NAVIGATING THE "KNOWING-DOING GAP": INTEGRATING EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTANI HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is globally recognized as a transformative approach to education. This equips learners with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to address pressing economic, environmental, and social challenges. The policy commitments aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 4.7, particularly in the implementation of higher education in Pakistan, remain limited. This study examines faculty perceptions and identifies institutional and pedagogical challenges related to the integration of ESD in Pakistani universities, employing an interpretivist paradigm and a hermeneutic phenomenological research design. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with twelve purposively selected university faculty members from different institutions. Thematic analysis was employed to capture the lived experiences and insights of the participants. The results revealed five critical challenges: strategic implementation gaps, curriculum fragmentation, lack of faculty capacity, limited student engagement, and weak institutional leadership. Despite awareness of ESD's importance, systemic barriers inhibit meaningful pedagogical and institutional transformation. The study highlights the urgent need for curriculum reforms, teacher training, leadership commitment, and policy alignment. It calls for multi-stakeholder collaboration to transform ESD from rhetoric into practice, enabling universities to make meaningful contributions to sustainability.

Keywords: Education for Sustainable Development, Higher Education, SDG 4.7, Pakistan, Curriculum Reform, Faculty Development, Institutional Leadership, Sustainability Education