Technology and leadership: Empowering global citizens for a sustainable future through education

Authors: Dr. Muhammad Ali, Prof. Dr. Siti Hamisah Binti Tapsir, Prof. Dr. Chin-Hong Puah & Prof. Dr. Rohana Binti Yusof

Our planet faces numerous challenges such as climate change, food insecurity, water scarcity, economic inequality, healthcare, pandemics, human migration, and many more. To tackle these problems, the next generation should be equipped with education where global challenges can be avoided in the future.

 It requires powerful tools for individuals, such as a strong mindset, updated skills, and quality knowledge, to enhance sustainable development and global citizenship. Here, the questions arise: how is our existing education system ready to deliver effective solutions for the technology-driven world? Among several factors, the two key factors include leadership and technology. Our current education system demands restructuring in both what we teach and how we teach our learners.

The change process of education must have inherent sustainability, embracing the required skills and knowledge for the long-term well-being of global citizens. On the other hand, leadership plays a pivotal role in helping students and teachers acquire sufficient understanding and make sustainable decisions in the future. The role of leadership in empowering global citizens is also important where visionary leaders inspire, guide, and prepare the learners to act socially responsible. However, effective harnessing of technology and digital tools needs enthusiastic teachers who can take the lead role with ethical and foresight responsibility. The teachers need to equip themselves first with technical skills before they navigate the students. Their role in governing the ethical principles and the responsible use of new technology is paramount for the greater good of a sustainable future.

Education: The foundation of a sustainable future

Is education a foundation for a sustainable future? Certainly, the answer is yes! It is a matter of fact that education is beyond classroom teaching or getting grades in exams. It provides a platform for the learners to improvise themselves with critical thinking, readiness for the challenges, problem-solving skills, and contribute towards sustainable development. The notion behind responsible education is highly associated with sustainable development, where the learners are empowered with the understanding of complex scenarios such as environmental, social, governance (ESG), and other economic-related issues. From early education to the higher education system, education for sustainable development requires the integration of student involvement with real problems of the world. It can be done through the restructuring of the existing curriculum and the inclusion of community engagement projects, interdisciplinary approaches, and experiential learning. By doing this, we can assume that the students will act socially responsibly, and the future of our planet will be in safe hands.

Leadership role in sustainability education

The sustainable future for global citizens depends on various factors, while strong leadership is one of the components that play a significant role in building resilient communities, enhancing collective efforts towards environmental issues, empowering youth with tech skills, and bringing long-term economic stability. The role of leadership is not limited to business or politics; there are various levels of leadership in education, such as administrators, faculty, instructors, and policymakers. A good leader in the education system provides a conducive environment and brings inclusivity and diversity to the culture for the stakeholders. Their role further extended to student development and empowered them to attain their full potential for their readiness with the sustainable challenges. Leaders’ encouragement to the students and teachers creates solutions to handling future problems. The involvement of education leaders in sustainable processes fosters economic fairness, social justice, and environmental stewardship among the stakeholders. Overall, this world needs effective leadership that ensures technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills among the students, who can shape the world in meaningful ways. For instance, leaders should provide guidance and platforms for the students to organise recycling projects and community gardens, including technology for innovative solutions for clean energy and the startups for carbon reduction projects.

Technology: A game-changer in sustainability education

We know the importance of good leadership in education and sustainable development. However, the role of technology is equally important in the sustainability process. Today, the rapid advancement in technology has opened various new possibilities for a sustainable world. Global citizens have understood the importance of technology, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, where the traditional style of teaching has been upgraded with AI-driven learning systems. This revolutionary change in the teaching-learning process creates a student-centred environment for their life-long learning experience. The education institutes should use digital tools and platforms to engage students with real-world sustainability scenarios. For instance, digital technologies can be used to create simulations of real problems such as water pollution, deforestation, and carbon emissions. Students can further use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to generate innovative solutions to those sustainability problems. Digital technologies not only provide experiential learning but also help students to make abstract concepts more understandable. It is evident that the change process with technology support is transformative, providing innovative solutions, bringing collaborative possibilities across borders, diversified learning experiences, interactive teaching, and research capabilities. In the past, we never thought about the possibilities of having virtual reality (VU), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) technologies in our education system. For example, a student uses VU and MR simulations to experience real and virtual objects to enhance sustainable learning experiences. 

A call to action: Together we can build a better future

The sustainable future of education heavily relies on three pillars, namely leadership, technology, and quality education. We can integrate the three pillars to attain a sustainable future for a generation of global citizens. Our efforts for future generations will help them to equip themselves with strong mindsets and provide solutions to the challenges. Quality education needs strong support from visionary leaders and their tech-savvy mindsets to expand learning opportunities for global citizens. The future of the upcoming generation lies in the hands of policymakers. This implies that we can shape our planet based on the choices we make today. Therefore, the next generation should be empowered with technological innovations, quality education, and effective leadership for global sustainability in education. Their minds should be trained today to lay a foundation for a bright future. It is paramount that we equip our next generation with knowledge so that they protect the planet with their sustainable thinking and actions. The story of a sustainable future will continue where the global citizens can measure their success not by just wealth but by the sustainability of the world.