Steps to integrate education for development into the university

The situation of economic crisis heads towards the need for a change of model that allows tackling the new global and local challenges with an ethical perspective and by means of work to reduce inequalities. Universities must be able to offer answers that allow analysing the present and prepare students to be future competent professionals and engaged citizens. Despite the fact that these dynamics are already been demanded explicitly by international organisations such as United Nations through the Post-2015 Development Agenda, there is still little implementation in the syllabus programmes of degree studies.

Following this goal, on 15 January the FAS Area for Cooperation and EpD organised the I Working Seminar "Education for Development (EpD) in degree studies. Building a critical and committed university". The seminar gathered more than 40 professionals from Catalan public universities and members of organisations that work in the area of critical education with the objective of discussing new ways of joint work to integrate EpD into the syllabus programmes. The seminar, which is part of the project "Promoting Education for Development at the University", aims to be a starting point that allows joint dynamics between universities, external entities and other similar partners.

Participants in the seminar made an analysis of the elements that make easier and more difficult the integration of these subjects in university formal education and they also prepared a first list of proposals in which more work is needed. In this regard, it is clear the importance of the creation of a network that connects permanently the different entities involved, allows joint work and makes easier the existence of a critical, strong and coordinated multitude. At university level, the need of formal recognition of the importance of subjects and perspectives included in EpD was highlighted to give them institutional support and promote the implication of new partners.

The project also includes the preparation of a diagnosis that is being currently working out to know the current situation of the integration of subjects related to sustainable human development and global citizenship in degree studies in Catalan universities. This diagnosis, which will be published at the end of this academic year, will include, apart from the seminar’s results, a summary of good innovative practices that are being currently developed in different universities and that were also presented by the people in charge.

The seminar was organised with the collaboration of the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP)and the support of the Barcelona City Council and the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.