LOOKING BACK TO THE FUTURE: HIGHER EDUCATION

FOR THE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE WE WANT

Mariana PãtruUNESCO

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‘WE OUGHT TO THINK THAT WE ARE ONE OF THE LEAVES OF A TREE, AND THE TREE

IS ALL OF HUMANITY. WE CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT OTHERS,

WITHOUT THE TREE.’

Pablo Casals, Spanish cellist, conductor and composer(1876-1973)

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“THE ONLY CONSTANT THING IS CHANGE”

Heraclitus of Ephesus, Greek philosopher

(535-475 B.C.)

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UNESCO: Mission and Relevance in the 21st centuryWorld Education Forum 2015: Education 2030 and Its Framework for Action

A Call to Action

Education 2030: Charting the Future of Higher Education

UNESCO has 195 Member States and8 Associate Members

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UNESCO’s Roadmap 2014-2021‣ Serving as a laboratory of ideas and

generating innovative proposals and policy advice

‣ Developing and reinforcing the global agenda through policy analysis, monitoring and benchmarking

‣ Setting norms and standards and supporting and monitoring their implementation

‣ Strengthening international and regional cooperation and fostering alliances, intellectual cooperation, knowledge sharing and operational partnerships 6

Drivers of Change‣ Democratization of knowledge and access

are gradually driving a global ‘education revolution’

‣ Increased global competition for domestic and international student markets

‣ Digital technologies‣ Global mobility‣ Integration with industry(University of the Future:

http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/University_of_the_future/$FILE/University_of_the_future_2012.pdf) 7

The World of Higher Education Is Changing Quickly and Dramatically

‣ Institutions are courting new student populations

‣ Creative financing is needed to balance shrinking budgets

‣ Online learning is the new frontier

http://www.economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/EIU_AcademicPartns_WEBr1.pdf

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Global education needs are URGENT:‣ 58 million children out of school

globally.‣ Around 100 million children do not

complete primary education.‣ Some 250 million of children are not

learning basic skills.

‣ The world would need more than 12 million additional teachers to get all children in schools by 2020.

‣ About 781 million adults are illiterate; two-thirds are women.

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The World Education Forum (19-22 May 2015, Incheon, Korea)

Towards 2030: a new vision for education

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Sustainable Development Goal 4:

ENSURING EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING

FOR ALL BY 2030(

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld

)

Access Equity Inclusion Gender equality Quality and learning outcomes Lifelong learning opportunities

(https://en.unesco.org/world-education-forum-2015/incheon-declaration)

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Underpinning principles

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On 25 September 2015 the UN General Assembly adopted the landmark 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:

‣ 17 SDGs and 169 associated targets.‣ By adopting a stand-alone goal on

Education, world leaders have committed themselves to an ambitious and transformational vision for education in the 21st century.

‣ For the first time, the UN has recognized inequality in access to higher education as a driver of poverty (gender, social, regional/ethnic background, age, disabilities).

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Target 4.3: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to

affordable quality technical, vocational and tertiary education,

including university.

Target 4.4: By 2030, ensure that all youth and adults have relevant skills, including technical and

vocational skills, for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.

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‣ Opportunities to access higher levels of education are often insufficient, especially in developing and LDCs targets, resulting in a knowledge gap.

‣ All forms of tertiary education have expanded rapidly, with a total enrolment rising from 100 million in 2000 to 199 million in 2013.

‣ Tertiary education and universities play a critical role in stimulating critical and creative thinking as well as in creating and disseminating knowledge for social, cultural, ecological and economic development.

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‣ Another trend – the increasing mobility of learners and the flow of students moving abroad to enhance academic credentials.

‣ A growing area of concern – the comparability, recognition and quality assurance of qualifications , in particular in countries where administrative systems are weak.

‣ A well-established, properly regulated tertiary education system, supported by technology, distance education and quality Open Educational Resources, can increase access, equity , quality and relevance of courses delivered.

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Indicative strategies:‣ Develop cross-sectoral policies for and

between vocational skills development, TVET and tertiary education to keep pace with changing contexts and to remain relevant; develop effective partnerships (public-private-industry).

‣ Ensure quality assurance, comparability and recognition of tertiary education qualifications and facilitate credit transfer between recognized tertiary education institutions.

‣ Develop policies and programmes for the provision of quality distance learning linked with appropriate financing, access and technology, including through Internet, MOOCs and other modalities.

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‣ Develop policies and programmes that reinforce the research function in tertiary and university education through the early uptake of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), particularly by girls and women.

‣ Ensure quality assurance, comparability and recognition of tertiary education qualifications and facilitate credit transfer between recognized tertiary education institutions.

‣ Develop policies and programmes for the provision of quality distance learning linked with appropriate financing, access and technology, including through Internet, MOOCs and other modalities.

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Quality, relevance, access, excellence, innovation, good governance as well as a system centered on students - the main funders and beneficiaries of higher education - are defining the university business model for the next 15 years.

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With innovations taking place at a much faster pace outside of the higher education system, universities will face increasing pressure to broaden the ecosystem of higher education innovation through partnerships with and the inclusion of new stakeholders, such as employers, business service providers, entrepreneurs.

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ON 4 NOVEMBER 2015 at UNESCO-Paris

A SPECIAL HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON EDUCATION 2030 FRAMEWORK FOR

ACTION

• will formally adopt the Education 2030 Framework for Action

• will provide guidance to countries for the implementation of the

Education 2030 Agenda

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The Future is here.Now is the time for action.

IAU and UNESCO should continue to work together to assist countries and universities

worldwide in driving forward their Education 2030 policies and

programmes in Higher Education.

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UNESCO Invites You to the 2016 Mobile

Learning Week(7-11 March 2016,

Paris)

Innovating for QualityMore information:http://www.unesco.org/new/en/mlw

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THANK YOU!

GRACIAS!

GRÀCIES!

m.patru@unesco.org