African University Day |
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African University Day -12 November 2006 |
We are pleased to announce that for African University Day the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) jointly propose that African Universities consider discussions around the theme: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
As a continent, Africa faces serious environment and development challenges on several fronts. These include poverty, disease, land degradation, water security, climate change, conflicts, deforestation, natural disasters, and urbanization. The decade of education for sustainable development offers a strategic opportunity to take the bull by the horn and redesign our educational structures to provide answers to the environmental and developmental challenges confronting the continent
The role of the African University includes fostering an increased quality of teaching and learning for sustainable development, by helping raise the much-needed human and financial resources that African Universities would need to allocate to propel the process. It is time for the extensive contacts of African Universities to be utilised to nurture networks, linkages, exchange and interactivity. After all, what is the purpose of education if it cannot produce answers to Africa’s debilitating problems?
ESD is a clarion call to African Universities to plan, develop and implement innovations in our university context i.e. curriculum innovation, pedagogical innovation, research innovation, community service innovation and management innovation targeting sustainable development. The solutions to our problems must be mainstreamed into our educational system so that we can grow a populace that can transform Africa.
If there is more than one university in your country, you may wish to arrange a joint celebration on this day. We also suggest that you circulate information on the event to Ministries of Education, University Councils, Committees of Vice-Chancellors and all institutions involved in the management of higher education institutions, other public and private universities in your country that are non-members of this Association, research institutions, the media and the general public, inviting them to join in the celebration to give visibility to the Day and the promotion of activities of higher education institutions in your country.
Click here for background information on ESD. |
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African University Day
