“The SHARE Programme is an efficient mechanism for strengthening academic
cooperation between the EU and the ASEAN, especially in the Higher Education sphere.”
– Prof. Sirirurg Songsivilai
From 29 to 31 March 2021, higher education stakeholders participated in the 14th SHARE Policy Dialogue on “The Contribution of Higher Education Partnerships in Southeast Asia towards the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030”.
This was organised by the EU Support to Higher Education in the ASEAN region (SHARE) Programme, and designed and delivered in partnership with SEAMEO RIHED, UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, the ASEAN Secretariat’s Education Youth and Sports Division (EYSD), the ASEAN University Network and partners.
The opening remarks were delivered by Prof. Sirirurg Songsivilai, M.D., Ph.D., Permanent Secretary of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation of Thailand.
Prof Songsivilai recognized the SHARE Programme as a “platform for universities, key stakeholders and representatives from regional and interregional organisations to share views and experiences and propose strategies for further higher education collaboration to achieve the 2030 Agenda.”
Following Prof. Sirirurg Songsivilai were opening remarks by:
- H.E. Mr David Daly Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Thailand
- Dr Romyen Kosaikanont, SEAMEO RIHED Centre Director
- Dr Roger Y. Chao Jr., Head, Education, Youth and Sports Division, ASEAN Secretariat
- Mr Shigeru Aoyagi, Director, Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, UNESCO Bangkok
- Dr Choltis Dhirathiti, Executive Director, ASEAN University Network
- Mr Darren McDermott, SHARE Programme Team Leader
The Policy Dialogue showcased efforts for collaboration toward the achievement of SDG 4 and emphasized the potential of higher education partnerships to further contribute to the achievement of all 17 SDGs. Mr Darren McDermott noted the importance of looking at “the SDGs as 17 interlinked goals.”
“There is a lot to be done and a great willingness to collaborate finding solutions. More ready to act than ever before. Share has focused on the internationalization of higher education in South East Asia.”
– Mr Darren McDermott
Keynote Speaker Mr Libing Wang, Chief of Section for Educational Innovation and Skills Development (EISD), UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, Thailand, discussed “The Role of Higher Education Partnerships in Promotion of The Goals”. Mr Wang recognized that “higher education systems have responded quickly to new SDG friendly agendas to revamp their teaching and learning, research, social engagement and outreach activities.”
“This [SHARE Policy Dialogue] itself is a great example of a type of higher education partnerships in the region to promote the achievement of the sustainable development goals.”
He called for SDG relevance to be considered as “one of the important quality indicators that should be integrated into programme development and planning tools of higher education institutions.”
Dr Roger Y. Chao Jr, Head, Education, Youth and Sports Division, ASEAN Secretariat, recognized the significant progress done toward achieving the SDGs and cautioned that, “if we [society at large] do business as usual, we will not achieve the SDGs.” He urged for the continuation of “making higher education partnerships inclusive and equitable, and to have shared goals.”
ASEF Facilitated Session: Inclusion as a Precondition to Higher Education Partnerships to Achieve the SDGs.
The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) Education Department facilitated a session on “Inclusion as a Precondition to Higher Education Partnerships to Achieve the SDGs”, facilitated by Ms Reka Tozsa, Senior Project Manager of ASEF.
The first half of the session was opened by Ms Leonie Nagarajan, Director of the Education Department of ASEF. She presented the studies done by ASEF, the and the
The report focused on the risks and opportunities for inclusion and equity in higher education leading up to 2030. It includes policy recommendations for both policymakers and university leaders (ASEM Partners). The study has 4 chapters focusing on underlying themes:
- Inclusive Learning and Teaching in a Digital World
- Inclusive and Flexible Lifelong Learning Pathways
- Inclusive international mobility of People and knowledge
- Equitable Access and Success in Higher Education
To download the ARC8 Outlook Report 2030: Inclusive and Divers HE in Asia and Europe,
A screen reader friendly version of the ARC8 Outlook Report 2030 can also be downloaded,
The equity survey complements the ARC Outlook Report. The National Equity Survey 2021report is on the various approaches by governments across Asia and Europe to support students from all social backgrounds and circumstances to access higher education.
To download the ASEM National Equity Policies in
Higher Education 2021,
A screen reader friendly version of the ASEM National Equity Policies in Higher Education 2021 can also be downloaded,
In this session, a new report on “Achieving Inclusive Higher Education in the ASEAN Region” was launched. A study was conducted in cooperation with graduate students of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. The report was presented by Mr Alexandre Tham and Mr Nathan Lefievre.
The study presented that “numerous higher education professionals are aware of the importance of inclusion in higher education.” However, a gap was identified between
the perceived importance of inclusion and the status quo. The study indicated room for improvement in inclusion in ASEAN higher education institutions.
The study also found that institutions with multiple respondents were unclear whether their respective institutions had an international inclusion strategy. This indicated that the “institutions’ strategy is not effectively communicated and disseminated internally.”
To download the study on “Achieving Inclusive Higher Education in the ASEAN Region,”
Based on these studies, it was observed that the is a major gap in the understanding of equitable access and success in Asia and Europe. Thus, the high potential of information technology in supporting data collection of universities and governments was highlighted.
ASEF Panel of Experts and Higher Education Managers
The second part of the session was a roundtable discussion with practitioners’ views on inclusive partnerships in ASEAN. Participating in the panel were alumni of the Capacity Building Workshop Advancing Inclusion in International Higher Education in ASEAN:
- Assoc. Prof. Filmor Murillo, Director of the Centre for International Linkages and Affairs, Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, Philippines
- Dr Hui Min Low, Associate Professor, Special Education Programme, School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
- Dr Agustinus Hermino Superma, Project Manager, International Consultant, Lancang Mekong Cooperation Project, Ministry of Education and Sports, Lao PDR
The Session Chair and Moderator was Prof. Nopraenue Sajjarax Dhirathiti, Vice President for International Relations and Corporate, Communication, Mahidol University, Thailand
ASEF encourages higher education stakeholders and the public at large to watch the session recordings in the following links: