CHALLENGES FACING INCLUSION OF SUSTAINABILITY IN SCHOOLS PPP PROJECTS - Coursework Example

Generally, the partnerships can range from dealing with climate change, infrastructure & social projects, health, corporate social responsibility, disaster relief/humanitarian aid, and environmental protection1. Thus the common theme that emerges regarding public-private partnership (PPP) projects are government or private ventures that are primarily operated and funded through a partnership between the government and private sector companies. How can these projects incorporate the sustainability criteria’s and to look at this we need to understand the ethos and concept of sustainability in its entirety.

The term “sustainability” is widely used to refer to the capacity or ability of a system/ project to sustain its operations, benefits and services in the long term without compromising the needs of future generations. However, many different definitions have been advanced by various authors and researchers. While many authors have sought to define sustainability in relation to the capacity and ability of a system/ project to sustain itself or endure its operations, benefits and services during its projected life, others have defined it in relation to policy making.

For example, in their definitions of sustainability, Barton (2000) and Du Plessis (2000), particularly focuses on the interaction of the economic, environmental and social aspects to achieve sustainable systems or projects. The Brundtland Commission of the United Nations, in its 1987 report titled “Our Common Future”, defines sustainability as the ability of a system to meet the needs of the present without compromising the capacity of the future generations to meet their own needs and goals2 (United Nations, 1987).

Many experts believe this definition meets most of the diverse aspects of sustainability in its applications (Adams, 2002, Dale,