An education system is successful when it can develop sustainable learners who continue to study formally and informally at work or on future life tasks while thriving in a changing community and environment through their positive practical contributions. To achieve such outcomes, young adults must be aware of and acquire knowledge, as well as have high-order thinking skills and moral perspectives, in order to play a practical and conceptual role in addressing social, economic, and environmental issues in their own context and around the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered our perceptions of the world, life and living, education and learning, and the usage of technology. The Internet’s rapid adoption and growth have revolutionised many aspects of our lives, including our interaction patterns, employment alternatives, work criteria and standards, and living styles. The advancement of technology has encouraged innovation in pedagogical and academic standards, to the point that higher education must remain vigilant in order to provide students with abilities that meet market expectations. The flip side of the image illustrates that a lack of socialisation and a high reliance on technology have diminished an individual’s healthy routine and emotional strength. For example, a large population of youth entertains them with virtual games, have easy access to learning resources available online, and develops quick judgements from social media. They started to remove themselves from real-life challenges and resurface in the virtual world. This has resulted in the students’ aggressive conduct, lack of empathy, increased anxiety, limiting stress coping skills, and their practical contribution to the family and society.

Our argument is that higher education smoothly incorporates and adapts to emerging technological advancements by implementing flexible curricula in the domains where these innovations are occurring. Nevertheless, there is criticism that education ignores or is unable to lead societies towards a more empathetic future in the face of significant social and ecological changes. There is evidence that supports this observation in many parts of the world today, specifically in our context, i.e., isolated families and communities, the deteriorating state of civic culture, indigenous norms and understanding, and malpractice in many financial and political arenas. Educating a person only in terms of a cognitive mind and technological literacy and not in terms of values and morals is to create additional sources of threat and risk to social cohesion and the sustainability of good practices. Hence, higher education needs to think its role in nourishing ability to moral judgment, a sense of responsibility not only toward human beings but also to nature.

The purpose of this conference is to generate discussion about the role of higher education in the current era and whether or not it helps students acquire the knowledge and values necessary to lead fulfilling lives, make wise decisions, and contribute intellectually and morally to society on a local and global scale. If moral education is a missing component in the current situation, then what should be prioritised in the curriculum, pedagogy and assessment of higher education?

Moral education is a missing dimension in the current scenario, and it needs to be given large space in the higher education curriculum if it is to develop sustainable learners. The key goal of higher education is to equip youth with the knowledge, skills, moral values, and positive attitudes necessary to live productive lives, make wise decisions, and contribute intellectually both locally and globally. This conference aims to foster discussion and debate on this topic.