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

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system, decentralization and devolution of power at local level and more autonomy to higher
education institutions. Whereas the second pointer was associated with the increase in the
enrolment at post secondary level, increase in the school life expectancy form primary to tertiary
level, and quality development and enhancement initiatives.
The three organizations, UNESCO, OECD and the World Bank, follow three different models; it
is evident from their structure, function and initiatives. Though these IGOs have different
objectives but their agenda are overlapping in nature: the change and development through
cooperation. The uniformity in the IGOs‟ goals and convergence in their attitude is evident from
their objectives, action and initiatives. OECD and the World Bank are economic organizations
but very different from each other: OECD is an intellectual hub and think tank that contribute to
economic development in high income countries through policy guidelines and analyses; the
World Bank is lending agency contribute to the socio-economic development in poor countries
through financial and technical assistance. In contrast, the UNESCO is has its presence both in
high and low income countries and it has comparatively a bigger network; broader agenda and
diverse roles: a laboratory of ideas, standard-setter, capacity-builder, and catalyst organization.
All the three IGOs are engaged in the field of education including higher education but none of
them considers higher education as priority area. In Asia, UNESCO is reaching and working
through more than 42 national commissions and nineteen field offices including Bangkok
regional office for education; the Bank has more than thirty country-offices in member states
while OECD has only one office that is located in Japan. Comparatively both UNESCO and the
World Bank have larger presence in Asia in terms of programs, projects memberships, and
offices at regional and national levels. But UNESCO is more active and visible in the region at
institutional levels through UNESCO Chair and UNITWIN, ASPnet and other Programs.
UNESCO has produced many conventions and declarations, which act as not only international
legal documents but also helpful in the creation of new laws and brining policy reforms in
education sector in the member countries whereas the Bank also encourage policy reform but
achieve this through technical assistance and sometime links it with loan.
The outcomes of IGOs initiatives, in Asian region, are not directly measurable as the long-term
impact of their assistance and initiatives is extensive as well as cumulative. But IGOs‟ role can
be observed from the pace and direction of change in the member countries. The IGOs‟ policy
reform initiatives have contributed to the change in the member countries as in the majority of