26 July 2013 Issue No:283
UNESCO has responded to an article in University World News
by Philip G Altbach, titled “Long-term thinking needed in higher
education”. The UN agency argues that its work in higher education is
advancing on many fronts, it is helping ministries and institutions to
build effective systems, and it continues to use its convening power "to
promote sustainable change for quality higher education".
UNESCO response
UNESCO is the only United Nations agency with a mandate in higher education. In this capacity, it sets and monitors the implementation of standards and conventions, produces policy research and advice, and strengthens capacity in higher education.
Despite financial constraints, this work is advancing on many fronts.
UNESCO is providing leadership on quality assurance-related matters, guiding policy through research, improving international statistics and national capacities to collect and use statistics, and strengthening the governance of higher education systems and institutions.
What follows are a few examples of UNESCO’s recent accomplishments and ongoing work in these areas.
Providing leadership on quality assurance
Launched in 2007, the Global Initiative for Quality Assurance and Capacity, or GIQAC – implemented by UNESCO with the financial support of the World Bank – supported several regional quality assurance networks.
Following suit, an African initiative to support higher education quality assurance institutions and mechanisms is now being put in place by UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Education in Africa.
These initiatives build on UNESCO's work through the UNESCO-OECD Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-border Higher Education.
Guiding policy through research
In the policy domain, UNESCO explores issues that are critical to higher education, such as university rankings. UNESCO’s July 2013 publication, Rankings and Accountability in Higher Education: Uses and misuses, follows on from the forum convened by the organisation in May 2011 on the same subject, bringing together the world’s major rankers. It provides international perspectives on what has emerged as a major debate.
Another illustration of UNESCO’s engagement in policy discussion in higher education is the research recently conducted by UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning, or IIEP, on the impact of national governance reforms on the effectiveness of higher education institutions in Asia and Africa.
The expansion of postgraduate education in Asian countries is another subject being examined by UNESCO. The organisation’s Institute for Statistics, or UIS, and IIEP are working with a network of experts, the United Nations University and Elsevier to produce an analytical report on this topic. The report is expected to capture emerging developments and offer policy alternatives for higher education.
To be released in early 2014, the report investigates the tension between expanding access to undergraduate education and upgrading postgraduate education, as well as the implications for resource allocation, equity and quality.
Improving international statistics and national capacities to collect and use statistics
Effective policies are built on solid evidence. For this reason, UNESCO is striving to improve data collection and dissemination in higher education. UNESCO, through its UIS, is the only organisation that produces cross-nationally comparable data on higher education for more than 200 countries and territories.
UIS seeks to improve data quality through the development of new standards and methodologies, such as the recently revised International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 2011), which was specifically designed to improve the cross-national comparability of higher education data.
The annual UIS and UNESCO-OECD-Eurostat education surveys are also making significant contributions by including substantial sections on higher education, including a unique data set on tertiary student mobility presented in a well-regarded data visualisation tool on the UIS website.
Beyond data collection, dissemination and improvement, UIS is building capacities for policy-making on the basis of an improved use of statistics. This effort supports UNESCO’s commitment to strengthening the capacity of countries to plan and manage their education systems.
Strengthening the governance of higher education systems and institutions
In addition to offering training on quality assurance, IIEP develops higher education planning and management capacity in institutional management, in establishing monitoring and evaluation systems, and in developing indicators for monitoring higher education.
On issues pertaining to academic fraud and codes of ethics for universities, IIEP has positioned itself as a global leader.
Lastly, UNESCO has a unique mandate in the international recognition of studies, diplomas and degrees – an area that plays an important role in the promotion and regulation of student mobility.
UNESCO remains strongly engaged in monitoring and revising the five regional conventions in this area and one inter-regional convention. Altogether, these provide a unique legal framework for the governance of higher education provision at the international level.
More recently, following a debate at the International Conference of States in Tokyo, Japan, in November 2011, UNESCO initiated a feasibility study on a global convention on the recognition of higher education qualifications. The outcomes of this study will be discussed at the UNESCO general conference, in November 2013, in order to decide on the way forward.
These examples illustrate how UNESCO is collaborating with organisations and professional networks worldwide to help ministries and higher education institutions build higher education systems that can effectively meet national development challenges.
UNESCO’s commitment to long-term thinking in higher education is evident in the many facets of its work. UNESCO has used, and will continue to use, its convening power effectively to promote sustainable change for quality higher education.
UNESCO, 19 July 2013
UNESCO is the only United Nations agency with a mandate in higher education. In this capacity, it sets and monitors the implementation of standards and conventions, produces policy research and advice, and strengthens capacity in higher education.
Despite financial constraints, this work is advancing on many fronts.
UNESCO is providing leadership on quality assurance-related matters, guiding policy through research, improving international statistics and national capacities to collect and use statistics, and strengthening the governance of higher education systems and institutions.
What follows are a few examples of UNESCO’s recent accomplishments and ongoing work in these areas.
Providing leadership on quality assurance
Launched in 2007, the Global Initiative for Quality Assurance and Capacity, or GIQAC – implemented by UNESCO with the financial support of the World Bank – supported several regional quality assurance networks.
Following suit, an African initiative to support higher education quality assurance institutions and mechanisms is now being put in place by UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Education in Africa.
These initiatives build on UNESCO's work through the UNESCO-OECD Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-border Higher Education.
Guiding policy through research
In the policy domain, UNESCO explores issues that are critical to higher education, such as university rankings. UNESCO’s July 2013 publication, Rankings and Accountability in Higher Education: Uses and misuses, follows on from the forum convened by the organisation in May 2011 on the same subject, bringing together the world’s major rankers. It provides international perspectives on what has emerged as a major debate.
Another illustration of UNESCO’s engagement in policy discussion in higher education is the research recently conducted by UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning, or IIEP, on the impact of national governance reforms on the effectiveness of higher education institutions in Asia and Africa.
The expansion of postgraduate education in Asian countries is another subject being examined by UNESCO. The organisation’s Institute for Statistics, or UIS, and IIEP are working with a network of experts, the United Nations University and Elsevier to produce an analytical report on this topic. The report is expected to capture emerging developments and offer policy alternatives for higher education.
To be released in early 2014, the report investigates the tension between expanding access to undergraduate education and upgrading postgraduate education, as well as the implications for resource allocation, equity and quality.
Improving international statistics and national capacities to collect and use statistics
Effective policies are built on solid evidence. For this reason, UNESCO is striving to improve data collection and dissemination in higher education. UNESCO, through its UIS, is the only organisation that produces cross-nationally comparable data on higher education for more than 200 countries and territories.
UIS seeks to improve data quality through the development of new standards and methodologies, such as the recently revised International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 2011), which was specifically designed to improve the cross-national comparability of higher education data.
The annual UIS and UNESCO-OECD-Eurostat education surveys are also making significant contributions by including substantial sections on higher education, including a unique data set on tertiary student mobility presented in a well-regarded data visualisation tool on the UIS website.
Beyond data collection, dissemination and improvement, UIS is building capacities for policy-making on the basis of an improved use of statistics. This effort supports UNESCO’s commitment to strengthening the capacity of countries to plan and manage their education systems.
Strengthening the governance of higher education systems and institutions
In addition to offering training on quality assurance, IIEP develops higher education planning and management capacity in institutional management, in establishing monitoring and evaluation systems, and in developing indicators for monitoring higher education.
On issues pertaining to academic fraud and codes of ethics for universities, IIEP has positioned itself as a global leader.
Lastly, UNESCO has a unique mandate in the international recognition of studies, diplomas and degrees – an area that plays an important role in the promotion and regulation of student mobility.
UNESCO remains strongly engaged in monitoring and revising the five regional conventions in this area and one inter-regional convention. Altogether, these provide a unique legal framework for the governance of higher education provision at the international level.
More recently, following a debate at the International Conference of States in Tokyo, Japan, in November 2011, UNESCO initiated a feasibility study on a global convention on the recognition of higher education qualifications. The outcomes of this study will be discussed at the UNESCO general conference, in November 2013, in order to decide on the way forward.
These examples illustrate how UNESCO is collaborating with organisations and professional networks worldwide to help ministries and higher education institutions build higher education systems that can effectively meet national development challenges.
UNESCO’s commitment to long-term thinking in higher education is evident in the many facets of its work. UNESCO has used, and will continue to use, its convening power effectively to promote sustainable change for quality higher education.
UNESCO, 19 July 2013
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