Dates: 18th & 19th August 2022
More than 200 delegates from 12 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East and South America attended the 9th LSME International Conference on Responsible Research and Innovations (RRI), which took place on the18th and 19th of August 2022 via a hybrid mode with in-person and online attendance. Under the theme ‘Global Education and the Green Economy’, the event demonstrated the importance of implementing learning initiatives at the local level to foster a future growth in employment and income that are driven by public and private investment into such economic activities, infrastructure and assets that allow reduced carbon emissions and pollution, enhanced energy and resource efficiency, and prevention of the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
The subsequent conference report provides an overview of the various sessions as well as insights and discussions that transpired during the event. The outcome documents of the event, will support researchers who are striving to provide quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all, in line with the theme of the conference.
The conference was very successful and consisted of an Inaugural, a Valedictory, two Keynote Sessions, two Special Lectures and Parallel Sessions for the presentation of research papers over the two days. The research papers presented covered relevant academic disciplines including Education, Business Management, Social Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Technology, Pure and Life Sciences and Economics, under the broad theme of RRI with major highlights on the Green Economy to enrich participants with research expertise encompassing the significance of education.
The Green Economy is a transformative change to the global status quo and advocates for effective social dialogue, public participation, accountability and transparency towards inculcating best educational practices, including examining the role of research in promoting social justice, inclusion and equity; and influence on policy and practice.
The conference was inaugurated by H.E. Dr Ibrahim Hassan, the Minister for Higher Education, Maldives and among the Guests of Honour were Cllr Thavathuay Jeyatharan, the Mayor of Redbridge, Professor Mokgale Makgopa, formally of the University of Venda in South Africa, Professor Rajan Welukar, Vice Chancellor of Atlas Skilltech University, Mumbai, India, and Professor Dr Asif Mahbub Karim of the Binary Graduate School in Malaysia.
In the inaugural ceremony, the Chairperson of the Conference, Professor Stephen McKinney of the Glasgow University stressed the importance of climate change and its damage to the environment as well as the aim of the green economy to promote equity, equality, social justice and human rights which are all interconnected with the LSME strategy for its conferences.
Joining us from South Africa with his special remarks, Prof Makgopa commended the organising committee of the conference, highlighting their special contribution and the importance of the conference theme. He wished all delegates a successful conference.
H.E. Dr Ibrahim Hassan’s address highlighted the UN Climate Report of 2022 which provides an equivocal message on the ability to control climate change issues, if all communities will work together. This he said can be achieved by global education which will sensitise people and open their minds to find sustainable solutions. As such he commended LSME for chosing a very relevant theme for the conference.
In his welcome address, Dr Ravi Kumar, the Executive Director of LSME and Conference Convener shed more light on the relevance of the Green Economy as a means of providing an overview of how educational leaders, through research can pioneer the process of updating all academic curricula to help create an inclusive and skilled workforce to address the current climate crisis. He added that the conference will build on the knowledge of sustainability from last year’s conference which in itself is fundamental to the teaching strategy of LSME He extended his heartfelt welcome and appreciation to all the invited guests.
Professor Rajan Welukar complemented the organisers of the conference for their consistency in providing a platform for researchers to discuss education and the green economy. He added that connecting green economy with education will invariably transform people with the competence and skills required to save our planet. Some of the skills he highlighted were specialised green skills, skills in sustainability, methodological and technological skills and interpersonal skills.
Cllr Thavathuay Jeyatharan, the Mayor of Redbridge reiterated the need to tackle climate change using innovative measures, considering the current issues affecting global societies such as the climate change, global inflation, poverty and food shortage. He added that any topic that seeks to highlight potential solutions is very relevant and timely. He expressed his strong conviction for the important role education plays in the borough of Redbridge and its ability to contribute to the betterment of society through research, innovations and offering relevant qualifications that meet the needs of the public. For this reason, he pledged to work closely with LSME and to support its strategies in the local community.
Dr Sarita Parhi, the Principal of LSME, addressed the audience on the strategic decision made by LSME to support early career researchers who are the likely generation of academics who can actually make a difference in the future in solving the climate problems. Dr Peter Gray, a former Research Adviser to NTNU, Norway urged researchers to continue to pursue the RRI theme and to remind themselves of the main purpose of the theme and relate it to higher education and the real world.
The inaugural ceremony was followed by two days of paper presentations and keynote speeches by Professor Stephen McKinney on ‘Global Education and Gender Parity’, and Dr Alison Kitson (of the UCL Institute of Education) on Balandin Honesty with Hope: Helping Young People Navigate a Climate-Altered Future’’. Day 2 was marked by a Special Lecture by Dr Peter Gray on ‘’Global Education and the Green Economy’’, and on ‘’Ethical Dilemmas in Research’’ by Professor Dr Asif Mohbub Karim of the Binary Graduate School in Malaysia.
The Valedictory Session of the Conference, introduced by Dr Sarita Parhi, the Principal of LSME, was honoured by H.E. Dr Durga Bahadur Subedi, the Ambassador of Nepal to Japan. In his concluding remarks, he commended LSME for its ambition of support early career researchers in their research endeavours.
He added that the topic for the conference was very useful for the future of the planet and his country Nepal which is soon upgrading from a low to a middle income country, is committed to the same level of improvement in human development to ensure a sustainable and greener economy. Special remarks were delivered by Dr Peter Gray and Professor Rajan Welukar, and an overview of the conference was provided by Professor Stephen McKinney. In his closing remarks, Dr Ravi Kumar announced the venue for the 10th international conference and the timetable for the publication of the conference proceedings booklet and research book.