Building a common academic infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific
In collaboration with university students, industry, policy-makers and educators in the Asia-Pacific, UNESCO Bangkok is developing a common academic infrastructure to support quality higher education. Throughout the region, many quality tools have been developed to help to facilitate mobility and enhance higher education for all. However, substantial differences at the system, subject and programme levels remain. These barriers limit the potential to promote mobility and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 4.3 on access to quality higher education.
“National qualifications frameworks (NQFs) are the most effective instrument to identify learning outcomes to ensure that learning is transferrable and portable,” suggested Libing Wang, Chief of Section for Educational Innovation and Skills Development at UNESCO Bangkok. However, many Member States in the region struggle to align their curriculum standards based on qualifications frameworks and expected learning outcomes.
As a pilot project with support from the Republic of Korea Funds-in-Trust (KFIT Higher Education Project), UNESCO is taking stock of how subject benchmarks are developed in educational studies and cultural heritage management, including how such programmes are quality assured. To support this consultation process, UNESCO Bangkok invites comments and feedback on how quality standards are developed and implemented in the Asia-Pacific region before the First Session of the Tokyo Convention Committee to be held from 18-19 October 2018 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Your inputs will help to shape the next generation of quality tools for higher education in the Asia-Pacific region.
Below, please find materials from the latest expert meeting, and share your insights or questions with us at the Section for Educational Innovation and Skills Development, UNESCO Bangkok: eisd.bgk@unesco.org.
Resources:
Overview of UNESCO’s 2nd Asia-Pacific Expert Meeting: Implementing National Qualifications Frameworks (NQF) at Subject Level: Working Group on Educational Studies in Asia-Pacific (23-24 August 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand)
