Higher Education Policy Forum has its first meeting at the CRES+5
The relationship between higher education financing and sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean is highlighted at the CRES conference.
The first edition of the Higher Education Policy Forum, held this Friday, March 15th, during CRES+5 – a follow-up meeting to the III Regional Higher Education Conference (CRES 2018)— covered two key themes for public policies for higher education in the region: quality and financing. The transversal axis was the contribution of higher education to the objectives of sustainable development through quality and financing.
The event, organized by the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC), was divided into two panels with the participation of public policymakers from the region at the highest level and with the contribution of the public in open debates.
In the first panel of the day, the challenges and opportunities to improve quality in higher education were presented with a broad and comprehensive perspective. Aspects include monitoring and improving quality within institutions; system-level oversight by quality assurance agencies; quality in the development of missions (teaching, research and administration); faculty competencies and professional learning; relevance of higher education and research to the social needs; and innovation in quality improvement practices.
The second panel discussed the funding and sustainability of higher education. The discussion covered aspects such as public and private funding mechanisms for higher education institutions; financial support schemes for students through grants and loans; employment considerations and working conditions for staff; research grants; cost-effective ways to achieve quality, accessible and inclusive higher education; financial autonomy of institutions; and innovative approaches to funding.
During the debates, participants presented perspectives based on their experiences and discussed effective strategies for creating sustainable funding models that respond to the needs of higher education and optimise its impact on society. The relationship between policies related to higher education funding and the sector’s contribution to sustainability and the SDGs was also on the agenda.
MEC Social Communication Advisor
