Perceptions of South Africa’s higher education leaders on the realisation of sustainable development goal 4 quality education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21720701 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dominique Marié Nupen, Dominique Nupen (0000-0003-0977-8284), Jayseema Jagernath (0000-0002-6210-9592), Shamola Pramjeeth (0000-0002-8673-1634) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 2059-2073 |
| Publication date | 2024-11-21 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1467-6370 • E-ISSN: 1758-6739 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/ijshe-07-2023-0330 |
| OpenAlex | W4399333693 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 11 |
Purpose Higher education institutions (HEIs) play a key role in facilitating increases in socio-economic growth and economic development. Sustainable development goal 4 (SDG 4): quality education is dedicated to ensuring inclusive and equitable access to quality education and lifelong learning opportunities. This study aims to gain leadership perspectives on the extent to which South African HEIs are meeting SDG 4 and deliver insights into whether significant variances in progress exist between public and private institutions. Design/methodology/approach Integrating the sustainable development frameworks of the United Nations and times higher education impact rankings in a positivist research design, this study surveyed 16 leaders from public South African HEIs and 59 from private South African HEIs using an online survey platform. Findings Responses indicate underperformance across institutions concerning the following: the prioritisation of SDG 4 at the highest levels of management, the effective inculcation of this agenda across the entire institution, alignment between SDG 4 strategies and staff expectations and education for sustainable development and global citizenship. Public HEIs have progressed towards the realisation of SDG 4 in aspects such as access to scholarships, inclusion of first-generation students and contributions through research output. Originality/value This study contributes to the limited literature on leaders’ perceptions of progress towards SDG 4 among HEIs in developing economies
Economic growth · Economics · Education for sustainable development · Environmental education · Goal Orientation · Goal setting · Management · Pedagogy · Political science · Public relations · Realisation · Sociology · Sustainability · Sustainable development · Engineering Education and Curriculum Development · Sustainability in Higher Education · Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy · Ecology
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |