AN EFFECTIVE FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR ALIGNING HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS WITH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Abstract

The foundations of intellectual development in a society are higher education institutions (HEIs). HEI have the power to influence the future of society, the environment, and the economy through acceleration the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A significant step towards achieving sustainability mainstreaming is the integration of sustainability evaluation into HEIs. There is an under-utilization of Sustainability Assessment Tools (SATs) in developing nations like Pakistan, where the idea of sustainability assessment is still in its infancy. Unfortunately, Pakistani HEIs lack thorough research on sustainability assessment, especially with relation to the SDGs, which serve as crucial benchmarks for such assessments. The main goal of this study is to provide an all-encompassing sustainability framework that is integrated and comprehensive for evaluating HEI sustainability while taking the SDGs into consideration. The process comprises of a thorough evaluation of the relevant academic literature that addresses the main SAQ dimensions, which are then in line with the SDGs. Cognitive interviews helped to develop the questionnaire, and an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to assess the relative significance of each key factor. Afterwards, a pilot survey was carried out to gauge the framework's effectiveness. Based on how these factors weighted compared to one another, sustainability scores were calculated. The results show that some dimensions, including Outreach and Services, Student Engagement, and Administration and Planning, scored poorly on sustainability. These aspects need significant attention and development. On the other hand, sustainability scores were slightly above average for aspects including curriculum, operations, research, and scholarship, which performed marginally better. However, it is clear that in order to promote sustainability and make real progress, HEIs place a comprehensive focus on all sustainability dimensions.