UNESCO/OECD Guidelines on Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education Education International UNESCO, Paris 5 April 2005 Stamenka Uvalic-Trumbic, Division of Higher Education

WHY THE GUIDELINES? Context Growth of cross-border higher education: DE, franchises, branch campuses, IT academies, trade in education (GATS); Growing commercialization of (higher) education Need to provide an EDUCATIONAL response Maximize opportunities, minimize threats, based on UN principles and instruments

Why UNESCO? Existing frameworks: 1998 WCHE and WCHE + 5: identified the challenges of higher education and globalization and HE’s role in the knowledge society as an element of sustainable development;

Why UNESCO? Existing frameworks The 6 regional conventions on the recognition of qualifications The Global Forum on International Quality Assurance, Accreditation and the Recognition of Qualifications: new dimensions in quality assurance and qualifications recognition;

Why UNESCO? The 32 GC/10 Resolution “Globalization and Higher Education” that called for UNESCO to work with other partners and to develop principles and guidelines on cross-border higher education; Hence, the UNESCO-OECD initiative to jointly elaborate guidelines on quality provision in cross-border higher education.

Guidelines: the Process Three drafting meetings, April 2004, UNESCO, Paris; October 2004, MEXT,Tokyo, Japan; January 2005, OECD, Paris; Inclusive Process: all 190 Member States invited as well as stakeholder groups both at IGO and NGO level; Participated: official representatives from 94 Member States, 28 observers from MS; 22 NGOs; experts… Final draft presented to UNESCO and the OECD decision-making bodies for further action – April 2005

Objectives support and encourage international cooperation and understanding of the importance of quality provision in cross-border higher education protect students and other stakeholders from low-quality provision and disreputable providers encourage the development of quality cross-border higher education that meets human, social, economic and cultural needs

The scope Voluntary and non-binding BUT Stamp of two IGOs: UNESCO and the OECD Addressing Governments but recognizing the role of NGOs and Student Organizations.

The stakeholders Governments; Higher Education Institutions/academic staff; Students bodies; Quality Assurance and accreditation bodies; Academic Recognition Bodies; Professional Bodies;

Importance of Guidelines for Developing Countries Resource for Developing Countries to Use; Value of the Guidelines in the follow-up: a framework for capacity-building; Responsibility for partnerships, sharing, dialogue and mutual trust between sending and receiving countries in assuring quality and relevance in cross-border higher education.

Regional Capacity Building: RIACES (Latin America + Spain) The Caribbean: CANQATE Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN): Partnership with World Bank ENQA and ECA: Role in the Bologna Process The Mediterranean (TEMPUS-MEDA): Partnership with EU CANQATE: We/UNESCO are not doing anything there yet The GCC-proposal was referred to in the 2004 INQAAHE workshop that was held in Oman. I guess the Omanis would be the driving force (from the Minister + delegation meeting) but I have no further news about it. (I should check it with the ambassador) RIACES: (Red Iboamericana para la Acreditacion de la Calidad de la Educacion Superior) established in 2002 as a network of Latin American and Spanish quality assurance agencies and organisations dealing with higher education. (Some Ministries) They had a presentation of the guidelines at the conference in March – I haven’t got any reply from Ivan yet as how it went. APQN is already helping to build alliances between agencies, and assisting countries that do not have a quality assurance agency of their own. Obtained World Bank support for capacity-building through the early years. This may provide a good link for the African network ENQA in cooperation with EUA, EURASHE, and ESIB was invited (in the Berlin communique. of 19 September 2003) by the Ministers of the Bologna Process signatory states to develop “Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area” to be discussed in May in Bergen (report available at the Bologna website) ECA European Consortium for Accreditation in Higher Education (ECA). Consist of 13 QA agencies from 7 . The ultimate aim of the consortium is the achievement of mutual recognition of accreditation decisions among the participants before the end of 2007.

Regional Capacity Building Africa: Launch of AQUAnet (partnership with AAU) Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Network for Quality Assurance in HE Arab States: Regional Accreditation (Egypt)

Implementation Challenges Effective only if implemented: Build foundations for CBHE: increase equity and access; Increase educational opportunities; Responsibility of governments and other stakeholders in the implementation process

Implementation Challenges Emphasis: Capacity Building – based on Strategy proposed by 2nd Global Forum, Paris, June 2004; Role of receiving countries; Partnerships and Dialogue; Collaboration and Exchange – internal and external Accessibility, Clarity and Transparence of Information UNESCO Info-Tool on recognized HE institutions

UNESCO - EI Awareness raising about the guidelines among its members – as one of the 6 stakeholder groups addressed Support capacity-building and clearinghouse functions Support co-operation with existing and emerging regional trends

Guidelines awareness raising AFRICA - AAU, Capetown, Feb. 2005: support and dissemination INQAAHE, Wellington, NZ, March 2005: support and dissemination - initiative to strengthen francophone capacity building networks ASIA and the PACIFIC: Regional Committee for Recognition Convention, Kunming, China, May 2005 EUROPE: Bergen Summit, May 2005