Universities march towards Sustainable Development
Nearly five years after September 2015, when for the first time in human history the world community convened by United Nations unanimously agreed to pursue 17 Sustainable Development Goals there was an abrupt and jolting pause. Humanity was trapped in the COVID19 Pandemic. But not young minds.
While the families huddled together when lockdown began, there were many away from their families. Many university students were among them, trapped in campus, hotels, and rented residences.
Universities are unique places where young minds get moulded and are encouraged to innovate and dream. Did these universities stop working? Apparently yes, in reality, no. Doors were closed but not the minds and imagination. As Coronavirus was spreading the physical activities slowed but not the waves generated by the wi-fi devices for the internet. The internet devices allowed young minds to explore, even though trapped.
Here are the glimpses of the projects of Smart Campus Cloud Network (SCCN) of TERRE Policy Centre, that kept wheels revolving and ideas on sustainable development evolving.
It started with release of Guidelines for Universities onCOVID19. Then came the S2S -Students to Societies portal for the trapped students who need help. It connected students who needed help of any kind to the people who were ready to help. Then started virtual activities that had real benefits.
One of the significant activities was the joining of all the Agricultural Universities in the state of Maharashtra and centers dealing with Fisheries and Aquaculture in the movement of SCCN. After all, these universities were symbols of the minds that work with nature. And Agri-communities and farmers were never lockdowns. They continued their production. And the universities found that COVID19 allowed them time to initiate the practices sustainable agriculture.