Higher education in Asian countries and the role of international ...

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cooperation for implementing the vision and strategy from a wide range of constituencies
(Mingat, 2003).
Another report from the World Bank in year 2002, Constructing Knowledge Societies: New
Challenges for Tertiary Education. Although this report supported the Bank‟s stance on primary
and secondary education but it also stressed the role higher education in capacity building. This
report also argued that each country should mobilize its available resources to support higher
education in doing so only rate of returns to investment in higher education should not be
focused but other social benefits must be consider (The World Bank, 2002).
Education has a capacity to produce counter balance by transforming raw human resource into
high valued human capital that is a prerequisite for a better utilization of other resources. So
education in general higher education in particular acts as a fulcrum as it helps to find
equilibrium between needs and resources. At present knowledge has become the main driving
force in the development of economy so less developed countries can no longer compete through
unskilled labor and simple material resources. The knowledge poverty and innovation deficit in
low income countries has a negative impact on the human development index (HDI) that is also
evident from UNDP data on HDI.
“Higher education institutions can and do make a significant contribution to regional, economic,
social and cultural development. However, failures of communication between regional
stakeholders and higher education institutions reduce the effectiveness of their teaching, research
and public service efforts and limit the understanding at the local level of their impact. These
communication failures are often due to weak or unclear policy signals and conflicting agendas”
(Marmolejo & Puukka, 2006). The institutional culture of the Bank is influenced by neo-classical
economics where man is considered a rational actor to maximize preferences. When this model
is applied on education then more preference is given to cognitive knowledge- science,
mathematics, communication- and little importance to aesthetic education. Similarly, due to the
dominant influence of human capital theory, the Bank considers education as an investment in
the future. This investment results in lifetime returns both private and social returns; income
gain, upward mobility, social status, higher productivity, better life style, good health, enhanced
societal adjustment, and good governance (Lauglo, 1996). Higher education institutions are
centers of learning, knowledge generation and research. The importance of research is on the rise