THE UNIVERSITY’S ROLE AS AN INTERMEDIARY FOR EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF KONDO RAKYAT

Abstract

This paper discusses an effort carried out by the University of Malaya (UM) to engage with, facilitate and nurture sustainable development efforts in a neighbouring community. The Kondo Rakyat community in Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur is five minutes away from the UM campus. It is a low-income urban community living in DBKL low-cost flats nestled within an upper middle-income neighbourhood of high-rise condominiums. Efforts were made to launch sustainability initiatives such as composting, the production of eco-enzymes, kitchen gardens and green bazaars with the hope that the community will be able to share the skills learnt and experience gained with other similar communities elsewhere. This paper will show that one of the most vital criteria in an effort such as this is the ability of the project leader to facilitate discussions between disparate collaborators so as to guide the project to some success.