2023, May 12
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What is the Future of Higher Education in Asia?
2023, May 12
Share this articleLeaders of top universities in Asia discussed the main challenges of higher education at the Forum of Presidents of the Asian Universities Alliance at NU.
NU Asian Universities Alliance (AUA) Presidents’ Forum May 11-13. The forum titled “Shaping Higher Education in a Changing Asia: Creation, Integration and Innovation” gathered together leaders of 15 member countries of the alliance, including leading universities in China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
"NU is one of the 15 founding members of the Asian Universities Alliance. Every year there is an annual meeting, a board meeting and a presidential forum. This time we are discussing the future of universities, the future of higher education. It is very important for us to understand how our Asian colleagues from Eastern Asia, South Asia, even West Asia envision their future as universities. There are many things we can learn from them as NU. We have also seen how everyone was amazed at how much NU has achieved in 13 years, and they too want to learn from us," NU President Shigeo Katsu explained.
At the opening ceremony of the forum, the participants were greeted by the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NU Alikhan Smailov. He called the forum an excellent platform for discussing topical issues of higher education, developing a common vision and creating new opportunities for further fruitful interaction within the alliance. The Prime Minister also noted the leading role of NU in research activities, calling NU a successful model of a modern research university that combines education, research and innovation.
“In just 13 years of its existence, NU has become the beacon for talented students, faculty, researchers, innovators, and professional staff. Next month NU will graduate its 9th cohort. NU students and graduates comprise a critical mass of close to 15000 future leaders ready to take Kazakhstan to new heights in its development. It is noteworthy that for the first time not only in Kazakhstan, but also in the post-Soviet space, academic freedom and institutional autonomy have been enshrined in the Law on the Status of NU. This along with other guiding values and principles have become key factors enabling NU’s success and rapid development.” Prime Minister Smailov noted.
The program of the AUA President’s Forum consisted of 3 main panel sessions: discussions on the challenges modern universities are faced amid deepening inequality, and climate change, as well as the prospects and risks of the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies; promoting the mobility of students and scientists in Asia and attracting global talent to the region; the development of sustainable universities and developing student skills and sustainable mindset.
During a panel session, Kazakh Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek noted the importance of universities keeping up with times, changes in the job market, emerging new industries, and rapid technological progress. As an example, he cited "accelerated universities" that have appeared in different parts of the world in recent decades. These are young research universities that, thanks to government support, combined with generous funding and innovative ideas, achieve impressive results in a fairly short time.
“I think that one of the main directions for the development of education in Asia is the model of “accelerated universities”, where the state, through politics, resources, attracting talents, accelerates the path that Western or traditional universities have been going through for centuries. NU is an excellent example of such accelerated development, which is already bearing fruit today. Other examples include the Korean university UNIST and many other Asian universities. Research Universities in Asia can prove to be very strong, combining research and quality teaching.” Sayasat Nurbek noted.
During the sessions, the leaders of Asian universities spoke about the rapid pace of digitization and the rise of artificial intelligence, affecting all industries and disrupting the labor market and the entire economy as a whole. AI is already changing 70-year-old university student performance assessment and admissions systems today. In this regard, the forum participants emphasized the importance of prioritizing the development of digital architecture in universities to prepare students for a modern, rapidly changing labor market. The participants also noted the two main qualities of modern universities “resilience” and “agility”. Universities cannot be limited to formal education but should be centers of continuous education and offer opportunities for developing new skills and retraining.
At the end of the AUA President’s Forum 2023 sessions, alliance members agreed to further advance the quality of higher education in Asia by strengthening partnerships, and promoting academic excellence and innovation.
The Asian Universities Alliance includes 15 prestigious Asian universities: Tsinghua University (China), NU (Kazakhstan), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong SAR), University of Tokyo (Japan), Seoul National University (South Korea), National University of Singapore ( Singapore), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (India), University of Indonesia (Indonesia), Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), Universiti Malaya (Malaysia), University of Colombo (Sri Lanka), Yangon University (Myanmar), Peking University (China), United Arab Emirates University (United Arab Emirates), King Saud University (Saudi Arabia
