74 Ethics in Higher Education: Values-driven Leaders for the Future
complies with its constitutional and international law obligations to
“respect, protect, promote and fulfil” the right to higher education.
The tangible role of higher education institutions can be seen, for
instance, through the efficient use of resources, the availability of open
source academic materials, the promotion of a safe and quality student
experience, the attraction and retention of high calibre staff and students,
and the fostering of good governance and management.^15
However, the responsibility of higher education institutions goes
beyond the facilitation of the state’s realisation of the right. In this
regard, it has been stated that:^16
“Higher education institutions bear a profound, moral
responsibility to increase the awareness, knowledge, skills, and
values needed to create a just and sustainable future. Higher
education plays a critical but often overlooked role in making this
vision a reality. It prepares most of the professionals who
develop, lead, manage, teach, work in, and influence society’s
institutions.”
Over the years, there have been a number of sustainability
declarations in higher education that have defined specific roles for
universities to further sustainable development.^17 These defined roles
have been summarised as follows:^18
15
OECD Forum for the Future, “Higher education for sustainable development:
Final report of the International Action Research Project” (2007)
(http://www.oecd.org/education/innovation-education/
centreforeffectivelearningenvironmentscele/45575516.pdf), at pp 15-20. 16
Above n 11 at p 13, citing Cortese AD “The critical role of higher education
in creating a sustainable future” 17 Planning for Higher Education (2003).
See, for instance, the Tbilisi Declaration (1977); the Talloires Declaration
(1990); the Kyoto Declaration (1993); the Lüneberg Declaration (2001). 18
GUNi, IAU and AAU, “The promotion of sustainable development by higher
education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa: A survey report” (2011) at pp 8-9.