Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe H.G. Wells, The Outline of History

Higher Education in Developing Countries: The Task Force on Higher Education and Society Peril and Promise

The Task Force

Longstanding problems funding faculty quality student conditions and preparedness curriculum teaching methods research capacity vision

Pressure points an appetite for learning resulting expansion: rapid, chaotic, and unplanned quantity versus quality knowledge capital replacing physical capital as source of wealth globalization: drain, train, retain

Central questions What is the role of higher education in supporting and enhancing the process of economic and social development? What are the major obstacles that higher education faces in developing countries? How can these obstacles best be overcome?

Five areas of inquiry the public interest systems of higher education governance science and technology general education curricula

The report Task Force website:

Public interest high private and social returns higher education and the dismal tribe building blocks for societies and economies education,education, education more than markets mass education, not elite education

Higher education systems rational planning, not uncontrolled growth explicit stratification different rules, different objectives playing to strengths

Government as supervisor deter abuses of private education encourage autonomy ensure coherence and coordination ensure cooperation and openness encourage competition encourage connections to broader economy and society

Governance the key problem set of principles –academic freedom –autonomy –meritocratic selection tools for… –managing faculty –raising standards of administration –ensuring oversight

General education develops the whole individual interactive teaching methods over a broad range of subjects promotes citizenship, ethics, and ambition encourages broad-mindedness, critical thinking and communication skills provides adaptable leaders, and is a good grounding for specialists contributes to national development

Science now investment in a public good the new production of knowledge growing scientific uncertainty

Science and the developing world large and growing scientific gap between developed and developing countries brain drain scientific advance and global public goods

Central questions What is the role of higher education in supporting and enhancing the process of economic and social development? What are the major obstacles that higher education faces in developing countries? How can these obstacles best be overcome?

Implementation catalyst for action seeds of change in Pakistan it is our choices Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities

The report Task Force website:

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire W. B. Yeats