Transformative shift in learning

Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
Learning Curve: Perspective
New Sunday Times - 8-12-2013

AS we approach the end of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) that began with the launch of seven pioneering Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE) on Education for Sustainable Development in 2005, the 8th Global Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development Conference in Nairobi, Kenya recently was timely.

The three-day gathering of minds on transforming learning, which was co-organised by the United Nations University -- Institute of Advanced Sustainability Studies (UNU-IAS) and United Nations Environmental Programme among others, showcased a number of collaborative efforts that involved the academe, government agencies, civil societies and the private sector.

The concept of RCE is the brainchild of the then UNU rector Professor Hans van Ginkel in 2005. Penang was the only RCE in Malaysia then (and still is) as well as in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

It is perceived as a transformative agent for shifting the mainstay of education to one that is sustainable in the future.

This is to be carried out in an inclusive way by recognising that education can be engaged not only in a vertical manner but also horizontally and diagonally.

The outreach of education is expanded by co-creating knowledge with other learning entities such as museums, botanical parks, zoos and non-governmental organisations with special interest and expertise such as Mercy Malaysia and the Consumer Association of Penang.

The outcomes of these partnerships are beyond conventional classroom experiences and can be unique and transformative for the learner. Such is the world of education for sustainable development.

There are more than 100 RCEs spanning five continents. A significant number is in Asia and Europe such that there is an emergence of thematically inter-RCE collaborations, some of which are intercontinental in nature.

This augurs well for the development of RCEs into Regional Clusters of Expertise that are based on specific sustainability themes (such as sustainable consumption and production, sustainable health and indigenous knowledge).

The clustering opens new horizons for new knowledge to be conceived and creates a critical mass of expertise beyond the conventional academic domain.

This means education is more enriching, entrepreneurial and practical, and not limited to clutches of employment and employability as narrowly understood today.

More interestingly, you can conceive a new trajectory of a truly Global Learning Space through the REC network in the days ahead. The Global Learning Space will be the outcome when Regional Clusters of Expertise undergo even further consolidation across geopolitical borders and silo academic disciplines into transdisciplinarity fields.

Such configurations will be more equitable and accessible so that current educational disparities are more easily narrowed, and gradually eliminated without compromising quality.

At this point, education will indeed be a leveler of society, the proverbial tide that lifts up all boats simultaneously.

At the Asia Pacific level, the Nairobi meeting was informed of the development of an innovative Sejahtera Centre in South Korea by RCE Tongyeong.

The idea for such a centre was reportedly inspired by the concept of Kampus Sejahtera that was born out of Universiti Sains Malaysia in the early 2000s as a campus-wide developmental programme to inculcate a sustainability mindset among the campus community.

Over the years, Kampus Sejahtera has become more than just a project -- it is a systematic way of thinking that embraces sustainability as a conscious lifestyle for the future.

Taking the concept internationally as discussed in this column (Jan 15, 2012) is a natural forward step.

The Koreans, after all, have been credited with saemaul undong -- a concept similar to gotong-royong -- as a movement to develop rural villages during the 1970s. Saemaul undong is still in progress and has significantly transformed the Korean economy.

There is no doubt the sejahtera concept will be creatively harnessed by the Koreans yet again, this time to transform education as a mandate for RCEs in the move to create the Global Learning Space for the 21st century where education is more inclusive, sustainable and equitable.

In short, the closure of the end of UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development to be held in Nagoya, Japan next year will signify an important milestone in the history of education transformation.