Universities in ASEAN countries should be prepared for the
implementation of economic integration in the region by 2015 by enhancing their
competitiveness.
As ASEAN achieves commercial
liberalization throughout its 10 member states, universities will have to adapt
to suit the context of the new ASEAN region, Piyapun Santaveesuk of
Mahasarakham University, Thailand, said in his presentation during a three-day
conference of education experts in Nusa Dua that ended on Friday.
“Universities will need to be
increasingly compatible and connected. Curriculum designs will need to be more
cooperative in nature. At the same time, the liberalization of the region may
make universities increasingly compete with each other for students, staff and
income,” said the university’s vice president for student affairs and
organization development.
Another speaker, Andy Gibbs from
the UK’s Edinburgh Napier University, explored the possibility and significance
of higher education convergence within the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA)
in terms of economic, social and cultural status, and external pressures.
The UK Bologna expert with
wide-ranging involvement in supporting the European Higher Education Reforms
said in his presentation that for CAFTA, higher education was facing more
severe challenges compared to the European Higher Education Area.
“The lack of strong regional
identity, enormous outflow of students and consequent high opportunity cost,
all suggests that higher education convergence may not simply be desirable but
also essential for CAFTA,” he said.
“Although the current situation
indicates that CAFTA should launch educational reform, concrete steps and
innovative policies are needed to make it happen.”
The advancement of higher
education in this fast-changing global era also requires strategic partnerships
between universities and industries.
Singapore’s Nanyang Technological
University shared its best practices of advancing industry and university
partnership. As a hub of innovation and technology, the university has
constantly sought to advance its research interests through close
collaborations in significant project areas with various industry partners.
“More importantly, faced with the
challenges of growing competition, mounting costs for research and development,
and the necessity for innovation and invention in the marketplace, the industry
has been increasingly steered toward universities in a bid for new solutions
and knowledge,” said the university’s chief of staff, Lam Khin Yong.
“Spin-offs, industry-funded
research, licensing, patents, venture creation and employment are now many of
the multiple mediums used to build strategic collaborations between industry
and university.”
The private sector also plays a
crucial role in capacity building for higher education, as the sector has taken
the initiative and been at the forefront of the tremendous growth in the higher
education sector either through international branch campuses or the
establishment of new higher education institutions in various developing
countries, said Rosie Bateson, a professor of higher education management at
The International University of Jakarta.
“Governments have been challenged
in building capacity by their ability to access human and economic resources.
And especially with the global economic crisis staring them down,” said the
leader of Indonesia’s Putera Sampoerna Foundation’s university project.
“As populations continue to grow
at a rapid pace and more enter college age globally, it is the private sector
that is best positioned to deliver on the education front,” Bateson said.
The Asia Pacific Professional
Leaders in Education (QS-APPLE) conference and exhibition brings together
international educators, senior academic administrators and government
officials from across Asia Pacific and around the world.
The conference seeks to help
Asian universities in their quest for globalization by providing a meeting
place where they can learn from experts, build networking with peers from
around the world and discuss the hot topics of the industry.
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