Towards a joint regional roadmap in higher education reform Muiris O’Connor Higher Education Authority, Ireland STREW Petrovac Conference on Higher Education May 2012

Context Late start followed by rapid expansion of higher education opportunities Key role of higher education in national economic and social development Significant increase in emphasis on postgraduate education and research performance System characterized by institutional autonomy and academic freedom

Challenges The sustainability of funding and of the funding model on which the system is supported Certainty of significant increase in the demand for higher education-demographic and labour market The responsiveness of provision to emerging skills needs The internationalization of higher education

The national strategy for higher education (January 2011) Emphasis on the coherence of the system of higher education Call for greater innovation in design and greater flexibility in delivery of HE Fresh articulation of the mission of higher education encompassing teaching and learning, research and engagement Proposals for new institutions arising from merged institutions and for regional clusters

A whole-of-education perspective Nazalost nemam mogucnost da Vam nabavim ovu sliku

System Governance Strategic Dialogue has been set out as the key approach to system governance that will underpin the relationship betweens the HEA and higher education institutions It is an approach intended to achieve the optimal balance between autonomy and accountability And to align institutional strategy with national policy Intended to strengthen mission diversity in the HE sector Three year implementation- beginning with profiling of institutions on a range of domains Performance indicators will emerge from profiling exercise Targets will agreed between the HEA and institutions and over time these will be supported through performance funding

A developmental approach The implementation of Strategic Dialogue will: – Build on institutional planning – Focus on goals not means – Remain vigilant in relation to unintended consequences – Avoid excessive bureaucracy and multiplicity of indicators – Accommodate and encourage distinctiveness of mission – Encourage innovation and change The HEA will work in partnership with the sectoral representative bodies (IUA and IOTI) in the identification and review of the metrics used for performance evaluation

Towards a regional roadmap

The potential of collectives and collegiate approaches Strongly welcome the initiatives to provide for professional development for administrators and higher education policy makers in the region Need to build on this with a broader emphasis on capacity development extending beyond administrators to include academics and institutional leaders

A platform for academic professional development A West Balkan platform for academic-led enhancement Key priority themes –routinely refreshed Academic professional development Research and scholarship Sharing of teaching and research outputs Management of regional grants and awards

Leadership development In addition to the scope and potential of platforms for the professional development of administrators and academics, a leadership development platform could be valuable in facilitating the high level objectives of the project to progress structural reform arising in the context of the European modernization agenda Focus on capacity development and on areas of common concern

Open method of Co-ordination This basis of co-operation, which underpins EU policy development in the area of education, can also serve as the basis for co- operation within the STREW project

Investment in Education (1965) “educational planning can achieve very little unless it has effectives support from public opinion” and “can only be achieved in co- operation with experienced educationalists” because it “must be regarded as a continuous process which in its implementation must be open to revision and regular readaptation”

Education is our frontier “there is no finality about it nor could there be, for change is perennial and will not stop this year or next.”

In the advancement of human knowledge and understanding, the West Balkan region has its own distinctive contribution to make