Sustainability literacy in the Romanian Universities

Abstract

Abstract Sustainable university refers to the active involvement of higher education institutions in elaborating policies to protect the natural environment. The sustainable university is the one that, besides the governmental involvement, contributes to the safety of the environment by adapting the curriculum to the ecological needs and through the progress of the scientific knowledge, as a result of the didactic and research activities. As a vector of society’s development, the primary role of the university consists of educating future decision-makers. From the point of view of sustainable education, the concept of sustainable literacy has been shaped. Sustainable literacy involves educating future generations for sustainable development, considering the social, environmental, and cultural aspects specific to each country. In our opinion, “Sustainability literacy” in the academic environment is the formation and transmission of knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes that will allow students/graduates to engage deeply in building a sustainable future and improve their decision-making towards sustainability. The purpose of this research paper is to identify the context of ensuring and promoting sustainability in Romanian tertiary education. For this purpose, data obtained from the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education were used regarding the number of students (as an element of the university demand) who follow a study program related to sustainable development, as well as data on the number of study programs in sustainability (as an element of the university offer). The results show that the number of students decreases, mainly due to demographic reasons, and the low graduation rates following the baccalaureate examination. Nevertheless, the number of programs in the sphere of sustainable development was higher in 2018 than the previous year. This fact demonstrates the importance given and the serious concerns regarding sustainability literacy in Romanian universities.