ISLAMABAD: A World Bank report has called upon South Asian governments to step up regional collaboration in higher education, noting that growing internationalisation has been one of the most striking trends characterising the global landscape over the past two decades.

Several models of cross-border collaboration have emerged, which could be of great benefit to the South Asia region: multi-campus universities, branch campuses, academic mobility, joint delivery of instruction, joint research projects, professional networks for academics and higher education institutions, quality assurance and accreditation associations, recognition of qualification networks, and strategic partnerships and alliances, according to the report titled, Regional Integration for Higher Education Development – Options for South Asia.

The report identified three enabling factors that could help facilitate the creation of a higher education regional space in South Asia _ widespread use of English; advanced information and communications technology; and the open science and open education resources movement.

According to the report, the ability of South Asian nations to work together in higher education will “determine their capacity to support the development efforts” of their respective countries in an effective and dynamic manner.

Unlike the recent evolution in Europe and East Asia, South Asian higher education systems and institutions have made little progress in working together, notwithstanding the positive results of a few noteworthy partnerships, such as creation of the South Asia University.

Against this backdrop, the report explored the potential for increased regional collaboration and integration in higher education in the South Asia region and outlined a roadmap for progress in that direction.

Unlike other parts of the world, South Asia does not have many formal regional higher education undertakings. Two initiatives exist: the South Asian University in Delhi, and the Asian University of Women in Bangladesh.

The South Asian University (SAU) was set up in 2010 as a specialised body of SAARC. It is primarily a post-graduate institution, graduating about 200 students every year.

The Asian University for Women (AUW), located in Chittagong, was chartered by the Bangladesh parliament in 2006 as an independent international university. To date, UAW has graduated more than 900 women from 15 countries in the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Regional collaboration

According to the report, considering the political difficulties that prevent regional collaboration initiatives for higher education to thrive through official channels, external facilitation provided by multilateral agencies such as the World Bank can be a game-changer.

This facilitation role can take three complementary forms: a convening function for policy and professional dialogue, financial and technical support for regional activities, and support for regulatory harmonisation.

Rather than seeking to expand relationships through government channels, South Asian universities could achieve tangible results by participating in bilateral initiatives with like-minded higher education institutions in other countries of the region, or collaborating through national, regional, and international university networks and associations.

Multilateral agencies like the World Bank could play an important role as convener and financier, building on and expanding beyond the few successful ongoing regional initiatives in the higher education sphere, the report says.

Most collaborative initiatives and partnerships in which South Asian higher education institutions are currently involved tend to be with universities in Europe and North America, and to a lesser extent East Asia and the Pacific.

In the past decades, South Asian countries have considered ways of promoting regional collaboration in higher education through ad hoc mechanisms, usually on the sidelines of Saarc meetings.

In a highly competitive global higher education landscape, the cost of “doing nothing” is high. The South Asian higher education systems and institutions, just like any other sector, must seek to improve their performance and responsiveness to the needs of their countries. Efforts to increase regional collaboration and integration could be a game-changer, concludes the report.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2023