With the theme 鈥淭homasian Education for Sustainable Development and Integral Ecology,鈥� sustainability and the Catholic call for caring for the common home were key issues discussed in the multi-part institutional academic staff training at the opening of the Second Term of Academic Year 2024-2025.
Spread across two plenary session days and an onsite gathering in the various academic units, over 1,500 academic staff from the higher and basic education units engaged with speakers who discoursed on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Catholic teachings, and the task of integrating these into course plans and outcomes.
In his keynote address, San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alimane Alminaza, D.D. shared how institutions like UST 鈥減lay a pivotal role in molding current and future generations in emphasizing sustainability鈥� and how educational institutions may adopt the 鈥淟audato S铆 Shools Framework, alongside the inclusion of the rights of nature in the curriculum, as well as further development of the integral ecology framework localized to a particular context.鈥�
Representing the government, Philippine Statistics Authority Chief Statistical Specialist for Poverty and Human Development Bernadette Balamban localized the UN SDGs within the Philippine context, providing an update on how the country is faring vis-脿-vis the targets. While progress has been made in SDGs 12 and 14, there is regression in targets under SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Balamban called for a 鈥渄eliberate attempt to recalibrate our curriculum, instruction, and assessment methods in order for HEI鈥檚 to be of aid in meeting the set national targets.鈥�
Talking about institutional sustainability, Dr. Yew Kee Ho of the City University of Hongkong鈥檚 Chow Yi Ching School of Graduate Studies, spoke of the 鈥渧ital role of research in promoting sustainability aside from incorporating topics in instruction.鈥� Deputy Dean Ho also bared the need to reflect on University and Impact Rankings when it comes to implementing projects and programs related to sustainability, as these external benchmarks can provide input on recalibrating efforts.
Sustainability in coursework
Two experts spoke about integrating sustainability at the classroom level. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Regional Office Chief of Education Santosh Khatri spoke of scaffolding in relation to sustainability and integral ecology.
In doing so, Khatri reiterated Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for 2030, which aims to fully integrate the 17 SDGs into policies, learning environments, capacity building of educators, and empowerment and mobilization of young people. He also emphasized six key concepts of Greening Curriculum, which include climate science, climate justice, post-carbon economies, ecosystems and biodiversity, resilience-building, and sustainable lifestyles.
In another session, Ateneo de Manila University 鈥� Lily Gokongwei Ngochua Leadership Academy Executive Director Maria Assunta C. Cuyegkeng, PhD raised awareness on how to make outcomes impactful in light of sustainability and learning experiences. In her session, Cuyegkeng stressed the value of 鈥渄iscernment which begins with reflecting on our experience, which ultimately develops our interiority鈥� to sound off a 鈥渃all toward adopting a new lifestyle, ecological conversion, and ecological education.鈥� Integrating sustainability, according to Cuyegkeng, requires a 鈥渨hole-of-university approach when it comes to redesigning our learning experiences.鈥�
Leveraging on sectoral expertise in promoting sustainability
The webinar also included a panel discussion featuring Mr. Benjamin N. Villacorte (Chairman of the Philippine Sustainability Reporting Committee and a Member of the Sustainable Actions for Value-Creation and Enablement (SAVE) Council of SGV & Co.); Prof. Rey Donne S. Papa, PhD (Dean, College of Science); Asst. Prof. Froilan A. Alipao, MCD (Director, Simbahayan Community Development Office); and Prof. Cecilia B. Moran, Dr. rer. nat. (Executive Assistant for Research Operations and Management, Office of the Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation).
The session, moderated by Prof. Patricia M. Empleo (Dean, UST-AMV College of Accountancy) and Inst. Fermin Antonio D.R. Yabut, PhD (College Secretary, UST-AMV College of Accountancy), provided a platform to share bare how the industry, academe, community development, and research and innovation sectors can work together for sustainable development. Tips were shared to further strengthen working in interdisciplinary teams.
Putting ideas into course plans
As a culmination of the training, parallel onsite workshops were held on January 10, 2025 in the different academic units, where each unit鈥檚 pedagogical lead and e-Learning specialists facilitated discussions that aimed to identify practical steps to promote sustainability in instruction and office practices per academic unit.
Later in the day, twenty small groups were formed from different academic units and offices with the aim of sharing practices for promoting sustainability in terms of curricular activities, research activities, community engagement activities, and operational processes. The session provided a platform to craft initial plans for interdisciplinary collaboration to promote sustainability.
The program was organized by the Office of the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, the Center for Innovative Teaching and Educational Delivery, and the Educational Technology Center, with support from the UST-Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy.
