UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

YMUN TAIPEI 2014Yale Model United Nations

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Dear delegates,

Welcome to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization at Yale Model United Nations Taipei! My name is Joao Pedro de Oliveira Mello Drechsler, and I have the pleasure of chairing this committee at the inaugu-ral session of Yale Model United Nations Taipei. As someone who truly believes in the educational purpose of Model United Nations, I couldn’t be more excited to come back to Taipei to help run the novice committee YMUN-Taipei.

But before you start preparing for the conference, I’d like to quickly introduce myself! I am a rising junior at Yale University majoring in Economics (and tentatively) East Asian Studies. While my main area of academic interest is China-Brazil trade relations, I am also interested in the study of economic arbitrage, financial theory, and, of course, education. Professionally, I plan to pursue a career in either consulting or finance, with the objective of eventually tran-sitioning into the public sector. At Yale, I am deeply involved with all-things international: I am a very active member of the Yale International Relations Association (having helped run conferences in the U.S., China, South Korea and Hungary); I am a student-worker at the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS); and, as the vice-pres-ident of the Brazil club I serve as a liaison between the OISS and the student body. I also work as a consultant for the Elmseed Enterprise Fund, a campus organization devoted to helping low-income New Haven entrepreneurs start businesses. During the summer of 2013, I worked at the Strategic Planning Superintendence of Sicredi-Rabobank in Brazil, primarily looking at how different corporate structure models affect the performance of credit cooperatives. This summer I will work at Falconi Consulting, the largest management/financial consulting firm in Latin America.

As someone who truly believes in the importance of education and culture, I couldn’t be more ecstatic about running UNESCO at YMUN Taipei. Over the course of four days at the conference, you will use high level debate to shape an integrated response to current issues that UNESCO faces.

Should you have any questions about UNESCO, please don’t hesitate to contact me at joaopedro.drechsler@yale.edu!

I look forward to meeting you!

Best regards,

Joao Pedro de O. M. Drechsler, Yale ‘16

YMUN TAIPEI 2014Yale Model United Nations

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

History of the Commitee

Topic 1 —Childhood Education

Topic 2—Higher Education Reform

Suggestions for Further Research

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UNESCO Committee History

UNESCO was created in 1945, following the conclusion of World War II, in an atmosphere of a world look-ing for a means to create a lasting peace. Its founding brought nations together based on the premise that “political and economic agreements are not enough to build a lasting peace. Peace must be established on the basis of humanity’s moral and intellectual solidarity.”1 To achieve this goal, UNESCO’s mission is broken into sev-eral parts, including mobilizing for education, building intercultural understanding, pursuing scientific coopera-tion, and protecting freedom of expression. UNESCO boasts one of the UN system’s highest memberships, with 195 members and 9 associate members.2

Naturally, with “education” included in its very name, one of the biggest priorities for UNESCO is achieving quality education for the 21st century. UNESCO’s prima-ry educational objectives include supporting the achieve-ment of Education for All (EFA), providing global and regional leadership in education, strengthening educa-tion systems worldwide from early childhood through adulthood, and responding to contemporary global chal-lenges through education. UNESCO is the only United Nations agency that was granted a mandate to cover all aspects of education, from educational development in preschool through higher education. The organization focuses on increasing equity in educational opportuni-ty and access availability to all. It also seeks to develop knowledge in fields like sustainable development, HIV/AIDS, human rights and gender equality.3

In Asia, UNESCO is based at its Regional Bureau for Education in Asia and the Pacific, located in Bangkok. In addition, it has fifteen field offices scattered through-out the region. UNESCO in Asia focuses on promoting education as a fundamental right, improving general quality of education, and stimulating experimentation, innovation, and policy dialogue. It provides technical advice on education sector reform and resource man-agement to governments and partners throughout the region.4 The organization also works through a number of networks to address different issues relevant to the region, such as the Asia and the Pacific Regional Net-work for Early Childhood (ARNEC). ARNEC was de-sign to build partnerships across sectors, disciplines, or-ganizations, agencies, and institutions in the Asia-Pacific region to advance the agenda on early childhood educa-

tion and to increase investment in the issue.5 ARNEC includes 46 countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Pacific sub-regions, and even parts of Central Asia. Additional partner networks include Asia and the Pacific Program of Education for All (APPEAL) and the Asia and the Pacific Program of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID).

To address issues dealing with higher education, UNE-SCO partners with the Global University Network for Innovation in Asia and the Pacific (GUNI-AP). The mission of this network is to improve higher education throughout Asia and the Pacific through application of UNESCO decisions on higher education taken at the World Conference.6 As a broader global network GUNI seeks to encourage institutions of higher education to reorient their role for broadening their social impact and transformation. It also seeks to foster networking among higher education institutions and improve their communication and cooperation among other institu-tions and society as a whole. GUNI seeks to bridge the gap between developed and developing countries and foster cooperation between the North and South. Final-ly, GUNI hopes to promote reflection on the meaning of social responsibility and relevance of higher educa-tion in an increasingly global society.7

By partnering with networks like these, UNESCO is able to carry out its mission in Asia and the Pacific in the realm of education. Recent policy initiatives have included addressing regulation of private tutoring and promotion of peace through education systems. These publications are included in the recommended further reading.

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Topic 1: Childhood Education

The universal right and access to childhood primary education has long been a goal of the international com-munity and NGOs around the world. This is for a good reason, as early childhood education has been proven to have numerous carry over effects that benefit not only the child who gets the education, but also the entire community where the school is located. The reason for benefits to a community derived from an increased access to education range from the economic to the psychological. In regards to the economic, the benefits are obvious- primary education, no matter how slight, can have a massive positive growth on human capital and have major future implications on a country’s work force. Many economists will be quick to point out how substantial this impact can be. In the past, the Brookings Institute has had studies that indicate anywhere from “13 to 30 percent of the total increase” in the annual productivity of labor can be directly attributed to educa-tion and its success in a country.1 Obviously, if a strong primary education system is not in place and all children in a country cannot access this type of early education, the entire impact on productivity of labor from educa-tion is lost. This is a great tragedy since so much of the rise in quality of living that nations lacking an educa-tion system need is directly derived from a rise in labor productivity since at that point each worker is able to contribute more to the economy of a nation and overall income and global competitiveness will rise as well.2

The less tangible benefits of early childhood education are equally as great and numerous as the economic ones. In fact, esteemed Stanford professor Henry Greely praised the importance of education when he pro-claimed, “the single best cognitive enhancer in the world is primary education.”3 It is well known that the time when children are (or should be) engaged in primary education is a crucial time for their cognitive and person development as future contributing members to a soci-ety. By gaining access to an education during this period of growth, children will learn important skills and inter-nalize them early in life. They will not only contribute to

1 http://www.brookings.edu/research/pa-pers/2006/04/education-dickens2 Ibid. 3 http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/you-il-luminated/201109/getting-ahead-why-preschool-bene-fits-the-brain

the economy more but to society as a whole and this is demonstrated by studies that indicate a lesser burden on the criminal justice system by those children that have pursued a higher education demonstrating they are less likely to turn to crime. 4

With all of these benefits of increased investments in primary education, it is important to look at the signifi-cant progress that has already been made since the dec-laration of the Millennium Development Goals and the selection of Achieving Universal Primary Education as Goal 2. Significant rises in literacy have been since 1990 in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions South-ern Asia has jumped from 60 to 81% and Northern Africa from 68% to 89%; additionally, as these numbers rise, the differential been men and women literacy rates in these countries and regions continue to decline- an indication the reforms have been beneficial for both sexes.5 Successful programs range from the Bolsa Family Program in Brazil that utilized conditional cash transfers since 2003 to global initiatives that have given children unprecedented access to technology such as the One Laptop Per Child Program or other, similar programs with very similar missions.6

4 Ibid. 5 http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/Goal_2_fs.pdf6 Ibid.

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Current Situation Introduction

In the last few decades, there has been growing recog-nition among various fields and sectors that early child-hood education is crucial in the formation of character, intelligence and social engagement. After all, it is during this integral period of time when an exceptional de-gree of growth occurs that cements a child’s sense of self and allows for the necessary cognitive skills to be developed. In the first five to eight years of a child’s life, development is most adversely affected when the quantity and quality of stimulation, support, knowledge and nurture is lacking. It is thus through early childhood education and readiness that children are adequately prepared and empowered. Aside from boosting overall academic performance, a clear link has been established between investments in early childhood education and a decrease in developmental disorders, contributing to an overall improvement in mental health.

Despite the many benefits universal early childhood ed-ucation holds, voiced by economists and educators alike, it remains an ideal and not a reality. Children worldwide are not reaching their full potential due to the lack of educational opportunities at a young age, stunting their later ability to access a wider range of occupational opportunities. Especially in the case of marginalized children, ensuring access to early childhood education may be the only platform through which cyclical poverty can be broken.

UNESCO recognizes that early childhood education is integral in the development of individuals as well as societies. Thus making sure that early childhood edu-cation is universal has been a key priority as UNESCO works towards ensuring that all children -- regardless of social standing, ethnicity, race, gender or background -- are able to realize their full potential with quality inclusive and comprehensive education. Recognizing that early childhood education is key to overall human development, as it lays the foundation for one’s progress through life, UNESCO has sought to assist govern-ments and communities in an effort to ensure universal childhood education for all.

A key issue that UNESCO has recognized is the cost burden placed either on families, or on governments in the process of transitioning towards universal childhood education. With the persisting concern over affordability,

the feasibility of universal childhood education has often been called into question. More often than not, it is seen as a secondary priority, not of primary concern when addressing human capital and the advantages of educa-tion. Moreover, the common belief that universal early childhood education can solely be an ideal, a model, and not a reality lingers. The issue of quality, and accessibili-ty has also been of prime concern when addressing early childhood education, as infrastructure and capital are both required in achieving this goal.

To address these concerns and to find a solution to these problems requires striking a balance between fea-sibility and ambitious planning. It is crucial to recognize the essential role early childhood education plays, while recognizing inherent restraints and limits in what the governments and communists can afford and imple-ment.

Changing Views The previous conception of education was that its im-portance was at a later stage in life, that the basic ability and competence to understand cannot be fully devel-oped at such a young age. Previously, it was deemed unnecessary or solely supplementary, to invest in univer-sal early childhood education. The advantages of early childhood education were not apparent and universally agreed upon until the last few decades, when psycholo-gists, educators and economists alike began to realize the cognitive, social and economic benefits of this invest-ment. It is through behavioral genetics, which deals with how genetics and the environment contribute to individual variations in behavior, that it became increas-ingly apparent that the brain undergoes vast changes in the first few years after birth. It is during this period of time, generally five to eight years long, that the vast majority of neurons are developed and the intake of information becomes critical in the formation of neural pathways (Shonkoff and Phillips, 2000). Massive inflows of data in the last few years have contributed to this changing view, as studies conducted as recently as this February continue to support the importance of early childhood education. As reported by the World Bank, around 300,000 children in Jamaica will be positively affected by investments in early childhood educational and development programs, as it helps them reach their full potential, allowing for individual and nation-wide advancement. This ties into the fact that early childhood education has commonly been thought of as solely a societal concern. However, it has been viewed in the last

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few years from an increasingly multi-faceted perspec-tive and dimension, as its advantages are not contained to the individual, but widely dispersed within society. Changing views have allowed the reality of early child-hood education to appear -- that it is not solely a critical facet of individual growth, but also a fundamental pillar of nation building (World Bank).

The concept of universal childhood education is becom-ing more and more prominent, as this biological link be-tween education and healthy growth has been strength-ened. It is increasingly recognized that efforts to acquire universal childhood education is not a cost to society, but instead a valuable investment. Available cost-benefit ratios of early intervention in a child’s life has indicated that for every dollar spent on improving early childhood education, returns can yield on average 4 to 5 times the amount invested. This has thus generated much eco-nomic interest in universal childhood education, with the prospects of uplifting an individual, and boosting a country. The success of early childhood learning programs such as Head Start in the United States has contributed to changing perceptions regarding the role of early childhood education and the benefits that arise from investing in it. This has established a continuum of high-quality early learning experiences that is becoming widespread in the United States and around the world as people recognize the critically important window of opportunity in the early stages of a child’s life.

Currently at an all time high in terms of awareness and acknowledgment of early childhood education, action must be taken to encourage governments to implement these educational policies. Access to secondary edu-cation has been historically limited to those who can afford it, but with secondary education becoming more accessible and universal, the next step is to ensure early childhood education that holds equal, if not an even bigger role in shaping human development, is imple-mented.

Bloc Positions

United StatesThe United States has had one of the most well-known public education systems in the world. Despites its commitment to ensuring equal access to education for all, across the different levels of government, schools of all different levels face a variety problems, especially regarding funding. When it comes to pre-kindergarten,

or “headstart” education, programs across the Unit-ed States have especially suffered substantial financial setbacks in wake of budget cuts everywhere. That’s despite the increase in the number of children enrolled in these programs across the country. Even with Pres-ident Bush’s instituted “No Child Left Behind” policy, the gaps between schools even within the same districts across the nation have only diverged further. To this day, the US continues to face problems with education, especially since the national focus shifted from edu-cation to the economy in the wake of the economic recession of 2008.

JapanThe educational policies that Japan has instituted today were implemented by the United States in the aftermath of The Second World War. Japan, too, has compulsory education for students in the first and secondary levels. Japan currently has 2.8 million students enrolled in its more than 700 universities across the nation. In April of 2011, Japan dramatically altered its curriculum by making English compulsory beginning in the elementary school curriculum. Japan, like many advanced Western nations, offers pre-kindergarten to its citizens. Japan, however, has more of an incentive to ensure all an edu-cation as they will be the future to Japan’s current aging population.

RussiaIn the past two decades, Russia has seen tremendous advances in ensuring that its citizens are given equal ac-cess to an education. Russia’s early education enrollment has gone up from 68% in 1999, to 84% by 2005. Given Russia’s tremendous size, these leaps are huge strides towards ensuring that all students – from those in Mos-cow to those in Siberia – are given an equal opportunity to educate themselves. These leaps are truly remarkable. Still, Russia faces a lot of work ahead as it, too, contin-ues to run into problems with funding. Russia is current-ly in the middle restructuring its educational program to be more West friendly since many of the standards set today do not meet the standards of the West.

UKAlthough each country in the kingdom is responsible for the education of its people, the United Kingdom by far, has one of the best education programs in the world. Children are allowed to enroll into school from ages 2-5, depending on the country in which they find them-selves. Like the United States, the United Kingdom also

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provides public schooling free of charge for students between the ages of two to nineteen. Under the Office for Fair Access, the United Kingdom is able to regulate equal access to education. Though the UK is doing well off compared to most countries, they still face issues in universal education, especially when it is believed that one out of five English adults are illiterate, and that roughly two out of five are innumerate.

FranceFrance, unlike the rest of Europe, is different because of their highly centralized educational structure. When it comes to establishing curriculums, standards, and de-ciding how the admissions process to schools will work, much of the power is retained for the state. France currently holds a remarkable literacy rate. For children, France offers kindergarten, but in addition to that ser-vice, the state offers “pré-maternelle,” or pre-maternal center for students who are the age of two”. France is committed to ensuring that children of all backgrounds and abilities are able to access the education suitable for their needs. Still, France’s centralized system has proven itself faulty. France is currently facing a structural issue as its found that many of its students are moving from one grade to the next without meeting the requirements need to move forward.

IndiaDue to the large population, India has a huge discrepan-cy between the qualities of a public and private educa-tion. India’s economic boom over the course of the past decade has largely been attributed to its improvements in access to early education for its people. Despite its size and population, in 2012, the Annual Status of Ed-ucation report showed that 96.5% of all rural children between the ages of 6-14 were enrolled in school. India suffers from massive gaps including high pupil to teach-er rations, shortages of infrastructure and poor levels of teacher training. In the course of the past twenty years, over 160,000 new schools have been opened, serving al-most 3.5 million children. Despite these initiatives, India continues to make education easier to access for every-one as well as improving the education already accessible to others.

ChinaIn 2012, China reported that 99 percent attendance rate for its primary schools. Despite the optimism in the numbers, it is important to realize that they refer to attendance, not the number of students in the country

attending primary schools. China, like India, faces both a geographic and population problem. China’s geography makes it difficult for the government in Beijing to reach those in western China, and in addition to that, they also face high pupil to teacher ratios and a shortage of teach-ers and infrastructure necessary to teach all the children living there.

SwedenChildren are allowed to enroll into school when they are seven and are forced to attend until they are the age of seventeen. Unlike other European countries, the major-ity of schools there are run municipally. Home-school-ing is closely supervised by the government and is very limited. Sweden recently adopted a letter grade system that has made it easier to classify students based on their intellectual ability and needs. Despite its educational pro-gram success, Sweden continues to improve its system to make sure that all students have access to it.

ItalyMost countries didn’t introduce mandatory schooling that was publicly funded until the 20th century, but Italy has had its educational system since 1859, when the Casati Act mandated educational responsibilities for the Italian government. The system in Italy has remained largely unchanged since the last major changes to the structure were implemented in 1962 when “avviamento al lavoro” or work training, was abolished so that stu-dents could dedicate their time to school work. Students today are required to go to school from ages six to seventeen.

BrazilIn the last few decades, Brazil’s booming economy has meant that Brazil has had to educate its populace to keep up with the demands of a new economy. Although pre-school is not mandatory, most parents will choose to send their children to school. Brazil continues to imple-ment initiatives that are helping it lower illiteracy in the country. With a jungle to take into consideration, Brazil faces the issue of having to reach people that are in plac-es that are very difficult to reach. Though their urban education system is much better than the educational system in the rural areas, they are working diligently to make the latter on par with the former.

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Questions to consider: · How can UNESCO coordinate with other orga-

nizations in order to shape an integrated solution to problems pertaining to education?

· How can best-practices pertaining to childhood education adopted in the United States, France, and other countries, be adapted and implement-ed by developing countries?

· How can you ensure full childhood education while respecting cultural and religious rights?

· What are funding problems that countries may face when trying to reform early education sys-tems?

Suggestions for future research1. Regulating Private Tutoring for Public Good http://

www.unescobkk.org/education/news/article/regulating-private-tutoring-for-public-good/

2. Learning to Live Together: Education Policies and Realities in the Asia-Pacific http://www.unescobkk.org/education/news/article/learning-to-live-to-gether-policies-and-realities-in-the-asia-pacific/

Higher Education Reform Topic History

The term higher education, also known as tertiary edu-cation, refers to advanced learning that takes place after high school or secondary education. The concept of higher education is most closely associated with universi-ties however there are a diverse range of institutions that provide instruction at the tertiary level including com-munity colleges, technical schools and other specialized educational institutions.8

Higher education institutions can be broken down into four categories: diploma programs, bachelor’s degree programs, master’s programs and doctorate programs. These institutions though varied in the resources and opportunities they offer to students have a common benefit to society in terms of human capital.

The importance of higher education in the modern world can be linked to the development of what is known as a knowledge economy. The term knowledge economy refers to a transition from industries based on natural resources and physical inputs and more on intellectual capacity. This transition was facilitated by the rise of personal computers and the growing dependence of the economy on technologies based on knowledge and information production and dissemination.9 The rise of the knowledge economy has made higher edu-cation far more important for individual success as well as the success of communities and nations as a whole. Higher education promotes the needs of communities in the knowledge economy by providing citizens with advanced knowledge and skills, gives them the ability to produce and disseminate information and gives people the capacity to engage in scientific and technological research.10

Higher education is responsible for providing the global community with its leaders, thinkers, scientists and inventors.11 The importance of higher education is not limited to personal economic opportunity. Rather it is essential for social progress and as such is most import-ant in developing countries where a new generation of problem solvers is needed to address the endemic social and humanitarian issues plaguing the developing world.

In developing countries building a sustainable system of higher education has been difficult. The number of peo-ple seeking opportunities for higher education has far

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outpaced the availability of financial resources available to support their education. Institutions in the develop-ing world also face an alarming lack of quality teaching and research and have also been unable in prepare their students for success in the workforce or in further edu-cational endeavors.

In the early 1960s the global community was optimist about the future of higher education in the developing world. Under the supervision of UNESCO the edu-cation ministers of various African, Asian and Latin American countries met to discuss the future of higher education in their regions. They worked to develop a comprehensive educational development program and recognized many goals one of which was a dramatic increase in higher education enrollments. The overarch-ing goal of these programs was to train the middle and higher level professional, technological and managerial workforce needed to facilitate economic development in the developing world. Between the 1960s and 1980s the results quickly exceeded the initial expectations for increase enrollment. This increase was facilitated by a social demand for higher education. People saw higher education as the route to social mobility. In addition, people were further drawn to education by open ad-missions policies, free education and in many countries grants for all students and guarantees of employment post-graduation.

Unfortunately, the success enjoyed by these programs led to the problems that have now been seen in their implementation. The desire for education has now outgrown the resources that have been allotted to higher education reform in the developing world. In many countries the quality of teaching and learning has deteriorated due to overcrowding, inadequate staffing, neglected facilities, unsatisfactory library resources and a lack of scientific equipment. In addition, inefficiency has led to great waste within the budget further exacerbating these financial problems.12

Issues in overcrowding don’t end after graduation either. In many countries so many people are educated that underemployment or unemployment has become a problem even in scientific fields. As a result, obtaining an education in a field such as medicine, teaching or engineering is no longer a guarantee of employment or social mobility. Instead, the job market has become increasingly strained by the number of educated individ-uals and is no longer able to provide satisfactory jobs for

all who are qualified.13 In addition, increased access to higher education has not necessarily led to an increase in equality.

Though students at higher education institutions are typ-ically middle or higher-class higher education institutions receive a disproportionate percentage of the national budget for education in many countries. In this way, educational resources are directed at a small minority of students in the country and specifically those who are lo-cated toward the higher end of society rather than those who are most at need of education.14 These problems are far reaching and there are no easy solutions, howev-er, the global community has recognized the importance of investing in higher education and is committed to finding a suitable path toward improvement.

Even in places where the financial resources are pres-ent, institutions of higher education have felt increas-ing pressure to make changes in response to changing pressures both locally and from the international com-munity. Increased globalization alongside the rising costs of education has led to a changing role for institutions of higher learning in many countries. In Asia and Eu-rope in particular there has been an increased focus in changing their institutions to produce higher scores in global ranking systems. Though higher education still retains a local element there is increasing pressure to look outside one’s community and to provide an inter-nationally recognized education. The changes made to increase a universities standing in global rankings are not necessarily the same changes that would provide the best educational opportunities for students. Determining whether or not these rankings are a good measure of an institution and evaluating the types of institutions that do well in rankings is an important element in ensuring that positive changes are made toward universities in the developed and developing world. 15

Current trends in higher education reform have followed three dominant patterns corresponding to three differ-ent goals.16 The first is competitiveness-driven reform. This type of reform is directed toward increasing the overall level of education of all people in the workplace with the goal of raising economic efficiency as a whole. Overall these types of reforms allow for the school to have greater control over student experience but also introduce higher standards for student achievement. In addition, these types of reform have typically attempted to create new opportunities for students by introducing

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new technologies and methods that improve students’ performance at a relatively low cost to the institution17. The main focus of competitiveness driven reforms is to improve the management of students’ education and to produce better results through changes such as improved teacher training and the implementation of specific learning standards18.

Finance driven reforms, on the other hand, are based on the need for institutions of higher learning to remain financially viable despite economic challenges in the national and global economy. The objective of this type of reform is to reduce public spending on education in the face of budget constraints faced by most nations. The final class of reforms is known as equity driven reforms. The goal of these types of reforms is to adjust the educational system to promote economic equality between all people. In many countries, increasing access to educational resources is seen as a way of “leveling the playing field” by giving people from disadvantaged back-ground the same resources and opportunities as those from wealthy or privileged backgrounds at least in terms of education19.

At a basic level the goal of all of these reforms is to eventually create economic opportunity and success for the nation as a whole. Higher education is seen as a means to achieving this goal as it improves society as a whole and makes the workforce more equipped to han-dle the challenges and demands of the current economic situation.

Current Situation Introduction

Higher education in the developed world faces separate problems from those in the developing world but do face unique challenges in trying to bring their student bodies up to the academic level demanded by the global knowledge economy.

In both the developing and developed world a balance must be found between making higher education avail-able to all who wish to receive it while ensuring quality. It is not enough to provide a physical place or funding for students to be successful in their goals for higher ed-ucation, instead, it is necessary for institutions of higher education to provide resources for their students that will ensure that they are prepared to meet the demands of their education and future in the workplace.

UNESCO recognizes several key areas in which im-provements must be made. Reforms are needed to ensure equity in higher education so that typically disadvantaged groups including minorities, the poor and women have educational opportunities. In addition, while expanding access to education it is necessary to make changes so that quality is maintained for a growing number of students20. Giving students a place to sit in a university is not enough to ensure their success after graduation. Institutions have a responsibility to take the necessary steps to make their graduates hirable in an increasingly competitive job market.21 Another key issue in the growth of institutions of higher education is the question of financing. Growing numbers of students have made it impossible for most nations to carry the cost of education on their own. This has often pushed the cost burden on to students and their families. This has in turn made it more difficult for many students to afford higher education further exacerbating issues of inequality in education22. In order to address these issues it is important for institutions of higher learning to find alternative funding options. On a more constructive note, the increase in globalization has made cross-border collaboration increasingly possible and necessary. The future possibilities for these partnerships are many and are an interesting consideration for those interested in opening institutions of higher learning up to the vast possibilities for growth and improvement23.

The overarching themes of the current discussions in higher education reform are the balance between financ-ing and accessibility and the tension between creating opportunities for all while maintaining a high level of quality. In order to find solutions to these problems it is necessary to consider the new meaning of higher edu-cation in the modern world and to determine who best to make higher education available and beneficial for the vast number of people who wish to develop themselves and their communities through education. Education is still considered to be a good investment but in order to remain so changes must be made.

Financial Constraints

In the developed world the demands of the knowl-edge-based economy have also been felt. In many de-veloped countries an aging population has put increased pressure on younger generations to provide skilled work-ers who can replace these individuals in the workplace. There is a great need for students to be well educated

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and prepared for the changing workforce. Unfortunately, higher education has becoming increasingly expensive to obtain. Many countries in the developed world have cut funding for higher education leaving students and parents dependent on financial aid and loans.24

Access to higher education has historically been limit-ed to those at the highest levels of society. Increasing globalization has only exacerbated these problems. Increased immigration has led to the development of minority populations that are often left behind in higher education. In addition, the growing gap between the rich and poor in many developing countries has left many unable to obtain higher education. Increasing costs are not the only barrier to education. Many low income and minority students have limited access to early childhood, elementary and secondary education25. These students are consistently left behind in educational systems and are unprepared for the demands of higher education even when funding opportunities are available. This has led to another problem in higher education. Many students who reach institutions of higher learning are unable to complete their education and ever receive degrees. This is due both to lacking preparation at the secondary level but can also be attributed to the failure of universities and other institutions to adequately meet the needs of students especially those who are at high risk for failure26.

Several factors have led to the growing financial pres-sure on institutions of higher learning. The first is the sharp increase in enrollment, which has been mentioned above. The second cause is that the cost of education is currently growing faster than the overall economy27. This is partly because the costs for technologies used to teach and rapid changes or developments in certain fields have increased educational costs. Additionally, these fields are often in the highest demand because they new technological fields are often seen as the most likely to yield good job prospects post-graduation. The most pressing of the financial concerns for higher education is a lack of public funding for education28. In many countries, economic difficulties have dried up resourc-es for higher education and have led to uncomfortable austerity measures at many universities. Universities that once relied heavily on money from the government are now being forced to bring in more of their financial re-sources from students or from other sources. The fourth financial constraint is political in nature. In some cases, public opinion has turned against funding institutions of

higher learning either out of dissatisfaction with govern-ment handling of education or out a sense of frustra-tion with the systems of higher education all together29. Finding the financial resources to keep institutions of higher education going is an important aspect of the current discussion. Making higher education affordable for families and individuals while keeping these institu-tions financially viable with or without public support is an important aspect of all higher education reforms.

Decreasing Academic Quality

Many of the problems facing institutions of higher edu-cation have led to a decrease in the quality of the educa-tion that these institutions can provide for their students. According to the World Bank’s Lessons of Experience the quality problems in institutions of higher learning are related to overcrowding and inadequate standards for admissions, low quality teaching and a lack of control over teaching staff, and from curriculums that do not meet the needs of students in the current economy. The need for higher equality learning is often seen as being in opposition to the need to cut costs in education. How-ever, policy makers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to increase scholarly quality in order to create long-term economic returns on investment in higher education. From this perspective the greatest barrier to productive educational systems are not high costs but rather the insufficient learning.30

With this in mind it is important to encourage reforms that bring up the quality of an institution. The main focus is to improve teacher training and to improve resources available for student learning including librar-ies, laboratories, scientific facilities, computers and good Internet accessibility. In addition, it is important for institutions to offer a curriculum that is both challenging and relevant to the goals and values of the institution that will prepare students for current conditions of the workforce31. All of these changes must be supervised by an administrative and managerial system that is able to adequately manage the institution with regard for students’ needs. Though these reforms may be costly at first these investments could reduce the time that it takes students to graduate and may reduce the need for students to repeat courses which would thus lead to a great deal of savings overtime which could then be used to further develop academic quality32.

Improving teaching quality is one of the most important

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aspects of improving the quality of higher education as a whole. Research has continually shown that students whose teachers have received the most training do better than their peers whose teachers are less prepared for the challenges of teaching33. In many cases teachers are underpaid or in some cases unpaid for their work. In addition, many teachers in institutions of higher learning are placed on the tenure track after only a short period of time regardless of their qualifications. These condi-tions lead to a situation in which teachers are not neces-sarily able to put students’ best interests first and have difficulties in maintain a high quality of learning in the classroom.

Challenges in the Developing World

Since gaining independence, countries in the developing world have undergone radical changes in the area of higher education. After a period of successful growth and development these countries have faced new chal-lenges and growing constraints to continued develop-ment. Traditional methods for higher education planning and decision-making have not been sufficient to meet the challenges of the current situation34.

In the developing world especially the problems that are endemic in higher education have led to a crisis where there was once great hope and achievement. Higher ed-ucation has become increasingly expensive in the devel-oping world while diminishing in quality and in financial return. As higher education in the developing world was first instituted the goal was to make education available for everyone. This was partly in order to democratize education and also to fill gaps in the workforce and to increase the number of people with technological and mechanical and professional skills to meet the needs of the current knowledge economy35. These reforms were based on the belief that investment in higher education would lead to economic benefits and that these eco-nomic improvements would continue unabated. These plans were not made with regard to possible problems or economic downturn. Unfortunately, this is not what happened and the benefits that publically supported institutions of higher learning could offer students have now diminished. In many situations developing coun-tries solicited support from other countries. The global community, placing a great deal of importance on higher education, was more than willing to support the new institutions in the developing world. This support only increased the radical expansion of higher education in

the developing world and exacerbated the problems faced by institutions in the developing world36.

Partnerships between institutions in the developed world and those in the developing world have produced varied results. In some ways, these partnerships are beneficial because they allow professors and other faculty at insti-tutions in the developing world to maintain professional contacts with professionals in the developed world. However, these partnerships often have a benefit only for the institution in the developed world whose re-search interests are prioritized in the partnership. These programs though enjoying limited success where not able to produce benefits for the university of the whole and were not made sustainable long-term37.

In the developing world, promises of employment were made to graduates. However, these promises were made based on faulty projections for the job market. As a result there are usually too many qualified applicants for technical and skilled jobs. For example, in Egypt, those trained as engineers are often downgraded to technician positions while technicians are downgraded to positions as skilled laborers. These conditions have led to high levels of resentment and dissatisfaction with the current situation38.

Women and Minorities in Higher Education

Despite growing numbers of women and minorities enrolling in institutions of higher education, they are still at a disadvantage. Female undergraduates are still under-represented in typically male fields of study and often feel less prepared to go on to graduate school when compared to male students at the same institutions. In addition, many female students exhibit a reduction in their career and educational aspirations during their col-lege years39. Female students have in some areas become the majority of college students but the outcomes and experiences that female college students have are vastly different compared to those of their male counterparts at the same institutions. In some cases, professors and faculty members either overtly or inadvertently treat male and female students differently both inside and outside of the classroom. This has a profound impact on the educational experience of female students40.

The number of students from minority backgrounds has also increased in the past decades; however, there are still barriers to the success of these students in many

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areas of higher education. College participation rates, a measure of the percentage of the college-aged people of a certain race who are enrolled in an institution of higher learning remains low. This means that there are still many minority students who are not able to receive education at a more advanced level. Though the number of students who complete their degrees has increased in recent years the number of students from minority backgrounds who complete their degrees in a timely manner still lags behind that of their non-minority class-mates41.

Bloc Positions

The stances of countries on the topic on higher educa-tion reform can be identified as the following blocs: East African Community (EAC), US-Islamic bloc, Tempus bloc and the Asian Blocs 1 and 2.

The East African Community consists of countries such as Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The EAC has signed a Higher Education Act in 2011, and since then have been cooperating with each other to achieve a higher education level for their citizens. Universities within this region are structured similarly, and the government has taken an active role in establishing public universities and funding 50% of public universities. The Higher Ed-ucation Act sets guidelines and deadlines for countries in this bloc, and due to the young population inhabiting in the region, the EAC is facing lack of job opportunities for the graduates in their own country.

The US-Islamic bloc is cooperation between the US and Islamic countries in the Middle East region, as USA had been diligently supporting Islamic countries with finan-cial aid, training or professional advice. Though Canada and European countries did play a part in assisting, the US wants to improve its relations with Islamic countries, therefore helping them find a suitable and stable educa-tional system.

The Tempus bloc mainly consists of countries that are members of the European Union, as well as their close working partners, such as countries in Eastern Europe. Tempus is the EU’s educational program, which is aimed to modernize education in every aspect, adapting cur-riculum to the modern world. Due to the influences of the European Union, Tempus encourages other partner nations to accept help from fellow governmental or non-governmental organizations.

The Asian blocs are separated in terms of their current education level and development. Though all countries in Asia are strongly bounded by culture, the education in each country varies from high to low. Asian Bloc 1 con-sists of smaller-sized countries in Southeast Asia. The majority of countries in Asian Bloc 1 are fairly poorer countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia or the Philippines. However, outliers such as Singapore and Hong Kong are also grouped with Asian Bloc 1 due to their unique situation: having a high education level but tiny population. Asian Bloc 2 consists of the developing, rapidly growing nations that are considered often as the leaders of Asia: China, Japan and South Korea. Coun-tries in Bloc 2 do not always cooperate smoothly with Bloc 1 as they have the economic and political advantag-es that allow them to communicate with the West. There is not much enmity between the two Asian blocs, but Asian Bloc 1 certainly envies Bloc 2 for receiving a larg-er amount of resources and media for their condition.

Questions to Consider

1. What sources of possible funding are there for institutions of higher education that can no lon-ger rely on public funding?

2. What is the responsibility of the government or the public toward institutions of higher learning? How can this relationship be better managed to produce benefits for both sides?

3. How much can families and students reason-ably be expected to pay for the education of an individual? Where should the rest of the finan-cial resources needed to educate an individual be found?

4. What steps can institutions take to increase the quality of student learning? What can be done to improve teacher qualifications?

5. What can be done to ensure that students are prepared for the current job market? What is the responsibility of the institution toward its stu-dents post-graduation? What can the institutions do to ensure that it meets this responsibility?

6. How can institutions work to improve the aca-demic conditions for minorities and women in institutions of higher learning?

7. What is the role of higher education in society? How can this role be emphasized and encour-aged in the future?

8. What should the future of higher education look like? How can this future be reached?

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Suggestions for future research

CIA World Factbook A good resource for information about individual coun-tries. This will be very helpful for your country specific research and will give you a good idea of the conditions in your country. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

UNESCO This will be a good resource for understanding the nature of the committee and ensuring that your sugges-tions are within the scope of the committee’s mandate. In addition, this website has a variety of resources and publications put out by UNESCO regarding the topic of reforms to higher education. www.unesco.org

Role of the committee

UNESCO is the intellectual agency of the United Na-tions and promotes social, environmental, and economic development as a way to achieve peace in the world. Cornerstones of UNESCO’s mission include ensuring that every child has access to quality education, freedom of expression, intercultural understanding and cultural diversity, and scientific cooperation and advancement. UNESCO has active programs in five areas: education, natural science, social and human sciences, culture, and communication and information.

Today, UNESCO must focus on policies that can pro-mote intercultural dialogue in a globalized world. With the emergence of connected economies and the Inter-net, everyone must fully participate in the global public space in order to achieve peace and sustainable devel-opment. UNESCO must also focus on the sharing of scientific information and education since the future of nations now depends on their ability to understand and anticipate changes in the environment.

Structure of the committee

The General Conference determines the policies and the main work of UNESCO by setting the programs and budget. The General Conference meets every two years and consists of 196 member states, associate members, observers for non-member state, and non-governmental organizations. Each member state has one vote, regard-

less of size or contribution to the overall budget. The General Conference also elects the members of the Executive board and appoints the director-General every four years.

The Executive board consists of 58 member nations; these a chosen largely for diversity in the culture and geographic region represented. The board meets twice a year and is responsible for the overall management of UNESCO. The Executive board is assigned specific tasks by the General Conference and the board must see that the decisions of the General Conference are prop-erly carried out.

For YMUN Taipei purposes, the chairs will serve as the executive board and director-general.

http://en.unesco.org/about-us/unescos-governing-bod-ies

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Position Papers are due by May 19th for feedback and by the first committee session to

qualify for awards. Please submit your position papers to your chair via email.

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