W8: Role of Students in Sustainable Development

Greetings to all of you! 

This week, we have learned about the roles of universities in Sustainable Development. Indeed, the university plays a big and important role in sustainability. However, the university will not be able to fulfil its role without the roles of students in sustainable development. So, what is the role of students in sustainable development? As one of the students of IIUM, I want to share and reflect on our role in seeking knowledge for the sake of sustainable development, or in other term is "learning for sustainability". In fact, this is not only for sustainability, but it is for every single thing that we learn in our life. Thus, we must understand and apply this concept of learning to ensure that the knowledge we learn is blessed by Allah and beneficial for other people.

Learning for Sustainability

1) Knowledge (to know) 

As a student, we should instil a sense of curiosity to know and learn about everything as motivation in learning. When we are deadly curious about something, we will be eager and passionate to investigate and seek knowledge about it, which is good for ourselves. The want-to-know feeling will motivate us to know more and always seek more knowledge as we can until we are satisfied that there is no question in our minds about that anymore. By this, we can learn many things and have adequate knowledge about something to be practised later. 

2) Skills (to do) 

Every knowledge that we learn must be practised or take into action in our everyday life until we are skilled in that particular knowledge. For example, if we have learned about Quran recitation, we need to practise it as regular as we can until we become skilled. Another example is, if we learn about ways to create a harmonious atmosphere in the house, we need to practice the ways in our house with our family so that the knowledge we learned will not be futile because knowledge without practice is useless.

3) Attitude (to be) 

When we have successfully practised the knowledge we learn in our everyday life, we must make sure the practice becomes our attitude, meaning that the knowledge that we practised is no longer something new or awkward for us, and we can do it without having told by anyone (willingly to do). Knowledge must be practised until it becomes synonymous with ourselves (attitude), where it can shape our character and personality to be a better person. However, this is not valid for bad knowledge. 

In terms of sustainability, we should develop a sense of curiosity to know about ways to achieve sustainable development goals. Upon knowing, we must practise those ways in our everyday life with our capability until it becomes our attitude, which can benefit the community, as well as the country. By this, sustainable development goals can certainly be achieved.