SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY CONSCIOUSNESS PRACTICES AMONG HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN TANZANIA: TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This paper explores Social Sustainability Consciousness (SSC) with the main objective of examining levels of awareness and practices of SSC relevant for attaining the 2030 Sustainable Development (SD) Goals among Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) guided by the social theory. This paper is guided by three key questions: Are there any differences in having heard of SD among stakeholders in HEIs? What is the level of SSC awareness among HEIs? How do HEIs practice SSC for SD? Structured questionnaire was distributed to 6 HEIs in Tanzania. Quantitative data collected from 119 academic staff and 743 students was analyzed descriptively and complemented with Key Informants Interviews  from 8 HEIs leaders where thematic analysis was employed. The differences on having heard of SD among the stakeholders in HEIs showed that the staff (99.2%) compared to students (94.1%) had heard of SD. On SSC awareness, the findings include staff (53.4%) and students (49.1%) strongly agreed that to achieve SD then every human being is entitled to access good education. Level of SSC awareness shows that staff (71.6%) and students (59.5%) strongly opined that men and women throughout the world must be given the same opportunities for education and employment. Staff (61.5%) and students (53.7%) as HEI stakeholders strongly agreed that they practice SSC by being ready for sustainable living. Some HEI leaders added that for SSC practices in HEIs for SD, there is the need for "identifying talented students is crucial for innovation when considering SD as well as allowing staff mobility". This study concludes that there are differences among stakeholders in having heard of SD and that the level of SSC awareness for SD is more for staff compared to students while staff, students and leaders of HEIs practice SSC by stating that they are ready for sustainable living.