An Introduction to the Sustainability of Tertiary Education in Asia: Collaborations, Transformations, Global-Local Tensions, and Future Developments

Abstract

The volume on sustainability of tertiary education provides a systemic and synthesized overview of the recent scholarly developments across different Asian tertiary education systems under the UN 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The unique structures of Asian tertiary education, culturally distinct nature of their operations, and diverse level of sustainability commitments, make regional universities one of the most important centers of the global sustainability-related efforts. Despite the complexity of the Asia’s tertiary education systems and tensions inherent to international geopolitics and social-economic-environmental developments, the Asian tertiary institutions prioritize their mandate for universal implementation of the SDGs targets. Their efforts to achieve sustainable transformation require collaborations, while facing global-local tensions and keeping their strategic vision on the future development. Approaching sustainability as a West-born concept and an extrinsic political doctrine, the Asian tertiary sectors address the SDGs-related challenges by adopting Western sustainability through binding it with the notion of human-nature relationships, cultural roots, traditions, and histories of the place in order for sustainability to start making sense, to manifest itself, and to be fully accepted.