Capacity-Building: towards a coherent framework (UNESCO)

1. UNESCO-OECD guidelines on Quality Provision in Cross-border Higher EducationDrafting Meeting 2Tokyo, Japan14-15 October 2004 Capacity-Building: towards a coherent framework (UNESCO) ,

2. Regional frameworks within a global context • UNESCO’s regions • UNESCO’s regional offices – the decentralization policy • UNESCO’s regional conventions: evolution • The regional Vs. the interregional approach

3. Context and Outcomes of 1st Global Forum 1st Global Forum launched as a response to ethical challenges facing higher education in an era of globalization. Main outcomes: • Platform for exchange for at least four years; • Building bridges between education and trade; • Promote research to inspire policy developments; • Action Plan: standard-setting; capacity-building and clearinghouse activities

4. First Global Forum: Action Plan (17 – 18 October 2002) Standard-setting activities: • Initiate revision of conventions on the recognition of studies to respond to new challenges: linking recognition and QA and responding to TNE • Promote research on role of new providers in widening access to higher education and on the concept of higher education as a public responsibility; • Develop guiding principles Capacity-building: • Develop regional and national frameworks for quality assurance; • Informed decision-making for stakeholders in the education process Clearinghouse: • Develop information tools for students; • Study Abroad data-base and publications; • Other data-bases to promote empowerment of learners, parents, employers;

5. 2nd Global Forum: Context • 1st Global Forum: higher education and commercialization/GATS – UNESCO conventions on the recognition of qualifications as educational agreements to promote international standards; • 2nd Global Forum Widening Access to Quality Higher Education: for minorities, ICT-assisted; lifelong learning • 2nd Global Forum particular focus: capacity-building;

6. WHY CAPACITY BUILDING? As determined by its Medium-Term Strategy, UNESCO has 5 basic functions: • a laboratory of ideas • a standard setter • a clearinghouse • a capacity-builder in Member States • a catalyst for international cooperation Capacity-building for quality assurance and qualifications recognition: towards strengthening national higher education frameworks as elements of sustainable societal development

7. The way ahead: TOWARS A ‘QUALITY CULTURE’ A great diversity but some converging elements: • A new emerging concern for quality assurance explicit in all Member States, both OECD and UNESCO; • A resistance to change; • Lack of human, institutional and financial resources; • Change of mentalities: towards a “quality culture” / “une logique de la qualite” • Confusion with terms (Anglo-Saxon dominated?) However, a sense of urgency to move forward…

8. Common elements Prerequisites for efficient capacity-building • To be part of wider HE reforms; • To have support from the government; • To be independent from the government; • To involve other relevant stakeholders at national level: HEIs, academic staff and students; • To address issues of new providers; • Private providers, ODL and cross-border HE; • To be part of long-term processes to assure sustainability; • To have adequate funding to assure impact

9. CAPACITY-BUILDING MECHANISMS Based on inputs from the 2nd Global Forum: • Standard-setting instruments to sustain capacity-building: (a) Revised conventions as regional frameworks to promote capacity building in QA and QR; (b) Regional offices and their role as Secretariats to the convention committees and regional networking; (b) UNESCO/OECD guidelines for quality in cross-border higher education as an international framework for building capacity in cross-border QA and QR

10. CAPACITY-BUILDING MECHANISMS Based on inputs from the 2nd Global Forum: • Clearing-house activities to build capacity: (a) informational tools for students – developing quality literacy (b) knowledge base for decision makers in distance education in Africa, Asia and the Pacific and the CIS and Baltic States (c) Study Abroad publication and database on courses and study opportunities;

11. CAPACITY-BUILDING EXAMPLES: Asia and the Pacific Several examples of capacity-building exercises currently underway: • Asia and the Pacific: 20 major QA efforts operating in 15 countries: variance and diversity in level of development; • Actors: Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN); Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN); ASEAN University Netork (AUN) • World Bank: regional initiative: • UNESCO – Beijing workshop; 2005 Regional Committee Meeting in China

12. CAPACITY-BUILDING EXAMPLES: Arab States Several examples of capacity-building exercises currently underway: • UNDP Regional Bureau for the Arab States : 2 million dollar project : assessment of Computer Science and Business Administration programs and curricula in 30 universities in 14 Arab States; • Association of Arab Universities: Training workshop in Amman, Jordan, December 2004;

13. CAPACITY-BUILDING EXAMPLES: Mediterranean And South-East Europe TEMPUS MEDA project; • EvQualif – September 2003 – September 2005 HEIs Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Syria and France and Germany • RecQualif – April 2004 – April 2005 Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia; France, Italy, Netherlands, Slovenia: establishment of information network on QA and QR South East Europe • UNESCO – CEPES, EUA with EU funding: • Governance and Management in South East Europe

14. CAPACITY-BUILDING EXAMPLES: AFRICA Regional Partners • AAU, Accra Workshop; Cape Town General Conference; SADC; FAPED; NEPAD; ADEA • UNESCO Offices Dakar and Harare; • Arusha Convention; International partners: • UNESCO, IIEP, INQAAHE, COL, World Bank

15. CAPACITY-BUILDING EXAMPLES: UNESCO’s Role UNESCO’s role: • Coordinating different activities into a coherent framework • Fund-raising with donors: EU TEMPUS MEDA; ERASMUS-Mundus; UNDP; World Bank; Bilateral donors and funding agenciesBilateral donors and development agencies (SIDA, CIDA, NORAD, JFIT?)