Education leaders and experts from the UK, Laos and Vietnam met in Hanoi on 21 March 2014 to discuss different scenarios that face the higher education sector in ASEAN. The programme was organised by the British Council and used the university_vision approach, which was designed and implemented by the University Alliance, a group of 22 business-engaged universities in the UK.
A.Professor Dr Tran Anh Tuan, Deputy Director, Higher Education, the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam and Dr Phonephet Bounpha, Director General, Higher Education, the Ministry of Education and Sports of Laos, together with over 30 representatives from World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Rolls-Royce Vietnam, Intel Vietnam, universities, among many others, explored different social, economic and political drivers of change and worked out different scenarios that may affect the future of higher education sector within ASEAN countries.
Results of the interactive discussions, which were facilitated by Sam Jones and Emily Darlington from the University Alliance, were a vision of the higher education landscape in ASEAN beyond 2035. This vision will help policy-makers and higher education leaders better prepared to make the most of future opportunities as well as to seek innovative ways to anticipate and tackle challenges.
Chris Brown, Country Director, British Council Vietnam said: ‘In a Global Education Dialogue which was organised by the British Council recently in Ho Chi Minh City in November 2013, many education leaders were fascinated to hear about the university_vision approach. So we are delighted to create this opportunity for industrial and educational thinkers to apply this approach to the specific context of ASEAN countries.’
‘Results of the discussions today will be presented before presidents, rectors, chancellors and vice-chancellors of Southeast Asian Higher Education Institutes in a conference in May 2014 in Ho Chi Minh City.’