Enhancing national unity through community engagement
Emeritus Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
Opinion - New Straits Times
December 16, 2022
THE International Conference on Community Engagement and Education for Sustainable Development at Yogjakarta hosted by the Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) last week, dawned on many as to how Indonesia has moved ahead in reorienting education for sustainable development (ESD).
Since the early independent days, UGM has consciously decided to embrace the community as part of its social responsibility to contribute back for what it has received and gained from members of the community.
From then on, it did not look back, but proceed to diligently embed the welfare of the community as part of its raison d'etre. The conference demonstrated the extent and range of community activities involved as real-world examples with impressive impact.
In other words, UGM has been consistent in delivering by translating its aspiration into reality. At once uplifting community engagement (CE) as one of its official missions as an integral part of social responsibility.
This aspect is sorely missing in most universities that were transformed into ivory towers. The emphasis is more on research and development narrowly defined as published works in some "reputable" journals as the gatekeepers. Citations were prioritised as indicators of relevance to the academic community per se.
It becomes even more critical in the context of the pandemic that halted many of the academic activities linked to conventional research and publications, teaching and learning, as well as industry-related consultancies or commercialised collaborations.
In other words, most universities ceased to exist, at least functionally, in academic terms during those tumultuous periods. What emerged instead were clear social and cultural dimensions that have never be appropriately appreciated by the various agencies, including that of the government.
Yet, in the last two years, universities have amply demonstrated their ability to stand up and be counted in partnering with the community at arduous times to bail out the sick and the vulnerable, in support of the frontliners.
Many university communities were indeed capable of rallying around the communities to sew and distribute the much-needed personal protective clothing in providing added barrier against the Covid-19 transmission.
They were also able to cook and deliver food supplies to those affected all around the countries, even when the commercially available regular outlets were hardpressed to the same given the unexpected challenges.
In addition, universities were able to play crucial advisory roles in co-creating new activities to advance social safety and security that mutually benefited the nation in preserving more lives.
All these were well showcased and documented such that CE is now put on a higher profile in the attempt to reconstruct more impactful role and meaning for education that is appropriately juxtaposed to the university of the future.
In the words of Unesco - the future that we want to be matched with the education that is relevant within the context of planetary survival and human well-being globally.
The research and development, teaching and learning, as well as collaborations therefore must rise to the occasion so that they well-oriented to ESD as laid out by 2030 Agenda - Sustainable Development Goals.
To that extent, Malaysian universities have still much to do in revisiting the futures of education, and reimagining the new universities ahead.
In so doing, they must forged a more unified nation where education truly serves a leveller of society that is just, fair, equitable and sustainable.
It must also be realigned to meet the current and future challenges beginning with that posed by the Twelfth Malaysia Plan and beyond.
The writer, an NST columnist for more than 20 years, is International Islamic University Malaysia rector