Envisioning the Future of a Common Higher Education Space in Southeast Asia

 The 15^th SHARE Policy Dialogue was conducted for two days, 27 – 28 July 2022. The Policy Dialogue 15 was held in a hybrid format in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, with the theme “Envisioning the Future of a Common Higher Education Space in Southeast Asia”. The Dialogue was co-hosted with the Ministry of Education and Training of Viet Nam and is organised in partnership with the Education, Youth, and Sports Division of the ASEAN Secretariat (EYSD ASEC), SEAMEO RIHED, the ASEAN University Network, and UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education. Through Policy Dialogue 15, the SHARE Programme has successfully brought together key stakeholders to share information, exchange views, and propose strategies to establish a common higher education space in Southeast Asia.

On the first day, the ASEAN Working Group on Higher Education Mobility (AWGHEM) members officially launched the ‘Roadmap on the ASEAN Higher Education Space 2025 and its Implementation Plan.’ The launch was officiated by H.E. Dr Nguyen Van Phuc, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, Viet Nam, H.E. Mr Giorgio Aliberti, EU Ambassador to Viet Nam, and H.E. Dato’ Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary General of ASEAN.

The launch was followed by congratulatory remarks by the regional stakeholders, including; Mr Lukáš Gajdoš (Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the EU Delegation to ASEAN), Mr Philip Masterson (Officer in Charge, SEAMEO RIHED), Dr Choltis Dhirathiti (Executive Director, ASEAN University Network), Mr Libing Wang (Chief, Section for Educational Innovation and Skills Development, UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, Thailand), and Mr Darren McDermott (SHARE Programme Team Leader).

Presented by Dr Roger Chao Jr., Assistant Director/ Head, Education, Youth, and Sports Division, ASEAN Secretariat, the Roadmap envisages a resilient and sustainable ASEAN Higher Education Space that enables greater harmonisation and internationalisation of the region’s higher education systems. It reflects the new reality for education worldwide and proposes adaptive and sustainable approaches to the changing context of higher education.  The Roadmap was developed by the ASEAN Working Group on Higher Education Mobility, led by ASEAN Secretariat’s Education, Youth and Sports Division, and supported by regional partners including the ASEAN University Network, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat, the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (RIHED), the ASEAN Quality Assurance Network, UNESCO and the European Union Support to Higher Education in the ASEAN Region (SHARE) programme.

After the launch, the session continued with a keynote presentation titled ‘Towards a Common Higher Education Space in Southeast Asia: Inspirations, Issues and Key Challenges’ by Libing Wang. He confirmed that it is in UNESCO’s DNA to promote the internationalisation of higher education as it can contribute to the ultimate mission of building a culture of peace in the minds of men and women. With the implementation of the new Roadmap, UNESCO hopes that the ASEAN regional higher education integration process can be inclusive and engaging, aligned with the global consensus, with more technical, scholarship, and financial resources from both internal and external sources to achieve their shared objectives.

An insightful panel discussion on ‘The Future of a Common Higher Education Space in Southeast Asia’ examined the structures and resources required to ensure the sustainability of Southeast Asia’s regional higher education space. Panellists and participants of the sessions considered future opportunities for the ASEAN Higher Education Space and the higher education community globally.

In the afternoon, the session was followed by a keynote presentation that highlighted ‘Digital Transformation and the Future of Higher Education in Southeast Asia’ delivered by Dr Marito Gracia, Adviser to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank on Digital Transformation in Education, Education Technology and Online Learning, and Digital Credentialing. Moderated by Wesley Teter, the session continued with an exciting panel discussion on digital transformation initiatives in Southeast Asia. The panellists emphasised that collaboration and financing are the essential factors to drive the digital transformation to realise a common higher education space in Southeast Asia.

The last session on the first day was a ‘Workshop on Digital Credential Supporting Student Mobility in Southeast Asia.’ It started with a presentation on SHARE SHARE Digital ASEAN Europe Credit Transfer System (SHARE DAECTS). The platform has a true potential to foster ASEAN-EU and intra-ASEAN mobility, especially for those higher education institutions that need to embrace digitalisation. It was then followed by a panel discussion with SHARE Partner University Practitioners from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Phnom Penh International University.

The second day of the Dialogue began with a keynote presentation titled ‘Communities of Practice of Regional Higher Education Harmonisation’ by Dr Chang Da Wan, Chief Operating Officer of the Head Foundation. Community of Practice (CoP) aims to develop an identity of institutions and individuals who share common concerns and are passionate about transforming higher education in the Southeast Asian region. A panel discussion was held after the keynote session to deep dive into ‘Towards the Integrated Sustainable Southeast Asian CoP.’ All the panellists expressed their appreciation and commitment to CoP to realise a larger scale of collaboration and networks among higher education practitioners.

The session continued with ‘Workshop on Virtual Exchange/Collaborative Online International Learning in Southeast Asia’. Started with the AVEC Platform presentation by Dr Keiko Ikeda, Vice-Director, Institute for Innovative Global Education (IIGE) and Professor, Division of International Affairs, Kansai University, and Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad, Director International Relations Centre (UKM Global), National University of Malaysia. Followed by experience sharing by SHARE Partner University Practitioners and Students. In this session, Partner Universities conveyed how beneficial the workshops and training on COIL are for their institution, especially during the pandemic when teaching and learning must be performed online.

In the afternoon, the session moved to discuss Student Mobility and Credit Transfer. It started with a presentation on the SHARE Scholarship Programme by Arief Maulana, SHARE Programme Manager, Nuffic, and continued with experience sharing by SHARE Partner Universities moderated by Peter van Tuijl, SHARE Programme Director, Nuffic. In this session, SHARE Alumni from Indonesia, Kevin Naufal Eryogia, shared that he had a great experience with the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) that he participated in. The lectures provided him with a new learning approach and enhanced his knowledge, especially from lecture references. In addition, universities and students also expressed that they were able to explore practical learning methods and cross-cultural exposure within the Southeast Asian region. 

Another SHARE Alumni from Viet Nam, Tri Kien Bui, who participated in the COIL course: Writing for Transnational Business Management, shared that he has successfully gained knowledge, especially on the case of business management in Southeast Asia. He felt that it is a competitive benefit for economics graduates to enter the labour force.

The last session of the day was a panel discussion on Conceptualising the Future of International Tertiary Education. The panellists and participants revisited the existing concept of higher education in the respective countries and how to make tertiary education accessible and affordable for all.

On the final day, Dr Roger Chao Jr (ASEAN Secretariat) invited representatives from the ASEAN Member States to share their thoughts and hopes regarding the higher education space in Southeast Asia. The organisers also thanked all stakeholders, partners, students, and participants for joining the 15^th SHARE Policy Dialogue and support to drive the transformation of the higher education space in Southeast Asia.

The Policy Dialogue has witnessed the launch of the Roadmap on the ASEAN Higher Education Space 2025 – another ASEAN milestone in the higher education sector. One of the major outcomes of the event was the commitment from stakeholders in ASEAN and Southeast Asia regions to carry forward the SHARE Programme results beyond its completion. SEAMEO RIHED will continue to deliver a series of policy dialogue events that provide avenues for higher education community to collectively contribute to the development of this sector in the region. The ASEAN Quality Assurance Network (AQAN) through AQAN Secretariat has received capacity-building assistance from the SHARE Programme to be prepared to carry on the qualification frameworks and quality assurance area. The ASEAN University Network has accepted to take up the student mobility and digital credential area.

The 15^th SHARE Policy Dialogue was participated by over 200 people (65 people presented in Ha Noi and over 150 people online through Hopin and YouTube). A highlight video from this Dialogue will be published on SHARE Programme YouTube Channel.

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Materials from SHARE Policy Dialogue 15 are accessible via the following links

• Press release: Here
• Programme book: Here
• Roadmap on the ASEAN Higher Education Space 2025 and Its Implementation Plan: Here
• Photos: Here

Day 1: 27 July 2022

• Recorded session: Here
• Speaker's presentation (Dr Roger Chao Jr.): Here
• Speaker's presentation (Meekyung Shin): Here
• Speaker's presentation (Dr Marito Garcia): Here
• Speaker's presentation (Wesley Teter): Here
• Speaker's presentation (Dr Keiko Ikeda): Here
• Speaker's presentation (Dr Tran Minh Triet): Here
• Speaker's presentation (Dr Paulina Pannen): Here
• Speaker's presentation (Mike Michalec): Here
• Speaker's presentation (Dr Nguyen Thanh Nam): Here
• Speaker's presentation (Stephane Pardo): Here
• Speaker’s presentation (Carmen L. Padrón-Nápoles): Here
• Speaker’s presentation (Dr Ky Ravikun): Here

Day 2: 28 July 2022

• Recorded session (part 1): Here
• Recorded session (part 2): Here
• Speaker's presentation (Dr Chang Da Wan): Here
• Speaker's presentation (Dr Yazrina Yahya): Here
• Speaker's presentation (Dr Doria Abdullah): Here
• Speaker's presentation (Dr Keiko Ikeda): Here
• Speaker’s presentation (Arief Maulana): Here
• Speaker’s presentation (Dr Sintho Wahyuning Ardie & Kevin Naufal Eryogia): Here
• Speaker’s presentation (Dr Ky Ravikun): Here
• Speaker’s presentation (Dr Le Thi Thu Thuy): Here
• Speaker’s presentation (Tri Kien Bui): Here
• Speaker’s presentation (Michael Peak): Here