Paris, March 19 (No.2001-42)- UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura spoke of the challenges facing higher education and highlighted the vital importance of the “rich and diverse human texture” of universities if they are to fulfil their goals at the opening of the International Conference on The University of 21st Century in Muscat (Oman) on Saturday, March 17.

The 3-day Conference is organized by the Higher Education Ministry of the Sultanate of Oman within the framework of the follow-up to the World Conference on Higher Education (Paris in October 1998). It centres on five themes: Defining Higher Education; New Roles and Functions for Higher Education; Challenges facing Higher Education in the 21st Century; Private Higher Education; and the Status and Prospects of Higher Education in Oman.

At the opening of the Conference Mr Matsuura recalled that “higher education systems are themselves experiencing major crises and unprecedented problems”. He declared: “Today’s challenges are necessarily to be tackled within the context of globalization, which has far-reaching implications for cultural diversity. While it is a powerful force that cannot be reversed, still we must collectively strive to humanize its impact, maximize its advantages and minimize its possible negative consequences. We must strive to maintain cultural diversity and pluralism and make sure that the spirit of equal partnership and solidarity prevails in our world.”

Mr Matsuura continued: “We must recognize that universities in practice have never enjoyed a monopoly over knowledge production or the elaboration of new technologies. This is increasingly evident today when one considers how television, the Internet, publishing, libraries, museums, independent research institutes, and public and private corporations are actively engaged in the generation as well as dissemination of knowledge and information. This situation requires universities and higher education systems to re-think their strategies and to consider new ways of solving problems of governance, management, partnership, financing, and co-operation.”

The Director-General expressed particular concern for some trends in higher education: “My first concern is that we risk losing sight of the long view. The very nature of higher education requires a long-term perspective and investments […]. And yet higher education institutions and systems are being pushed and pulled towards short-term solutions that may result in a loss of vision about the purpose and value of higher education.”

Mr Matsuura also stressed the importance of preserving the human face of universities. While recognizing that distance education and on-campus virtual learning can expand access and provide stimulating learning experiences, Mr Matsuura insisted that universities “ should be a meeting place not only of ideas but also of persons. The rich and diverse human texture of the university is vital to the fulfilment of its goals […], we must seek to ensure that the real is not totally replaced by the virtual.”

Mr Matsuura spoke of another concern: of seeing higher education institutions become so specialized that the balance of provision between disciplines is lost, with the result that universities become too narrow in their offering to fulfil their intellectual and social functions. Related to this concern is the risk that teaching and research may become divorced, he said, expressing particular worry about the difficulty faced by universities in many developing countries to sustain research programmes that address local needs and problems.

The Director-General finally drew attention to excessive focus on the employment market: “There is undoubtedly an urgent and legitimate need to provide higher education that is relevant to the modern economy. We must meet this need but, in doing so, we should not abandon the responsibility of the university to serve as a place of independent thought and enquiry. […] The university should fulfil its social responsibilities through its capacity for critical thought and by deepening our understanding of the shifting currents of social, cultural and technological change.”

Mr Matsuura announced the creation of the first UNESCO Chair in Seafood Biotechnology at Sultan Qaboos University on this occasion. He concluded by declaring: “I am convinced that comprehensive reforms and decisive changes in higher education are not limited to any particular region or institution. We face global challenges, which transcend differing economic, political and social boundaries.”

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