An empirical investigation on undergraduate students’ perception and assessment of sustainability education

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 remains one of the vital global priorities, and Bangladesh is no exception. A key pathway to meeting these goals lies in educating graduates in sustainability to ensure national and global development. The integration of sustainability knowledge into higher education has significantly facilitated the lifelong learning process. At the International University of Business, Agriculture, and Technology, sustainability-focused courses have been incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum since 2013, reflecting a long-standing institutional commitment to fostering sustainable development education in Bangladesh. This study aimed to assess perceptions of sustainability and environmental practices among students on campus; thus, a multinomial logistic regression model was employed as the primary analytical tool. Findings revealed that 91.1% of students demonstrate a sufficient understanding of sustainability, and 93.9% agree that a sustainability-oriented approach positively influences them to change their lifestyles. However, 41.0% of respondents reported that they would participate in on-campus sustainability projects, while 47.8% strongly agreed, demonstrating a gap between awareness and active involvement. Lastly, this study suggests that increasing the number of undergraduate sustainability-focused courses offered by universities can enhance a country's ability to promote sustainability-related projects. These improvements in education are likely to lead to an increase in the number of graduates who show greater concern for sustainability and are eager to become involved in environmental initiatives both on- and off-campus. Consequently, this aids in global and national endeavors to accomplish the SDGs by 2030.