Higher education in Asian countries and the role of international ...
Higher education in Asian countries and the role of international ...
Higher education in Asian countries and the role of international ...
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as responsive <strong>and</strong> high quality research is <strong>of</strong> great utility for <strong>the</strong> society thus <strong>in</strong> higher <strong>education</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong>stitutions it always at <strong>the</strong> central position. Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore research contributes to knowledge<br />
generation, <strong>in</strong>novation <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>ventions. Support<strong>in</strong>g higher <strong>education</strong> <strong>and</strong> research <strong>in</strong> <strong>and</strong> by less<br />
developed <strong>countries</strong> is imperative for smooth global development but very little <strong>in</strong>ternational<br />
development research fund<strong>in</strong>g has addressed this need <strong>in</strong> a systematic way as mostly <strong>the</strong> research<br />
allocations focus on projects designed to address specific problems ra<strong>the</strong>r than to research<br />
capacity build<strong>in</strong>g (Olsson & Mk<strong>and</strong>awire, 2009).<br />
In all <strong>countries</strong> <strong>of</strong> this region enrolment at secondary level is substantially <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> as a<br />
result <strong>the</strong> dem<strong>and</strong> for higher <strong>education</strong> is also <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g rapidly. S<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong> advent <strong>of</strong> 21st<br />
century, a majority <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>countries</strong> has seen an unprecedented <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> participation rate <strong>in</strong><br />
higher <strong>education</strong>. There are several <strong>and</strong> varied factors that contribute to high dem<strong>and</strong> for higher<br />
<strong>education</strong> <strong>in</strong> Asia, it <strong>in</strong>cludes: higher competition <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> job market, expansion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> services<br />
sector, a shift towards knowledge <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation based economy, dem<strong>and</strong> for high order skill<br />
<strong>and</strong> competencies due new technological development, graduation as a prerequisite for upper<br />
jobs <strong>in</strong> public <strong>and</strong> private sectors, concept <strong>of</strong> graduate job market where higher <strong>education</strong> helps<br />
to unlock <strong>the</strong> doors that lead to services <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustrial sector, prevalence <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> paradigm that<br />
better <strong>education</strong> means better opportunities, high regard for superior <strong>education</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> society <strong>and</strong><br />
at workplace, external <strong>in</strong>fluence due to <strong>in</strong>ternationalization <strong>of</strong> ideas <strong>and</strong> culture through media,<br />
communication <strong>and</strong> <strong>education</strong>, economic globalization, <strong>in</strong>ter-regional <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>ter-cont<strong>in</strong>ental<br />
competition, new trends <strong>in</strong> high developed <strong>countries</strong> like <strong>in</strong> western Europe <strong>and</strong> north America,<br />
higher <strong>education</strong> a mean <strong>of</strong> mobility <strong>and</strong> culture <strong>of</strong> higher <strong>education</strong>. From <strong>the</strong> data on<br />
participation rate at primary <strong>and</strong> secondary level it is evident that this trend <strong>of</strong> “flood<strong>in</strong>g higher<br />
<strong>education</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitutions” is likely to cont<strong>in</strong>ue <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> decades to come. To meet <strong>the</strong> ris<strong>in</strong>g dem<strong>and</strong><br />
for higher <strong>education</strong>, governments are erect<strong>in</strong>g policies <strong>and</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g strategies <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> light <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
priorities, available resources.<br />
The need for <strong>and</strong> dem<strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>education</strong> type <strong>and</strong> level depend upon any country‟s societal needs,<br />
which are related to its economic <strong>and</strong> technological development. The ground factors are<br />
decisive <strong>in</strong> def<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> different types <strong>and</strong> levels <strong>of</strong> <strong>education</strong>.<br />
No matter how low <strong>the</strong> economic <strong>and</strong> technological development is <strong>in</strong> a country, <strong>the</strong> importance<br />
<strong>of</strong> higher <strong>education</strong> cannot be ignored. Education <strong>and</strong> economic growth are complementary, as<br />
both go h<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> h<strong>and</strong>: <strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> <strong>education</strong> likely to impact positively on <strong>the</strong> economic