reyes-Carrasco, Barrón, & Heras Hernández, 2021). The latest IPCC climate change report (2022) paints a grim picture and reminds us that there is little time to act, requiring rapid and far- reaching changes to avoid irreversible damage to this world. The report also points out, with high confidence, that education can and must play its role to “co-produce” (p. 28, IPCC report for policy makers) knowledge and actions across different stakeholders (education and information programmes).

Thus, there is a need for extensive collaborations among diverse partners to effectively pursue SD (ecological, economic, and sociocultural). In educational research this often involves Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) who have been generally considered significant contributors to the promotion of sustainability (Karatzoglou, 2013). Their commitment to an education for sustainable development is often recognised in various declarations such as the Halifax, Talloires, Tbilisi and Kyoto Declaration. Universities are often expected to closely engage with local community partnerships, to amplify the capacity of a region to self-organize and operate, so this leads to mutually beneficial outcomes (Karatzoglou, 2013, p.44).

However, such partnerships are not always easy to maneuver. Universities and the various (formal and informal) educational, scientific, community organisations may be sharing similar sentiments but may be coming from different disciplines and have day-to-day operations that are quite different which can generate challenges in these partnerships.

We therefore invite contributions that critically examine the role of partnerships play in the transitions to sustainable development in education. The nature of partnerships needs to be a central consideration. Proposals may wish to follow up on questions such as: What role do partnerships between different partners play when they join in the pursuit of sustainable development (SD) through education? Does the diversity of contributors (academic, non-academic, NGOs etc..), their goals and practices help or hinder the transition to become a sustainable society? Are the expectations in the role of education for a sustainable transition different partners hold necessarily the same and what happens if they are not?

Contact Person(s)

• Corinne Covez, corinne.covez(at)gmail.com
• Kathrin Otrel-Cass, kathrin.otrel-cass(at)uni-graz.at
• Karen Laing, k.j.c.laing(at)newcastle.ac.uk

References
IPCC (2022). www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/

Karatzoglou, B. (2013). An in-depth literature review of the evolving roles and contributions of universities to education for sustainable development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 49, 44-53.

Reyes-Carrasco, P. M., Barrón, Á., & Heras Hernández, F. (2020, October). Education for Sustainable Development and Climate Change: Pedagogical study of the social movement Fridays For Future Salamanca. In Eighth International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality (pp. 1031-1036).