UNESCO-OECD guidelines on Quality Provision in Cross border Higher Education Drafting Meeting 2 Tokyo, Japan 14-15 October 2004

Opening Address UNESCO Higher Education Division

Stamenka Uvalic-Trumbic

Drafting Meeting 2: Participants

2 nd Drafting Meeting, Tokyo:      Some 100 + participants All UNESCO regions represented Higher education stakeholders: governments, higher education institutions and their associations, students. recognition bodies, professional bodies International partners: NGOs, IGOs We wish them a hearty welcome and THANK YOU JAPAN!

New developments: within UNESCO

 UNESCO 1 st and 2 nd Global Forum on International Quality Assurance (Paris, October 2002; Paris, June 2004)  UNESCO/Norway Forum on ‘Globalization and Higher Education: (Oslo, May 2003 )  OECD/Norway Forum : initiative for joint guidelines with UNESCO (Trondheim, November 2003)  32 nd General Conference of UNESCO (Paris, October 2003): resolution giving UNESCO a stronger mandate in HE;  UNESCO-OECD Guidelines on Quality Provision in Cross border Higher Education institutions: 1 st Drafting Meeting (Paris, April, 2004);

Context and Outcomes of 1

st

Global Forum

1 st Global Forum launched as a response to ethical challenges facing higher education in an era of globalization . Main outcomes:    Platform for exchange for at least four years ; Building bridges between education and trade ; Promote research to inspire policy developments;  Action Plan: standard-setting (conventions, recommendations, guidelines, codes of good practice) ; capacity-building (training workshops, advocacy, seminars etc.) and clearinghouse activities (information gathering and dissemination, data-bases, knowledge bases, portals, publications)

2nd Global Forum (Paris, 28-29 June 2004): Context

UNESCO figures presented in the Synthesis Report (WCHE+5):   Massive increase in demand for HE with a view to development: 40 50% enrolment rates needed; some countries below 5% Demographic expansion: developing countries population 7 – 8 billion people in 2025  Growth of student enrolments; historic threshold of 100 million students worldwide has been crossed, 125 million before 2020.

 Access and equity: sustainable development of higher education systems

2nd Global Forum: Context

 1st Global Forum: higher education and commercialization/GATS – UNESCO conventions on the recognition of qualifications as educational agreements to promote international standards;  2 nd Global Forum Widening Higher Education: for minorities, ICT-assisted; lifelong learning

Access

to

Quality

 2 nd Global Forum particular focus: capacity-building ;

WHY CAPACITY BUILDING?

As determined by its Medium-Term Strategy, UNESCO has 5 basic functions:      a laboratory of ideas a standard setter a clearinghouse a capacity-builder in Member States a catalyst for international cooperation Capacity-building for quality assurance and qualifications recognition: towards strengthening national higher education frameworks as elements of sustainable societal development

THE GUIDELINES: FROM APRIL TO JANUARY AND BEYOND

         April 2004: 1 st Drafting Meeting, UNESCO, Paris June2004: UNESCO, Paris, 20 experts met to assist the two secretariats in the elaboration of the 1 st draft guidelines and information tool; August 2004: UNESCO/OECD/experts work on the 1 st guidelines and information tool; draft September 2004: 24 September final draft available; October 2004: 2 nd Drafting Meeting, Tokyo November 2004: Information Strategy for all UNESCO Member States: information/dissemination meetings; inputs from networks etc.

January 2005: OECD, Paris: Final Conference; January-December 2005: Adoption procedures in OECD and UNESCO 2006-2007: implementation phase

Guidelines: more information

  Inclusive drafting process: all stakeholders are involved Active participation through: (a) UNESCO web-site: http://www.unesco.org/education/amq/guidelines/qualityprovision.h

tml (b) OECD web-site: http://www.oecd.org/edu/internationalisation/guidelines (c) An Electronic Discussion Group (EDG) has been set up for all participants in the drafting sessions.

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