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In today‟s globalized world it is <strong>the</strong> shared responsibility <strong>of</strong> all entities to contribute to <strong>the</strong><br />

implementation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> right to <strong>education</strong>. In this matter Intergovernmental organizations might<br />

contribute more effectively as compared to o<strong>the</strong>r stakeholders. In UN system <strong>the</strong>re are many<br />

agencies, which are play<strong>in</strong>g a dynamic <strong>role</strong> whereas UNESCO has a clear m<strong>and</strong>ate to work for<br />

<strong>the</strong> implement <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> universal right to <strong>education</strong>. Likewise <strong>the</strong> World Bank <strong>and</strong> OECD are<br />

actively work<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>the</strong> atta<strong>in</strong>ment <strong>of</strong> this objective <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir respective capacity.<br />

In Asia-Pacific region UNESCO is achiev<strong>in</strong>g this goal through its UNESCO-Bangkok regional<br />

<strong>of</strong>fice<br />

5.1.2.3 UNESCO’s areas <strong>of</strong> action <strong>in</strong> higher <strong>education</strong><br />

In its early years UNESCO drew <strong>in</strong>sight from <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ory <strong>of</strong> functionalism by acknowledg<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

non-negotiable nature <strong>of</strong> ideological, religious <strong>and</strong> traditional beliefs that helped to establish<br />

common ground <strong>and</strong> to f<strong>in</strong>d consensus. Its objectives were short term, <strong>and</strong> <strong>role</strong> was limited to an<br />

approv<strong>in</strong>g body <strong>of</strong> UN <strong>and</strong> to <strong>the</strong> US liberal ideology (Pavone, 2007). Though UNESCO is<br />

work<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> higher <strong>education</strong> s<strong>in</strong>ce its <strong>in</strong>ception, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> last decade <strong>of</strong><br />

twentieth century a clear policy shift is evident <strong>and</strong> UNESCO started giv<strong>in</strong>g more weight to<br />

higher <strong>education</strong>. Because <strong>the</strong> withdrawal <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> UK <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> US from UNESCO loosened <strong>the</strong><br />

grip <strong>of</strong> functionalist <strong>and</strong> later on <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Cold War led to a new era <strong>of</strong> “ideological<br />

freedom”, s<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong>n UNESCO has been embarked on Global Model that promotes new<br />

ideological perspectives based on universal philosophy <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternational cooperation (Pavone,<br />

2007).<br />

The world conference on higher <strong>education</strong> <strong>in</strong> October 1998, World Declaration on <strong>Higher</strong><br />

Education for <strong>the</strong> Twenty-first, 2009 World Conference on <strong>Higher</strong> Education <strong>and</strong> many o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

<strong>in</strong>ternational <strong>and</strong> regional events for <strong>the</strong> development <strong>and</strong> promotion <strong>of</strong> higher <strong>education</strong>. Before<br />

start<strong>in</strong>g follow global model, UNESCO followed <strong>in</strong>tergovernmental model that based on<br />

humanism <strong>and</strong> it tried to restrict UNESCO‟s <strong>education</strong>al policy to basic <strong>education</strong> only <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

scientific policy to function as a clear<strong>in</strong>ghouse (Pavone, 2007). Accord<strong>in</strong>g to UNESCO, s<strong>in</strong>ce<br />

new policy reforms, it is actively play<strong>in</strong>g its <strong>role</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> field <strong>of</strong> higher <strong>education</strong> <strong>in</strong> multiple<br />

doma<strong>in</strong>s, which have been classified under five heads, which are as follow:

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