PRESENTATION
Towards a Worldwide Plan of Action
for the Reform of Higher Education:
A synthesis of ideas and principles drawn from
Regional Conferences held in Havana, Dakar, Tokyo and Palermo
Marco Antonio Rodrigues Dias
Director of the Division of
Higher Education - UNESCO
I. In July 1996, the Director-General of UNESCO, Federico Mayor, announced his decision to convene a World Conference on Higher Education, in Paris during Autumn 1998.
II. He further decided that this conference would be preceded by Regional Conferences and that its aim "will be to lay down fundamental principles for the in-depth reform of higher education systems through the world with a view to strengthening their contribution to the building of peace, founded on a process of development that is predicated on equity, justice, solidarity and liberty - a process which requires that higher education institutions enjoy autonomy and freedom exercised with responsibility".
III. The Director-General also decided that the preparation of the World Conference should be guided by the "the principles of equity and merit (Article 26.1. of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)" and that the Conference "should result in a comprehensive worldwide plan of action, involving the international organizations that are responsible for training and development programmes. It should contribute to the renewal of higher education and propose a new university pact guided by three watchwords: quality, relevance and international co-operation".
IV. Finally the Director-General appointed a Steering Committee, within the Advisory Group on Higher Education, chaired by Georges Haddad (Honorary President, University of Paris I- Pantheon Sorbonne) and with representatives of all regions. This body will be responsible for drawing up the agenda and overseeing the preparation and organization of the Conference. The Executive Secretariat of this Committee is ensured by the Division of Higher Education of UNESCO.
V. Four preparatory conferences have already taken place. The first three (Havana, November 1996, Dakar, April 1997 and Tokyo, July 1997) approved, respectively, at the end of their deliberations, a declaration and a plan of action at their regional level. The Palermo Conference (September 1997) adopted a document containing the results of the debates among its participants. This particular Regional Conference did not approve a formal declaration, but adopted a document where certain principles are outlined and specific actions indicated to reinforce the principles accepted by the participants.
VI. An analysis of these documents reveals a certain uniformity in the presentation of results of the conferences in Latin America and the Caribbean, in Africa and in Asia and the Pacific. The European Conference was organized differently as it focused on particular institutional problems faced by universities, including their links with industries, Consequently, its results were presented in a completely different way. However, comparability among the documents is possible and certain common trends and issues appear. They also allow the elaboration, at this stage, of a first draft declaration and plan of action at the global level. This will be later completed and revised so as to take into account the results of the Regional Conference for Arab States (March 1998).
VII. As proposed by the Steering Committee of the Advisory Group and accepted by the Director-General of UNESCO, the conference will be centred around the work of four commissions, which will deal with the following themes:
- Theme no.1 - Relevance of higher education
- Principles guiding the formulation of policies in the field of higher education and society
- Higher education, social and human development and peace
- Higher education and citizenship
- Access to higher education, including the conditions faced by students and women
- Higher education and the world of the work
- Diversification of higher education
- Higher Education and the whole educational system
- Regional integration
Theme no. 2 - Quality in higher education
- Improvement of teaching, research and lifelong learning
- Evaluation, assessment, accreditation
- Renewal of the curriculum
- New technologies for pedagogical purposes
- Staff development, including pedagogical training
- Improvement of physical, as well as academic infrastructure, thus including laboratories, libraries, equipment, etc.
Theme no. 3 - Management and financing
- Diversification of funding from public and private sources
- Utilization of new technologies in management
- Training of staff for management
- Relations with the state, including institutional autonomy and academic freedom
Theme no. 4 - International co-operation
- Academic mobility and recognition of studies and diplomas
- Management of international co-operation
- Brain-drain
- Networking, including the UNITWIN programme
- Evaluation of international co-operation projects.
VIII. The Steering Committee considered that, in addition to the results of the Regional Conferences, inter- governmental and non-governmental organizations working in the field of higher education should be called upon to prepare twelve thematic conferences on relevant subjects presently being discussed on a worldwide basis. The basic working documents for these thematic debates will be finalized before the end of 1997 so as to incorporate their conclusions into the drafts of the declaration and of the plan of action for the World Conference, as well as in its main working document. These debates, concentrated on three main lines of action, will treat the following subjects:
a) Higher education and development
- The requirements of the world of work (The world of work and its diversification)
- Higher education and sustainable human development
- Contributing to national and regional development
- Higher education staff development: a continuing mission
b) New trends and innovations in higher education
- Higher education for a new society: a student vision
- From traditional to virtual: the new information technologies
- Higher education and research: challenges and opportunities
- The contribution of higher education to the educational system as a whole
c) Higher education and culture
- Women and Higher education: issues and perspectives
- Promoting a culture of peace
- Mobilizing the power of culture
- Autonomy, social responsibility and academic freedom
IX. More than 50 organisations from all regions are involved in these debates and will bring to them their expertise in each field. It is expected that the debate findings and the results of the Regional Conferences will give a very full picture of the real trends and issues in higher education in the world at the end of the 20th century. This strategy will also increase the level of active participation in the outcomes of the conference and give to all organisations an opportunity to arrive at consensus on the main principles guiding the contribution of higher education to economic and social development, to democracy, and to the construction of a more equitable society in the 21st Century.
X. Special conferences (i.e. North America to be held in Canada in April 1998) and a new conference for Europe (Strasbourg, March, 1998) are foreseen. If these take place, their results will be also utilised in the main working document. In addition, this document will contain up-dated statistics on higher education at the world level, now being jointly prepared by the Division of Higher Education and the Division of Statistics of UNESCO.
XI. The points highlighted by the participants of the Regional Conferences were the following:
a) Merit and capacity must constitute the basis for policies in higher education, in particular those related to access which must be as broad and universal as possible, in accordance with the principles of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and of the Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960). This point has important implications not only for the access policies of institutions of higher education, but also for their management and funding policies. Nevertheless, merit and capacity must constitute the sole criteria for access or non-access to higher education.
b) Measures must be taken to improve the quality of higher education. In particular, ongoing evaluation must be developed, through the establishment of internal and external systems. Thus, this means the creation of a true "culture of evaluation". Quality cannot exist if it is dissociated from relevance, i.e. from the search for solution to the pressing social problems, in particular those issues linked to the construction and sustainability of peace and sustainable development. This aim requires active participation by all concerned parties in the fight against social exclusion and in efforts to protect the environment.
c) Cultural values, as well as the economic, social and historical conditions of each country, must be taken into consideration when designing the curriculum. Moreover, relevance implies optimal linkage with the world of work. However, institutions of higher education should not base their long-term orientations on the labour market or manpower planning, but rather on social needs.
d) Education must be considered in its entirety so that all its elements can be strengthened. Higher education must have, as one of its main priorities, the reinforcement of its contribution to the development of the whole educational system through the training of teachers, the development of educational researchers, the implementation of pilot projects, and also through the promotion of lifelong learning, which can be facilitated by the new communication and information technologies. It seems that a consensus is emerging that institutions of higher education must become centres of lifelong learning where knowledge is continuously updated.
e) New communication and information technologies must serve the pedagogical process and the progress of research. Also they must contribute to more efficient management of systems and institutions of higher education. For this, they must be equipped with solid information systems, attesting to their investment in an "information culture".
f) Public support to higher educations remains indispensable. However, in the present situation, the diversification of funding sources is imperative and solutions must be found through consultation with all stakeholders in higher education.
g) Institutional autonomy and academic freedom are indispensable for ensuring quality in higher education.
XII. The final documents of the first three conferences have two parts: a declaration and a plan of action. The declarations are sub-divided in two groups:
a) An introduction giving the institutional framework and social and organizational parameters in order to situate the participants' decisions;
b) The basic principles orienting the position of the participants with regard to reforms and activities in higher education.
XIII. The plans of action are based on the key issues identified by the UNESCO Policy Paper on Higher Education and Development: relevance, quality, international co-operation. The Steering Committee of the Advisory Group on Higher Education suggested that another theme, that of management and financing, should be added to these. This proposal was accepted. The plans contain recommendations for all stakeholders of higher education, but in particular for the institutions themselves, for Member States of UNESCO, including their parliaments, and for UNESCO. In addition, they contain recommendations for other inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, for teachers and students, and for representatives of the world of work etc.
XIV. A consolidated presentation of the plans of action elaborated by the Regional Conferences is found in the second part of the document entitled "Consolidated Declarations and Plans of Action of the Regional Conferences on Higher Education held in Havana, Dakar Tokyo and Palermo: Retained Lessons", prepared by the Division of Higher Education (Executive Secretariat of the Steering Committee). The plans of action were drafted during the conferences themselves and were the result of these debates. Therefore, there has not been enough time to finalize their presentation. In a few instances, they mix concrete proposals for action with the statement of principles, thus occasionally creating duplication with some parts of the declarations.
XV. In spite of this, certain common lines of action have emerged from the Regional Conferences. So, there is a basis for the preparation of a global plan involving all partners of higher education systems and institutions. These lines of action are congruent with the principles of the declarations. What is important is that they can help make proposals - either by institutions of higher education, or by UNESCO, or other organisations - for concrete projects to improve relevance and quality. Among these lines of action, one can highlight the following:
- Institutions, governments and parliaments must renew systems of higher education based on concepts such as: sustainable development, lifelong education, globalization of knowledge, continuity of the reform process, anticipatory capacity, transparency and accountability, preservation of cultural identity and values, contribution to peace, freedom, human rights, social and ethical responsibility and solidarity.
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- Organizations dealing with higher education and also institutions should establish joint plans of action in order to prevent duplication of efforts, to optimize efficiency and to ensure the further development of the higher education sector itself. This should include co-operation for training and research projects, and should use the modalities of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme. This approach is already being implemented effectively in Latin America and the Caribbean and in Asia and the Pacific. UNESCO, for its part, must reinforce its programme in higher education on an interdisciplinary basis and taking regional needs into account. This was strongly recommended at the Havana, Dakar and Tokyo meetings. At Havana, the meeting requested UNESCO to transform its regional centre for higher education in Caracas, Venezuela, into an autonomous institute.
- Each higher education institution must define its mission in harmony with its overall goals, then translate this into observable indicators and allocate the resources required. Institutions must include in this mission the contribution of higher education to the development of the whole educational system and guarantee the principle of universal access to ensure equity and to abolish discrimination, notably that against women. Defining these missions and deciding on action to be taken requires the full participation of stakeholders. In addition, a climate of responsible institutional autonomy and academic freedom is vital. Improving the status of the teaching profession is another important objective at this time.
- Projects should be developed to improve links with the world of work. These links, however, should be independent of the short-term interests of enterprises. Furthermore, higher education institutions should not base their long-term orientations solely on the labour market or on manpower planning, as suggested by technocrats, but rather on the needs of social development. Institutions should organize the curricula, as well as teaching and learning, to stimulate the entrepreneurial skills of students. Concrete measures should include, for example, at a national level, the creation of observatories to monitor the labour market, and, at the level of systems or institutions, the development of units called "incubators for enterprises", support to communities colleges etc.
- The development of a strong information culture, through the use of informatics and technology is essential in the field of higher education management and also in the teaching and in the research domains.
- It is also essential to develop a culture of evaluation through internal and external assessment mechanisms, and through the establishment of systems of accreditation etc. Each institution should design appropriate structures for evaluating quality. Programmes should be established for curriculum renewal and for staff development, in particular for pedagogical training. Furthermore, each higher education institution should establish a teaching and learning resource unit.
- Measures should be taken, both at government and institutional levels, to diversify funding sources for higher education. However, public support remains crucial and countries should respect the engagements taken, including those given at the World Social Summit (Copenhagen,1995), to make new resources available for education.
- Co-operation projects, in particular those to strengthen networking, should be promoted. They must aim to share knowledge and be based on spirit of solidarity. Co-operation must be reinforced in priority areas which can help solve major social problems. The regional conventions on the recognition of studies and diplomas must be reinforced to promote mobility. In addition, each institution of higher education, as well as all professional associations, should envisage setting up specialized units for managing international co-operation.
XVI. The strategy, adopted by the Steering Committee of the Advisory Group on Higher Education, approved by the Director-General and implemented by the Executive Secretariat, may not be perfect. However, it has the specific advantage of ensuring the participation and commitment of all persons involved in the conference process, and is thus democratically sound. One must remember that, because of this methodology, the World Conference on Higher Education is a process, which really started more than ten years ago when UNESCO launched a worldwide reflection on current issues in this field. This culminated in the publication of the book The University as Institution Today (IDRC, UNESCO, 1993), written by the Colombian expert, Alfonso Borrero Cabal, to present the outcomes of this broad consultation. It was followed in 1995 by the UNESCO Policy Paper for Change and Development in Higher Education, launched by the Director-General, Federico Mayor. This has been disseminated all over the world, debated in major conferences of organisations concerned with higher education, and discussed in a number of parliaments. It has been an instrument which has permitted many countries to encourage reflection on their higher education systems and so to promote their reforms.
XVII. The process selected is, it must be said, not simple. Indeed, it would have been easier to assemble a group of experts capable of rapidly producing, a "wise" and "politically correct" document which would express the interests and thinking of dominant groups and contain a set of recommendations (or even prescribe lines of action) established in advance. However, democracy is a process which is built slowly and patiently. Understanding the viewpoints of other people requires time and effort. The proposals presented in the attached document result from a process of consultation - i.e. among the social partners or stakeholders in higher education - in all regions of the world. At this point, the only viewpoint missing is that of the Arab States. As already mentioned, the conference for this region was postponed but will take place in Beirut, Lebanon, in March 1998. Immediately thereafter, their views will be incorporated in this synthesis, in accordance with the process in train. In April 1998, a draft declaration and a draft plan of action will be available for distribution and comment on a global scale. Consequently, it is hoped that the participants of the World Conference on Higher Education (Paris, 5 - 9 October 1998) will adopt the final draft document by consensus.
XVIII. Four final observations are important at this moment:
a) The document related to the plans of action reflects the debates during the Regional Conferences, along with the studies and comments presented on each occasion by the participants. In certain cases, this reinforces, and may complement, the declarations on higher education approved by these conferences. It is further legitimized by the strong participation in all Regional Conferences;
b) It suggests broad lines for action which, however, must be the object of further discussions among UNESCO, its member states and social partners, so as to elaborate plans with clearly defined priorities and activities;
c) CRESALC has already made progress in this direction and has organized consultation meetings to follow-up the Havana Conference, including those with IGOs, NGOs and representatives of governments in Latin America and the Caribbean. Decisions regarding overall orientations, joint activities and concrete projects are now being implemented. For this, CRESALC is negotiating with other organisations in the region. This point is discussed at the end of the second part of the attached document.
d) The Executive Secretariat of the Steering Committee (i.e. the Division of Higher Education) has already commenced work on the first draft of the main working document for the World Conference on Higher Education. The Division will now begin preparations for the draft global declaration and plan of action, which will be distributed for consultation in April 1998. These will be revised several times to reflect consultation with all UNESCO National Commissions and organizations which are UNESCO's partners in this venture. This process should be completed by June/July 1998.
XIX. One additional remark seems pertinent. The Regional Conferences, organized to prepare the World Conference on Higher Education, have clearly shown the importance higher education has for all countries today. They further illustrated that the future both of higher education and of society are inextricable. This indicates that, more than ever before and when asking what kind of higher education institution should be developed, it is imperative to define, first and foremost, the kind of society wanted.
XX. Certain ideas met with strong consensus, demonstrating that technocrats are often far removed from the reality of higher education institutions in different countries and continents. The idea of merit and capacity is accepted in all regions. The need for a culture of assessment has seen great progress and is no longer contested. Rather, this debate is now concentrated on who should evaluate and on what methods should be used. The necessary use of new technologies for information and communication is irrefutable. Diversification of financing continues to provoke debate but there remains strong feeling that public support is essential if higher education is to accomplish its mission.
XXI. Finally, the Regional Conferences have showed that, in higher education as in other fields, no region, nation or group has the monopoly on knowledge. Moreover, even the most traditional higher education institutions in the developed world have much to learn through contact with similar institutions elsewhere. In the 1960s, Darcy Ribeiro, a Brazilian anthropologist and educator who was attacked by a dictatorship in his country, went into exile and helped create or reform several universities in South and Central America. Now, faced with the imperative to reform, institutions in all regions are discovering that flexible structures, an interdisciplinary curriculum, reinforcement of links with other societies - namely, the same basis for projects developed by Darcy Ribeiro thirty years ago - are fundamental for their survival. Many of these principles, notably the need for strong links with society and the importance of institutional autonomy, also underpinned the Reform of Cordoba, which took place in Argentina in 1918. This had widespread influence not only in Latin America but all over the world. One major conclusion is thus clear. Today, as no individual can survive alone, no higher education institution can afford to ignore opportunities for genuine international co-operation based on the principle of equality with regard to all the partners involved.
Paris, October 1997