Students' awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards the sustainable development goals at the University of South Africa

Purpose - University students' awareness, knowledge and attitude towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) contribute to their implementation and localisation. Understanding students' perspectives in open and distance e-Learning institutions (ODELs) is crucial. This study aims to examine variations in students' SDG knowledge and awareness across socio-economic characteristics, their engagement in SDGs and their identification of opportunities, gaps and priorities for implementation. Design/methodology/approach - An online survey (n = 1,009) gathered responses from students across various socio-demographic variables. Descriptive and non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis Test statistics were used to examine differences. Findings - Students recognised the importance of SDG knowledge across all levels (p <0.05, except for gender). The expectation for increased SDG content in the curriculum was high. A significant difference (p < 0.001) in these expectations was found across all variables except gender. However, involvement in SDGs and participation in related platforms and workshops was marginal to non-existent. These results guide universities in promoting SDGs to enhance sustainability-focused education strategies. Originality/value - The article outlines measures universities can take to evaluate their contributions towards SDGs implementation, particularly in open and distance learning institutions.