Why creation of new knowledge is crucial

Professor Rajesh Chandra





Higher education is now recognised as the primary determinant of the development of countries.
  The creation of new knowledge through research and innovation is increasingly determining the competitive edge of countries in a globalised knowledge society.
  At the same time, higher education promotes social cohesion, equitable and sustainable development, democracy, greater international understanding and respect for human rights and dignity.
  In other words, higher education determines the speed and quality of the development of countries and societies.
  The United Nations holds a conference on higher education once every decade. The second World Conference on Higher Education (WCHE) was held in Paris from 5-8 July 2009.
  Given the importance of global developments in higher education to the Pacific Islands Countries and the opportunities for networking, I attended the conference.
  The conference covered a wide variety of areas starting with the opening address by the Director General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura.
  The background on the WCHE and copies of the programme, speeches and presentations can be found at www.unesco.org/en/education
  The opening speech was followed by messages from major stakeholders including the Secretary-General of OECD; the European Commissioner for External Relations and Neighbourhood Policy; the European Union; wife of the Vice-President of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden; and Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy, Governor-General of Saint Lucia (representing small island countries).
  These were followed by the keynote address by the Minister for Education of China, followed by panel discussions (these speeches can also be accessed at our website at www.usp.ac.fj).
  A major speech by the UNESCO’s Head of the Higher Education Division, Georges Haddad then followed, with reports being presented from each of the regional preparatory conferences.
  The mid-morning session covered the significant changes occurring in global higher education and comprised major presentations covering the main report on world higher education.
  This was followed by presentations on three main areas of internationalisation, regionalisation and globalisation of higher education issues of equity access and quality and finally, learning research and innovation.
  There was also a plenary roundtable looking at higher education in Africa as well as one on social responsibility of higher education, addressing the challenges of our time. 
  There were a number of parallel discussions around these three themes and special sessions for stakeholders including ministers, institutes and civil society.
  The closing afternoon session had presentations from Fernando Haddad, Minister for Education from Brazil, as well as Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister for Human Resource from India, and other speakers looking at where higher education was going and acting on the ideas of debate.
  The closing ceremony looked at the way forward for higher education and research, commitments by UNESCO and partners, and presentation of reports from general rapporteurs, and finally, the adoption of the conference communiqué and closing remarks by the Director-General of UNESCO.
  The communiqué, which is the most important outcome of the WCHE, can be accessed from the UNESCO site, as well as from USP (www.usp.ac.fj). 
  The gist of the communiqué:
  • Higher Education as a public good is the responsibility of all stakeholders, especially governments.
  • Faced with the complexity of current and future global challenges, higher education has the social responsibility to advance our understanding of multifaceted issues, which involve social, economic, scientific and cultural dimensions and our ability to respond to them. It should lead society in generating global knowledge to address global challenges, inter alia food security, climate change, water management, intercultural dialogue, renewable energy and public health”.
  • Higher education institutions, through their core functions (research, teaching and service to the community) carried out in the context of institutional autonomy and academic freedom, should increase their interdisciplinary focus and promote critical thinking and active citizenship. This would contribute to sustainable development, peace, wellbeing and the realisation of human rights, including gender equity.
  • As a public good and a strategic imperative for all levels of education and as the basis for research, innovation and creativity, higher education must be a matter of responsibility and economic support of all governments.
  As emphasised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ‘higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit’ (Article 26, paragraph 1).
  •  At no time in history has it been more important to invest in higher education as a major force in building an inclusive and diverse knowledge society and to advance research, innovation and creativity.
  • Higher education institutions should seek out areas of research and teaching that can address issues related to the well-being of the population and establish a strong foundation for locally-relevant science and technology.
  • Member States, working in collaboration with all stakeholders, should develop policies and strategies at system and institutional levels to:
  - Maintain, and if possible, increase investment in higher education in order to sustain quality and equity at all times and foster diversification in both the provision of higher education and the means of funding;
  - Ensure adequate investments in higher education and research to reflect growing expectations and societal needs;
  - Put in place and strengthen appropriate quality assurance systems and regulatory frameworks with the involvement of all stakeholders.
 
   • Professor Rajesh Chandra is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific.