Assessing the role of public and private higher education in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to carry out a comprehensive assessment and comparative analysis of the contribution of public and private higher education institutions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) formulated by the United Nations. To achieve this goal, a number of tasks were solved: the importance of the concept of sustainable development was revealed; the specific features of public and private higher education were considered; their advantages and disadvantages were analyzed, and the importance of their close interaction was substantiated. The study demonstrates that public universities provide a scientific foundation, equal access to education for different segments of society, and integration of sustainable development goals at the federal and regional levels. The private educational sector shows great flexibility and instant adaptation to market requirements, intensive development of business culture. The study revealed that neither public nor private universities individually are a universal solution, so their harmonious integration is extremely important. The theoretical and practical value of the article and the possibilities of its use lie in creating a conceptual framework for building a productive model of multidimensional partnership between public and private education, as well as the state and business corporations. The results obtained in the course of the research can be applied by government authorities to improve educational policy, university management and entrepreneurs in order to develop joint applied programs, environmental and social projects. The presented strategy provides an opportunity to integrate resources and enhance the contribution of the higher education sector to solving pressing problems of sustainable development. The implementation of this strategy promotes the formation of partnerships between budgetary and commercial universities, government and business, the introduction of innovative approaches and the scaling of effective solutions and practices at the regional and federal levels.