Click here to sign in with or
Forget Password?
Learn more
share this!
1
Twit
Share
Email
May 1, 2024
This article has been reviewed according to Science X’s editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content’s credibility:
fact-checked
trusted source
written by researcher(s)
proofread
by David Ssekamatte, The Conversation
There is no doubt about it: the world is in the grips of a climate crisis. The headlines are full of reports about extreme weather events and the negative effects of the fossil fuel industry.
This reality means that anyone entering the worlds of business or management today needs to understand climate change. They need the right skills and attitudes to build sustainable enterprises, and to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.
I am a lecturer in management with a particular interest in sustainability and climate change education. Recently I conducted a study at two higher education institutions: Makerere University in Uganda and the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. They are two of the continent’s largest and most respected universities.
I wanted to know how climate change and sustainability education were integrated into their various faculties’ programs.
The answer? Not very much at all. Students, faculty and administrators all recognized this as a shortcoming. There was a strong sense that sustainability and climate change education should be woven into faculties’ curricula, research and community engagement programs. But they’ve not yet done so, most often because none of their academic staff are trained in these issues.
Given my research and teaching interests, I was especially interested in how business and management schools were performing in this area. Sadly, they are as behind the curve as other faculties I studied.
I suggest that the continent’s business and management schools are missing a valuable opportunity. Who is better to instill the necessary attitudes, knowledge and skills than business and management schools? They produce many graduates who join various public, private and voluntary organizations and agencies and become influential professionals in these sectors. With the right training, those graduates can become the kind of sustainability champions the world needs today.
My study explored the perspectives and views of lecturers, administrators and students in two academic units, on their institutions’ existing climate change and sustainability education. I asked where they thought they were doing well. I also wanted them to identify the gaps in training, curriculum and research. Participants were encouraged to think about how their institutions could do better.
At both institutions, only academic units within the natural science disciplines had programs and courses on climate change and sustainability. No such programs were offered by the arts and social sciences, education, or business and management faculties.
Based on what academics, administrators and students told me, I have devised ideas for what African business and management schools at universities should do, and how, to become champions of sustainability and climate change education.
This doesn’t involve reinventing the wheel.
The faculty and students in these schools are already conducting scientific research. More emphasis could be placed on research that relates to climate change and sustainability.
Business and management schools are often already supporting communities based on their research. They are also constantly looking for solutions to community challenges across sectors. They could use their existing community outreach and engagement programs to support and encourage communities on climate change adaptation options and sustainability-friendly practices.
Working with small artisans, retail shop owners and market vendors to create awareness of climate change and sustainability-friendly business practices can significantly contribute to climate action and sustainability.
However, there will need to be some bigger shifts alongside tweaks to existing outputs and programs.
I have several recommendations for policymakers and decision-makers in business and management training institutions. Here are some of them:
There is also a role for national governments and regulators here. In Uganda, for instance, the National Council for Higher Education should integrate sustainability indicators in its assessment of institutions. This is a way to encourage business and management schools to promote sustainability. It’s also a great opportunity for schools and institutions to learn from each other about what works and what doesn’t.
Provided by The Conversation
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Explore further
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Feedback to editors
2 hours ago
0
3 hours ago
0
4 hours ago
0
Apr 30, 2024
0
Apr 30, 2024
0
5 minutes ago
1 hour ago
1 hour ago
2 hours ago
2 hours ago
2 hours ago
2 hours ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
3 hours ago
5 hours ago
Apr 29, 2024
Apr 29, 2024
Apr 28, 2024
Apr 28, 2024
Apr 28, 2024
More from Art, Music, History, and Linguistics
Apr 3, 2024
May 4, 2022
Oct 13, 2023
Feb 22, 2023
Jan 19, 2023
Jan 25, 2024
Apr 26, 2024
Apr 19, 2024
Apr 18, 2024
Apr 17, 2024
Apr 17, 2024
Apr 10, 2024
Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines).
Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request
Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.
Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.
Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient’s address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form.
Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we’ll never share your details to third parties.
More information Privacy policy
We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X’s mission by getting a premium account.
Medical research advances and health news
The latest engineering, electronics and technology advances
The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web