Press release of 10 January 2019
The German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) and the German Academic Exchange Service / Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) have released joint expert conclusions on “Digital Transformation: Higher Education and research for Sustainable Development”. They imply the need to deal better with the transformative force of digitalisation for higher education and international cooperation.
The bulletin is the result of an experts´ workshop that brought together researchers from around the globe to explore key aspects of digital transformation in the areas of knowledge for sustainable development, research and higher education. It was held in Bonn on 8-9 November. The final text was jointly agreed upon through an online consultation process. The collaboration between researchers and practitioners from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America resulted in the declaration that describes current and future frontiers in higher education and research:
The road to sustainable education and research
The Digitalisation Goals also outline a way towards achieving sustainability through communication and timely incorporation of new developments into curricula:
Sven Grimm, co-author of the Sustainable Digitalisation Goals and head of the Training Programmes at the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) concludes: “We need to focus on the cultivation of a human spirit in digitalisation. The only way to build trust in digital education products is to ensure their quality.”
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Experts discuss opportunities of digitalisation for sustainable development and higher education during their meeting in Bonn in November. Photo: Barbara Frommann
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Sven Grimm from the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) moderates the discussion. Photo: Barbara Frommann
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Participants contributed to the discussion during the workshop and via an online consultation process after the meeting. Photo: Barbara Frommann