SEP.7.

2023 INSIGHTS INTO EDITORIAL

Editorial
ANALYSIS

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Aligning higher education with the United
Nations SDGs
• Prelims: Current events of international
importance, SDG, covid-19, G20, G7, etc.
• Mains GS Paper II: Bilateral, regional and
global grouping and agreements involv-
ing India or affecting India’s interests, Sig-
nificance of G20 countries etc
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
• The United Nations Sustainable Devel-
opment Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 goals
with 169 targets that all 193 UN member
states have agreed to try to achieve by
2030
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs):
● The Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), also known as the Global Goals,
were adopted by the United Nations in
2015.
● A universal call to action to end pover-
ty, protect the planet, and ensure that by
2030 all people enjoy peace and prosper-
ity.
● It is a set of 17 SDGs which recognize that
action in one area will affect outcomes in
others and that development must bal-
ance social, economic, and environmen-
tal sustainability.
● Countries have committed to prioritizing
progress for those who are furthest be-
hind.
● The SDGs are designed to end poverty,
hunger, AIDS, and discrimination against
women.
● The SDGs framework sets targets for 231
unique indicators across 17 SDG goals
related to economic development, social
welfare and environmental sustainability,
to be met by 2030.
● The United Nations adopted the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development: It
consists of 17 Goals and 169 targets as a
plan of action for ‘people’, ‘the planet’,
and ‘prosperity’.
● The resolution specifies mechanisms for
the monitoring, review, and reporting of
progress as a measure of accountability
towards the people.
● Member-states submit a Voluntary Na-
tional Review (VNR) to the UN’s High
Level Political Forum (HLPF)
● VLRs is a means for driving and report-
ing local implementation of SDGs at the
sub-national and city levels.
Reasons for slow progress in SDGs:
● Due to the prolonged effects of COVID-19
● impacts of the climate crisis
● Russia-Ukraine conflict
● weak global economy.
Impact on countries:
● It has been more pronounced in the
Least Developed Countries.
● India: It has suffered a setback in achiev-
 ing these goals.
NEP 2020 and SDGs
● SDG4 pertains to access to quality edu-
cation.
● It is a prerequisite for the achievement What steps need to be taken in Higher educa-
of other goals.
● NEP 2020 has been prepared in tune with
most of the SDGs.
● NEP 2020 calls for changes at all levels
of education, priority should be accord-
ed to higher education because:
○ It accelerates social mobility
○ Empowers people through creativ-
ity and critical thinking
○ Grants them employment skills.
NEP and higher education:
Impact of Higher education on SDGs:
● OECD report: People with a higher edu-
cation degree are more employable
○ They earn an average of 54% more
than those who only have complet-
ed senior secondary education.
● A university-inclusive education:
○ protects people against poverty
(SDG1)
○ prevents them from hunger (SDG2)
○ supports them for good health and
well-being (SDG3)
○ promotes gender equality (SDG5)
○ provides them decent work
○ Drives economic growth (SDG 8)
○ reduces inequalities (SDG10).
tion?
● Universities should strengthen the re-
search-teaching nexus in university edu-
cation.
○ Students will become direct bene-
factors of the knowledge generat-
ed from research.
● Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary
systems of education produce multital-
ented people who can pursue research
○ To find innovative solutions to
global challenges such as
 affordable and clean energy
(SDG7)
 sustainable cities and com-
munities (SDG11)
 climate change and global
warming (SDG13)
 studying their impact on an
economy and the earth.
● Radically change the way we produce
and consume (SDG12).
● Innovative solutions and start-ups (SDG
9) must be developed in collaboration
with private companies.
● Introducing Value-Based Education
(VBE) will help citizens become respon-
sible towards self, society, and the plan-
et and help our nation achieve “Life on
Land” (SDG15).
 skills, as well as the sharing of services,
infrastructure, and facilities with other
universities or external partners should
become a culture in universities.
• Universities should adopt sustainability
as a mantra and incorporate SDGs into
their institutional strategies, both in dai-
ly administration and in teaching and re-
search.
• Higher education cannot work in isola-
Way Forward tion; It must be directly integrated with
• SDGs are a matter of urgency, and ac- socio-economic development where
tions by all countries, both developed each activity and transaction has mean-
and developing, to end poverty and oth- ingful and multiple impacts on SDGs.
er socio-economic and environmental
problems QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
○ Countries should align with strat- Q. Reforming the government delivery system
egies that improve the standard of through the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme is
life and education, reduce inequal- a progressive step, but it has its limitations too.
ity, and harness economic growth. Comment.(UPSC 2022)
• NEP 2020 demands that Indian higher (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
education be committed to mapping its
day-to-day operations with SDGs.
○ Ranking universities according to
the achievement of SDGs is a wel-
come move, but is still inadequate
to meet the SDG deadline.
• To accelerate the progress towards
achieving the 2030 agenda, stakeholders
of higher education should be educated
and oriented so that none of their activi-
ties leave any SDG behind.
• All higher educational institutions and
universities in India should work togeth-
er.
• Universities should come out reinvigo-
rated and play a part in the education,
innovation, culture, and civic life of their
local communities.
• Community health, energy-saving mea-
sures, efficient resource allocation,
waste reduction, development of local