Higher education in the foreseeable future

S.M.A. Faiz

Photo: Tanvir Ahmed/Drik News

AFTER four decades of a new nationhood and a decade after entering into the new millennium we are now in a bent for a good debate and in a state to ponder more seriously than any time before on whether higher education is aptly recognized for inducing social changes, the desiderata for today and tomorrow, and how best we can derive from higher education in the foreseeable future.

Ten years after the first UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education in 1998, the 2009 World Conference reaffirmed the role of Higher Education in meeting global challenge from poverty eradication to sustainable development and Education for All (EFA). The Conference concluded with a call to governments of all countries to invest more in higher education along with encouraging diversity and strengthening regional cooperation to serve societal needs.

The 2009 UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education also emphasized the importance of shared goals between EFA and higher education suggesting that countries rely more on the research and analysis functions of universities to monitor EFA objectives.

The first-ever World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education, jointly sponsored by UNESCO and the City of Moscow in 2010, stressed on the link between strong foundations required to prepare children's transition from home onward (school and beyond) and the foundations driving societies towards development and prosperity. The Conference emphasized that every child gets a good start in life for “Building the Wealth of Nations”. Higher education, indeed, remains the preponderant producer of this 'wealth' of a nation.

The social and economic role of higher education and the impact of new technologies occurring with the rapidity of globalization have made the basic institutional model of higher education similar worldwide. There exists a consensus on the concept of education for sustainable development. Nevertheless, within the common space of globalization and internalization of education there are large differences in the use of global resources, in economic analogies and connotations and in knowledge intensity of societies. Such considerations have linked the concept of “higher education and sustainable development” with the political agenda and discourse of the nations and governments.

We must recognize the differences according to local contexts, priorities and approaches, and explore the ways in which academia can consolidate their social responsibility roles. However, we should also appreciate the divergent interests that prevail across different parts of the world and strive to complement each others' efforts.

Photo: Bayazid Akhter/Drik News

Higher Education institutions are virtual leaders
Higher education institutions play a central role due to the advantages they enjoy. Amongst other things, they function as centres of excellence with human resources in every field of learning repositories of advanced knowledge in salient fields of education and research dispassionate and scholarly communicators of ideas on all aspects of national life contributors to knowledge production system of the society through transferring technology to the society experts in teaching and training of young minds and the leaders of tomorrow providers of human capital for the society in all fields of national development.

By virtue of the respect they command, higher education institutions can create awareness in social and economic developments, mould public opinion on environmental protection, peace and freedom of expression, help develop national policies and intervene in the cycle of social disadvantages. Countries, therefore, rely greatly on universities for fostering education's positive impacts on sustainable development.

It is encouraging to note that in 2010 the Ministry of Education, Government of Bangladesh, with the assistance of the World Bank has undertaken, through the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh, a higher education quality enhancement project to improve the quality of teaching, learning and research capabilities of higher education institutions of the country. Activities involving the promotion of academic innovation, the building of institutional capacity of the universities and the raising of connectivity capacity in the higher education sector are considered to be critical for universities in Bangladesh for initiating positive impacts on developments.

Public vs Private universities
The role of universities in the construction and delivery of education for sustainable development has long been intricate by the debate whether higher education should be viewed as 'public good' or 'users should pay' for the cost of instruction. While the debate is still on, private education providers' activities in developing countries, such as Bangladesh, have created a space where market attributes have come into play in designing universities' policies.

The private sector higher education institutes conglomerating with such market attributes tend to remain confined within a narrow sphere, like an almanac in the books of knowledge, not in conformity with the wide spectrum knowledge evolution as pursued by the public sector institutes, though the two are contiguous. This has posed a scenario for dispassionate cognizance.

However, the 2009 UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education envisioned that higher education is undergoing a transition and that the rapid change with the 21st century university is likely to bring a hybrid of public and private enterprise. Talking to the press at the conference the UNESCO Director of Higher Education George Haddad pointed out, “In 20 years' time there will be no debate about public or private education as new structures that find a balance between the two are developed”. Indeed, camaraderie in the academia is already in existence, but we need to work harder to attain this balance and the sooner it becomes a reality, the better it is for us.

Emphasizing research
While the importance of research in higher education cannot be overemphasized, a participant at the 2009 World Conference Brenda Gourley, Vice-Chancellor of the Open University in the UK and President of the Association of Commonwealth Universities said, “Research and scholarship have been inexorably altered and revolutionized by technology but academics have paid insufficient attention to upgrading their skills”.

Alice Dautry, President of the Institut Pasteur in Paris emphasized the need for research to be “home-grown”, and that in the developing countries this is the key to building capacities for sustainability and empowerment.

Research is much as too expensive today, but much the more important in delivering education for sustainable development. Therefore, it is imperative that the Government, the Corporate World and other relevant quarters put utmost effort into supporting research in the universities. Concomitant to this, universities must continue to engage in interactive dialogue with the society, address the issues and problems affecting the society, and do their best to meet the overall needs of the nation.

Increased national and international interactions and collaborations should also be pursued effectively. Such interactions and collaborations must focus on sharing knowledge, undertaking collaborative research, and deriving benefits based on mutual gains. Universities of the 21st century should foster both knowledge creation and knowledge distribution through partnership processes.

Engaging universities in climate change issues
In the first decade of the new millennium higher education institutions were given a peremptory call to deal with climate issues, particularly relating to climate change and food security.

The United Nations Secretary General's colloquium of University Presidents (Executive Heads) for Global Climate Change held in November 2007 at the University of New York underscored the dangers confronting the world today with greatest future threats to countries like Bangladesh. It concluded with a call that the universities attach maximum importance to climate related issues. This was followed by the International Symposium on Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia held at the University of Dhaka in August 2008, jointly sponsored by the University of Dhaka, the Ohio State University, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP), and the Government of Bangladesh. The President of Iceland, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson who joined this symposium as a front runner climate activist said, “Bangladesh needs no call to action. More seriously than any other country it faces disastrous consequences of rising sea levels; could possibly lose in the coming decades up to one third of the land mass”. In his “One World - One Challenge” foreword he also said, “Climate Change has altered the way we view the world. The challenge it presents brings countries and regions together in ways we have never known before. The fate of our nations, the future of all, rich and poor, in Europe, in Asia and in every corner of the world, have become closely intertwined”. The Conference proceedings led to the publication of a book entitled “Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia” by the reputed publishing house, Springer in January 2011. The Secretary General of WMO, Michel Jarraud and the Director General of FAO Jacques Diouf in their joint foreword of the book noted, “To cope with climate variability and change more effectively in South Asia, it is necessary to identify integrated adaptation and mitigation options for a range of agro-ecosystems so as to enable a favorable policy environment for the implementation of the framework. It is important to identify/understand impacts, vulnerability and adaptation; select and implement adaptation actions; enhance cooperation among South Asian countries to better manage climate change risks; and enhance integration of climate change adaptation with sustainable agricultural development in South Asia”.

The principal recommendations of the Dhaka Symposium Declaration included, among others

1. stimulating multi-disciplinary research on climate change and food security in South Asia and identifying effective mitigation and adaptation options,

2. initiating and strengthening cooperation among academic and research institutions , international organizations and NGOs, and

3. providing opportunities for strengthening institutions, human resource development and capacity building.

Universities of Bangladesh have an important role to play, indeed, with immediate and utmost emphasis. There may still be a debate on 'impact' and 'extent' and on 'sooner' or 'later' issues of climate change, but there is no doubt that we may be in great danger. The worst scenario of an immediate action can be that we have ventured into combating the danger a decade or two earlier than when it becomes an impending necessity. Afraid, it may be too late to act. Nonetheless, universities in Bangladesh should create awareness of the great danger that is to befall the nation, mobilize their incredibly potential youth forces to spearhead preparedness activities, and attempt to avert impending disaster through curricular and research activities.

ICT based learning processes
With the potential and challenge of technology, internet fostering instantaneous communication and ICT knowledge-based society moving fast, the contemporary realities of the universities have profoundly changed in the last two decades. While the post-industrial ICT era in the new millennium is increasingly encompassing a wide spectrum of knowledge and economy and constantly breaking the barriers between people, societies and states, academic enterprises in many parts of the world, including Bangladesh, are yet to grapple with many implications of these changes. There is no denying that, in general, the young minds are more conversant with such changes than the older ones. Sometimes the students are more in tune with the fast developments in this sector but not the teachers. Often the urban-based students are more skilled than the rural ones. In Bangladesh, this is true in almost all cases. Despite the fact that creating equal opportunities is a monumental task, it is extremely important that the country is adequately 'wired' for us to become increasingly 'wireless'.

As ICT based learning process is becoming more central than before - worldwide, we also need to be careful that student-teacher and student-student interaction is not lost because of complete ICT based learning process.

Scholarships and social support
Universities cannot be viewed as being isolated from the general life of the nation, rather they are an integral part of an ordered society. Universities need to see that the meritorious students are duly treated as the 'wealth' of the nation and that their pursuit of knowledge does not come to an end for dearth of funds. Scholarships and social support to students are becoming increasingly important for attaining quality and efficiency in higher education.

Since the universities have been given great social responsibilities, in harmony with the enormous needs and expectations of the society, matters of societal commitment to higher education like public financing, the role of the private sector and civil society have gained prominence in today's world, not only for supporting the students but also the university as a whole.

Faculty development
Universities must be in a position to attract their best talents for teaching and research. The attribute of a university teacher was aptly mentioned by the first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dhaka Sir P.J. Hartog when in the 2nd Convocation of the University in 1925 he said, “A man may be an excellent teacher of elementary subjects without the power to add to knowledge. But in advanced work I maintain that no one can really teach well unless he has the combination of imagination with critical power which leads to the original production (of knowledge), and for that if for no other reason, a university to be a true university must see that its teachers are men who are also capable of advancing knowledge”. What Sir Hartog had put forth was also the cornucopia of the research and analysis functions and many of the imponderables embedding the intellects of a teacher. Universities must, therefore, be equipped with the technology and able to meet the exigent need of fund for real research.

The institutions need to see that the personal intellectual advancements of the teachers go hand in hand with the social and economic developments of the society they are working for.

Since historically, the world of learning, teaching and research has been international in scope, and no academic system can exist by itself in the 21st century world, due emphasis should be given so that the university teachers are provided with pecuniary (salary and fringe benefits) and academic resources in congruence with the regional and international standards. Conditions for promoting quality education, conducting quality research and producing academic publications in international journals must be engendered in addition to the facilities that university teachers enjoy. Otherwise, as academic systems are becoming more accepted internationally, as immigration rules favour people with high skill levels, and as universities look forward to hiring the best talents worldwide, a large number of our scholars will be attracted by the developed and rich countries to the detriment of our own institutions, not to mention, our country.

More universities, more opportunities
Additionally, over 50 million new students were enrolled in tertiary education worldwide since 2000, corresponding to about 53 percent increase in number, with private universities accounting for more than 30 percent of the enrolment. The figure does not tell about students who are deprived of opportunities, which is quite high in Bangladesh. With no significant new opportunities created in the last decade and the need constantly increasing to an extremely great extent, Bangladesh already stood at a threshold of impending necessity in the yesteryears. With our immensely potential youth force clamouring for opportunities and with higher education, more than anything else, accounting for the overall development of a nation in today's world, emphasis must be given on establishing more universities, both in the public and private sectors, not to mention, ensuring that quality is maintained.

In the 2009 UNESCO World Conference on Higher
Education, Director General Koichiro Matsuura mentioned of a 'veritable revolution' in higher education with the dynamics of accelerating demand, diversification of providers, impact of information and communication technologies, and globalization that is “manifest in how we teach, learn, study, research and communicate” and said, “we must strike a balance between cooperation and competition with a view to promoting excellence for the largest numbers”.

In this rapidly globalizing world four decades is not a small time-span in the life of a nation. But still lagging behind, we need to give resonant calls and make longer strides. The emerging new generation has the scholastic aptitude and inherent intellectual instincts to grasp the best, and for long is craving for a type of education that would bring them in close proximity to what is in their mind. Let us join them, do our part, look forward into the foreseeable future.

The writer is Professor, Department of Soil, Water and Environment, University of Dhaka; Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Dhaka; Former Chairman, Bangladesh Public Service Commission.