Higher Education: Promoting higher education reform in the Asia-Pacific region
For the 8th APEID Programme Cycle, the higher education programme aims to promote policy dialogue, research, and the setting of norms and standards as well as facilitate the sharing of information on the restructuring of higher education in the Asia-Pacific region. It will focus on issues brought about partly by the massification of higher education systems and the impact of globalization on higher education. These were the outcomes of the Regional World Conference on Higher Education Follow-up Meeting held in July 2007 in Macao, China.
Under this broad umbrella, UNESCO Bangkok will create an informed basis of higher education dialogue and exchange among Member States in addressing issues and challenges in the following areas:
- university governance and management;
- quality assurance and qualification recognition;
- diversification and privatization of higher education;
- internationalization of higher education; and
- use of ICT in widening access and improving the quality of higher education.
More specifically, the Higher Education programme will:
- facilitate the revision of the 1983 Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Academic Qualification;
- organize regional meetings leading up to the global consultation on new trends and challenges to higher education as a follow up to the 1998 World Conference on Higher Education;
- strengthen research capacities in higher education institutions through the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs; and
- facilitate regional university networks.
Massification and Education for All
A major dilemma and challenge in higher education facing developing countries is the need to give an absolute top priority to basic education (as per the Education for All programme and the Millenium Development Goals), while facing increasing pressure to massify higher education. Issues needing special consideration include:
- Framing strategies and policies relating to both massification of higher education and education for all, with particular attention to be given to the expansion of distance education and open learning, private higher education, diversification of funding, and the balance in emphasis
between efficiency and equity; - Establishing and enhancing quality assurance mechanisms and means for the mutual recognition of awards in a new national, regional and global context; and
- Enhancing increased networking and collaboration in the context of increased globalization and internationalisation.
A wide range of networking and capacity building activities for higher and distance education have been organised since 1998 by the UNESCO Regional Bureau in Bangkok. In some cases, these have been directed particularly at the needs of developing countries, while in other cases activities have been planned to have wide appeal across the board amongst Member States.
Use the navigation menu on the left to learn more about APEID's activities in higher and distance education, using the WCHE as its framework and keeping the challenges of massification and the unique characteristics of the region in mind.
Resources
Listed below are general resources for Higher and Distance Education. More resources can be found under each subtheme in this section. Alternatively, resources can be viewed in the Resources section of this website.