The Integration of Esd in the Higher Education Curriculum Through Citizenship Education: A Case From Westminster International University in Tashkent

Abstract

The role of higher education has become vital to disseminate the values of sustainability among youth. In a globalized world, the sustainable development of communities and states depend, among other things, on how universities prepare the youth for environmental, social and economic challenges that are becoming increasingly visible elsewhere, especially following the spread of Covid 19. As a young developing country, Uzbekistan is also susceptible to economic and environmental crises. Therefore, raising the awareness of youth and empowering them with relevant knowledge and skills is the key to the stability and social well-being of the country. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the emerging role of education for sustainable development (ESD) in youth empowerment and to showcase good practices of effectively incorporating ESD in the higher education curriculum. Based on a case study at a leading international branch campus in Tashkent, we propose a good example of an ESD integrated course that can be transferred to other local universities’ curricula in Uzbekistan. The paper contributes to a broader debate on ESD in higher education and maps the merits as well as the challenges of integrating ESD into the curriculum through citizenship education as a way to develop young people’s competences for sustainable development.