亚洲教育北京论坛

Education Forum for Asia

NEWSFLASH

January 2006

In the News:  Current News and Events in Education and Asian Society

Education Without Borders: International Trade in Education
Across the world, more people than ever before are choosing to undertake an international education. Since 1980, the number of students enrolled outside their home country in courses of higher education has almost doubled. There were around 1.8 million international students in 2002 and recent projections suggest that the world's demand for international higher education could increase to eight million student places by 2025.

Growth Increases Demand for Higher Levels of Education

The world's best-developed higher education systems are not found in the countries with the fastest growing demand for student places. Rising participation in higher education is a worldwide trend, but the pressure on developing and middle-income countries to provide greater access to post-secondary education is more extreme than that faced by high-income countries.

Economic development alters a country's demand profile for education. In high-income economies (the member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development or OECD), the highest returns on all expenditure on education, measured by average incomes per capita for each level of education attained, accrue to graduates of higher education. In developing and middle-income countries, the highest economic returns on education are generally earned from expenditure on the primary and secondary levels. However, as countries develop and diversify their economies away from labor-intensive activities, most notably agriculture, the need to direct more resources to human capital development becomes apparent in line with rising productivity from greater investment in physical capital.

Asia and the Global Education Market

Rapid economic growth in Asia has been the most important cause of the growth of trade in education over the past quarter century. Enrolments in higher education across Asia are growing as countries direct more public and private resources to the expansion of places in higher education. However, decades of insufficient public investment in higher education in Asia's developing and middle- income countries mean that enrolment ratios remain low compared with those in the member states of the OECD, and that skill shortages persist. Over the medium term, this means that demand for higher education will continue to outstrip these countries' capacity to provide it.

The pressure for more tertiary level places in Asia, for higher quality education and greater choice of studies has also created the momentum for the large-scale reform and restructuring of higher education now under way in several economies. Governments across the region welcome trade in education and the introduction of private education as a means to raise participation in higher education.
Expanding Access to Higher Education

In the short to medium term, recent increases in public expenditure on higher education in China and South-East Asia are unlikely to be sufficient to meet the burgeoning demand for university places. Malaysia, for example, commits a higher than average share of public expenditure to higher education but this is inadequate in light of Malaysia's young and growing population. It is no accident that Malaysia has been one of Asia's most high profile participants in international trade in education; more students from Malaysia are enrolled offshore as a share of all students in higher education than is the case for any other country in Asia.

Turning to Private Education

There are varying degrees of private participation in higher education across Asia, from Japan and the Republic of Korea, which have the world's most highly privatized higher education systems, to Malaysia and Singapore, where higher education until recently has been provided almost entirely by the state. Attitudes to private education in China and South- East Asia are changing. Governments in Asia increasingly value private higher education, as it alleviates pressure on publicly funded higher education and delivers subjects not yet taught widely or to a high standard in local universities.

The participation of foreign universities in domestic higher education presents unprecedented opportunities to Australian institutions that are willing to be proactive in the delivery of courses in students' home countries. Singapore's invitation to universities from overseas to deliver courses in Singapore in partnership with its top-tier universities (the `Global Schoolhouse' initiative), does more than expand access to higher education for Singaporeans. It is also developing Singapore into a regional hub for higher education that attracts large numbers of international students from neighboring countries, particularly China.

Australia’s Trade in Education

Education is Australia's fourth largest export. In 2003-04, education services were worth A$5.9 billion to the Australian economy, a 13% increase on 2002-03.

The commercialization of higher education as an export is a more recent development in Australian higher education. Onshore enrolments of international students in higher education dominate Australia's international trade in education. Between 1994 and 2004, the number of international students undertaking courses in higher education in Australia increased at an average rate of 15% per year. In 1994, 35,290 international students were enrolled in higher education in Australia. In 2004, this figure had grown to 151,798.

Australia's onshore enrolments constitute the largest share of international students to total enrolments in higher education of any OECD country. In 2004, higher education accounted for almost 70% of a total of $3.4 billion earned in fees from international education by Australian institutions. Growth in onshore enrolments continues to be strong.

Asia will continue to be the most important region for growth in Australia's export of education services. Degrees in business, law and the social sciences comprise the majority of studies undertaken by international students in Australia.
Australian universities and the Australian Government have a role to play in the evolution of higher education in Asia. Australia has experience in course design and delivery, quality assurance and policy development for higher education that is being shared with countries in the Asia Pacific region.

This happens by memoranda of understanding between Australia and governments in the region and through skills transfer between Australian universities with an offshore presence and their partner institutions.

Australian institutions active in students' home countries

While Australia has been especially successful among OECD countries in attracting students to study onshore, changing circumstances in Australia's key markets will require greater offshore participation by Australian institutions.

Singapore's aim to establish itself as a regional hub for international education has opened the way for a number of joint- ventures between foreign institutions and the country's own top- tier universities.

UNSW Asia, scheduled to commence operations in 2007, will be Singapore's first foreign-owned university, and the first wholly Australian-owned and operated research and teaching campus to be established overseas.

In China, there are numerous Australian institutions working with Chinese partners to deliver courses across a wide spectrum of disciplines and to strengthen Chinese universities' capacity to conduct basic research.

Monash University is the first international university to have established a campus in Malaysia. Of the five private international universities in Malaysia, three are Australian. In Vietnam, too, Australian institutions have been at the vanguard of that country's introduction of private education. RMIT International is Vietnam's first international private university.

Australia's Education Exports and Trade Liberalization

This report highlights the benefits for Australia's trade in education from ongoing services negotiations in the World Trade Organization and from FTAs concluded or proposed between Australia and key trading partners.

In the WTO, the 2001 Doha Ministerial Declaration launched a new round of multilateral trade negotiations. Market access negotiations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) are an integral part of the Doha Round. Under the Agreement, WTO Member countries are able to make requests of other members to provide market access to their education sectors and address specific restrictions on trade in education services.

The Australia-US Free Trade Agreement represents a significant outcome for Australia's exporters of education services. Australia is already a net exporter of education services to the United States, and the FTA should provide a robust framework to support the continued growth in our education exports to the United States.

The Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) has also achieved a number of important outcomes for education, going beyond the GATS on market access and national treatment, to the benefit of Australian exporters of education services. The Agreement provides for national treatment and greater market access for Australian education providers seeking to establish their presence in Singapore. Singapore Government overseas scholarships are now tenable at Australian universities under SAFTA and the number of Australian law degrees recognized in Singapore has increased to 10.

Education is an important and growing sector in bilateral services trade between Australia and China. Several Australian universities have strong links with Chinese institutions dating back to the 1980s.

China was Australia's leading source country for international student enrolments in 2004, with a total of 68,857 Chinese nationals enrolled in courses in all Australian education sectors, and there are an estimated 30,000 students studying Australian programs in China.

At present, foreign education service suppliers meeting qualification requirements may provide education services in China if they are invited or employed by Chinese schools and other education institutions. However, Australian education service providers and investors face a range of challenges operating in or conducting business with China. These include license and market access restrictions and limits on foreign equity and joint-venture partnerships with Chinese investors.

There could be few more compelling examples of the benefits and challenges of globalization than the emergence of the global education market over the past quarter century. Asia's rapid economic development has been the key driver of global demand for international education. The rise in per capita incomes has afforded the citizens of Asian countries opportunities to access higher education through international education that were, for the most part, unavailable to previous generations.

Development, however, has also exposed capacity constraints in higher education across Asia.

Importantly for Australia's onshore enrolments of international students and Australian institutions' delivery of education services offshore, Asian countries continue to embrace international education as populations grow and as national incomes increase. The liberalization of services trade is enabling Australian institutions to meet this growing demand, both in Australia and overseas.  (Source: Malaysian Business)

Education System Getting Fuzzier, but This is Good: Tharman

The Singapore education system is going through a major shift, from one that is heavily standardized to one that provides more room for different talents to grow.

And you don't have to be exam-smart to get ahead in such a landscape.

As the system moves from one that is based on exam meritocracy to one that is based on talent meritocracy, fuzziness is the new buzzword.  "A certain fuzziness that comes when you move from a system that is about efficiency, to a system that is about choice. And I think that fuzziness is good, it blurs the identity, blurs the definition, no one is about a label, no one is about which stream he is in. He or she is about a set of talents that need to be nurtured," said Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, in an exclusive interview with Channel NewsAsia.

And, blurring the lines is a key characteristic of the education scene in 2005. More primary schools now offer new specializations ranging from outdoor adventure to information technology. More options are also available for secondary school students. Those interested in Chinese culture, for example, could sign up for the new intensive bi-cultural programme. This grooms individuals to act as Singapore's bridge between the East and the West.

As for some Normal Academic students, instead of taking their N-Level examination after 4 years, they can skip it and take their O-Levels after a five-year course - which means more time to explore other interests. But the Minister made it clear that schools have the flexibility to decide if they want some of these changes.  He explained: "We want schools to decide, we want students to decide. These are not top-down initiatives, they are ground up and we will support them from the top.”

Mr. Tharman also said more electives, ranging from digital media to business classes now available at the polytechnics and Institutes of Technical Education, will soon be offered to secondary students.  And if all goes well, they could start earning polytechnic diploma credits from secondary one.

Mr. Tharman said: "We are not keen on accelerated learning, in other words, having students study early what they will otherwise study later on and then graduate earlier.  "But we are keen on providing enrichment and providing opportunities for you to learn more within the same period of time."

Aside from fuzziness, the Education Minister says flexibility and fluidity will be other defining characteristics of the Singapore education system.  Mr. Tharman said: "When you add it all up, it becomes a more complex picture because you are not just talking about three or four streams with thick black lines drawn between them.  "You are talking about more intermingling, more fluidity between the streams. And choice can be a little confusing." That said, the Minister is confident that parents and students will take these changes in their stride.

Another key education change is that there are now more pathways to secondary schools.  43 secondary schools exercised Direct School Admissions or DSA this year, up from seven last year.  This meant that over 2,000 primary school students got a confirmed place in these schools on the strength of their special talents and aptitudes, even before sitting for their Primary Six Leaving Examinations (PLSE).  For these students, the PSLE results were not as important as before.  And the DSA was not limited to just the integrated programme schools.

Ten mainstream schools took in 5% of their students based on discretionary admissions and this number is set to go up in the coming years.

Mr. Tharman said: "The DSA has been a major innovation and it is working well. It is about moving from an exam meritocracy to a talent meritocracy. If we stick only with the national exams as a means of entry into secondary school, it is transparent and simple but it will tend to narrow our definition of talent and it will tend to narrow our definition of success."

Mr. Tharman also responded to feedback that some feel the DSA scheme is elitist, with top talents getting a head start in top secondary schools.  He pointed out that after the DSA exercise, well over 80 per cent of the places in these schools were still available for the main secondary school posting exercise after the PSLE results were out.  But the NUS High School, which specializes in math and science, was the exception.  It took in most of its students through the DSA.
Still, Mr. Tharman pointed out that 130 of its Secondary One students next year come from over 60 schools.  This, he said, was "a very broad representation." Mr. Tharman added: "So these are not elitist schemes, they are schemes to find students with talents wherever they come from. And the students who got into NUS High using the DSA value this scheme. Not all of them would have done outstandingly in the PSLE. But they have a special talent in science and math.

"So that's the way to go, we have introduced flexibility and fluidity but keep the PSLE as the mainstay for admission into secondary schools. The balance is about right; we will review it in a few years' time. But it is working out quite well so far."

The tertiary education landscape also saw significant changes in 2005.  Three new faculties opened up at the Nanyang Technological University, and the Singapore Management University's downtown campus finally opened its doors in July.  The three new faculties at NTU are the School for Physical and Mathematical Sciences, the Art, Design and Media School, as well as the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty.

Putting Words into Action:  Speeches and Essays from Leaders in the World of Education, Social Development, and Positive Change

What follows is a speech given by Prof. Arthur KC Li at the Ministers Meeting of the Education Forum for Asia 2005 Annual Conference.  More speeches delivered at AC 2005 will soon be available on our website and in the soon to be published Education Forum for Asia 2005 Annual Conference Symposium.  Please send requests to office@asia-edu.org.

Minister Zhou, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:

It is my pleasure and honour to address such a distinguished audience at the Second Annual Conference of the Education Forum for Asia. So, first of all, I would like to congratulate the Beijing Municipal Government, Boao Forum for Asia, UNESCO and the China Scholarship Council for organising this remarkable event.

The theme of this year's conference is "Education Development Strategies for Asian Countries in the New Century". This is a timely subject for Hong Kong, as right now we are undergoing major education reforms that will fundamentally alter the academic structure of secondary and higher education, and revolutionalise the learning experience of our next generations. As the Secretary for Education and Manpower of Hong Kong, I would like to share with you our experience in spearheading these reforms, as well as our vision for the future.

Hong Kong's Challenges in the New Century

Like many modern cities in the Asia Pacific Region, Hong Kong is moving fast into a knowledge-based economy. The 21st Century has brought new challenges to us, and calls for innovative solutions. But unlike many modern cities in the region, Hong Kong is small. We have no natural resources to rely on; our single and most important asset is our people.

Over the past decades, Hong Kong has strived to become the regional financial centre, and to lead in trade and high value-added services. These changes have exerted great pressure on our manpower supply. Total labour force in Hong Kong last year was just over three-and-a-half million, but our projections show that by 2007, we will have a shortfall of over 100,000 people with education at post-secondary level and above, and at the same time a surplus of 230,000 at or below upper secondary level. Clearly, the evolving job requirements are not in favour of persons with lower educational attainment. There is only one way to address this problem -- that is to upgrade the quality of our workforce, and we do this by upgrading our education services.

Education in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, education has always been high up on our political agenda. This year, education spending amounts to some HK$58 billion. It is our single largest expenditure item, representing 23.5% of total government expenditure, or 4.4% of our GDP. In absolute dollar terms, this is a growth of 54% compared to 1997.

In terms of policy, we have put in place a well-established education system providing nine years of free and universal basic education. This is supplemented by a full range of education services at the pre-school, senior secondary and post-secondary levels. Almost all students who are willing to stay at school can receive senior secondary education or vocational training at highly subsidised rates. Competition at university entrance exam is, however, very keen. Even if you take into account the other education opportunities at the sub-degree level, by the end of the last century, only one-third of our school leavers could receive post-secondary education.

Increase Post-secondary Education Opportunities

This is why in 2000 we made it a policy objective to double the provision, so that in 10 years' time, 60% of our senior secondary school leavers should have access to post-secondary education. This is an ambitious target, but is necessary if Hong Kong is to remain competitive.

Education is expensive, especially in Hong Kong where government is subsidising over 80% of the cost of university places. If we were to double the provision using that same funding mode, the burden on public finance would hardly be sustainable. So we recognised from the start that self-financing institutions should be playing an important role in the expansion of the post-secondary sector, with the Government being a supporter and facilitator. We have left it to the market to determine the number and types of programmes to be offered, while providing suitable incentives to encourage the development. These include HK$5 billion of interest-free loans; prime sites at nominal premium; student financial assistance; and a rigorous quality assurance mechanism.

As a result, new service providers have emerged. We now have 20 self-financing institutions offering over 25,000 intake places at sub-degree and degree levels. The post-secondary education participation rate has also doubled, from 33% in 2000 to 66% this year. In other words, we have achieved our 60% target five years ahead of schedule.

The major driving force behind this is the introduction of Associate Degree (or AD) into Hong Kong, as an alternative to other more vocationally oriented sub-degree programmes such as the Higher Diploma or Professional Diploma which have always been part of our education system.

The new AD is remarkably well-received. It is now accepted by all our local universities, as well as some 150 tertiary institutions in 10 other regions or countries, for admission to their degree courses or for credit transfer. Outside the academia, 22 professional bodies from the business, engineering, finance, accounting, IT and logistics sectors recognise our AD qualifications for the purpose of granting exemptions from parts of their professional examinations. The AD graduates are also considered for appointment to government posts.

Our Tertiary Institutions' Quest for Excellence

We are delighted to see our self-financing sub-degree sector flourish, but at the top of the knowledge ladder, our universities will always have a special role to play.

In Hong Kong, we have eight institutions that Government funds through the University Grants Committee: the two oldest ones are comprehensive research universities; a younger one focuses on science, technology and business; there are also two polytechnics turned universities, one liberal arts university, one university which adopts a holistic approach to higher education, and one teacher training institute. Each year the government spends over HK$10 billion subsidising their operation, and this is on top of the prime sites and capital funds for their infrastructural development. To encourage institutions to diversify the funding source, we have also provided one-off grants amounting to HK$1 billion each to match the private donations they receive.

We are confident that these are monies well-spent, because our institutions are ready to compete at the highest international level. They host Asia's best executive business management and hospitality programmes. They are also ready to venture into new niche areas – like creative media, Chinese medicine and logistics. In terms of research, our institutions have produced impressive findings that gain global recognition. Our biomedicine researchers were among the first in the world to track down the culprit of SARS in 2003.

Much though we would like to support their development, resources are limited. Our institutions must therefore focus their efforts strategically. We encourage role differentiation, and have introduced a special funding scheme to help them improve performance according to role. What we wish to see is Hong Kong's higher education sector developing as one force, with each of the institutions contributing in its own way and in a complementary manner.

Developing Hong Kong as the Regional Education Hub

And where is this united force to work? Hong Kong being Asia's world city, our vision and ambition do not stop at the boundary. We aspire to serve the neighbouring areas, and be the Education Hub of the region.

Hong Kong has a diversified system of education with internationally recognised curriculum and assessment catering to the needs of both the local and international communities. Non-local students are also drawn to Hong Kong's unique blend of Chinese and Western cultures: to those from Mainland China, we offer an international perspective in a familiar context; to overseas students, we make knowledge of our hinterland and China business much more accessible.

We have also created an environment conducive to bringing different parts of the world together. All our tertiary institutions use English as the medium of instruction. Our Basic Law guarantees them institutional autonomy and academic freedom. We set no limit for the admission of non-local research students. For other publicly-funded programmes, non-local students can make up as much as 10% of the target student numbers.

Student exchanges are part of our universities' regular academic activities. They can freely deploy government funds for this purpose, and we also encourage them to offer scholarships to high calibre non-local students. I mentioned that we have set aside HK$1 billion to match private donations received by our institutions. This covers, among other things, scholarships for non-local students.

In terms of system readiness and the availability of resources, Hong Kong is fully geared up for internationalisation. What we need now are more international partners to make this a success. Perhaps there is no better occasion than an international conference like this to make an appeal, so on behalf of the heads of our eight institutions who are here today, may I extend our invitation to you all to join us in our internationalisation efforts.

The New "3+3+4" Academic Structure

I have taken you through the blooms and new directions in our education system, but none of these will be sustainable unless we are prepared to inject new life into the system itself. To this end, we will implement, from 2009 onwards, a new academic structure for senior secondary and higher education.

At the moment, our secondary school education follows a "3+2+2" structure. Under the new academic structure, all students will have the opportunity to enjoy three years of senior secondary education. Instead of drilling for two public exams in four years to get into universities, they will enjoy a much better structured curriculum, be able to spend more time on learning, and will have their educational attainment fairly assessed against recognised levels of competence.

At the tertiary education level, a four-year undergraduate programme will replace the three-year one, giving our students more room for a more balanced personal development. The new academic structure will also align Hong Kong with a number of important international systems, thus facilitating the students’ articulation to institutions outside Hong Kong.

Fundamentally changing the academic structure is a mammoth task. It cannot be achieved without the vision of educationalists, the determination of policy makers, and above all, the full support of all stakeholders – parents, students, teachers, institutions, taxpayers, basically everyone in the community. Hong Kong has taken many years to reach this consensus – and I am glad we did. In the coming years, the Government will have to put in capital funding amounting to HK$7.9 billion for works and one-off expenses, and thereafter an additional HK$2 billion each year to meet the recurrent costs. We have a long way to go, but we will press ahead with enthusiasm, knowing that we are making great strides in the right direction and implementing changes that will become a landmark of our education history.

Concluding Remarks

Ladies and gentlemen, in the limited time available, I have attempted to give you a broad picture of the opportunities and challenges for the education system in Hong Kong. It would not surprise me if you find the things that we have done or plan to do are familiar to you at home. It is hardly an over-statement to say that, despite the differences in cultures and education systems, all governments and institutions are moving along similar tracks. We are all trying to address socio-economic and technological changes in the New Centuries. This is why I said that this conference is particularly timely and useful.

I hope the conference is just the beginning of a dialogue – we will take it forward through continuous collaboration and sharing. With this in mind, I wish you all a fruitful conference, and for overseas visitors, a most enjoyable stay in our country.  Thank you.

Upcoming Events

Distance, Collaborative, and E-Learning Conference 2006

Kuala Lampur, Malaysia

January 4-5, 2006

The Distance, Collaborative, and E-Learning Conference 2006 (DCEL 2006) is an opportunity for academics, practitioners, and consultants who are involved in the study, management, development and implementation of distance, collaborative, and e-learning as well as for the professions to come together and exchange ideas and examples of best practice.

The conference objectives are to share knowledge and identify innovations in distance, collaborative and e-learning in the country as well as overseas, share findings of research done by researchers in the field of long-life learning, share the best practices and approaches of knowledge management in the era of k-economy, and identify issues and challenges in the field of distance, collaborative and e-learning in pursuing continuous improvement of quality teaching and learning.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Providing Learning Opportunities in the New Millennium Via Innovative Approach”.  Sub-themes include Collaborative Learning, E-Learning, Lifelong Learning, Human Resource Development, Open Learning, Adult Education, Continuing Professional Education, Training Management, and Extension Education.

Organization Profile:  This section highlights an organization or program that is making a difference in the fields of education or social development.

Pathfinder International

Pathfinder International believes that reproductive health is a basic human right. When parents can choose the timing of pregnancies and the size of their families, women's lives are improved and children grow up healthier.

Pathfinder International provides women, men, and adolescents throughout the developing world with access to quality family planning and reproductive health information and services. Pathfinder works to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS, to provide care to women suffering from the complications of unsafe abortion, and to advocate for sound reproductive health policies in the U.S. and abroad.

Since 1957, Pathfinder International has supported high quality family planning and reproductive health services that improve the lives of women, men, and children throughout the developing world.

Working in over 20 countries throughout Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Near East, Pathfinder is committed to making family planning and reproductive health services available to all who want them. By partnering with local governments and grassroots organizations, Pathfinder creates programs that are responsive to the needs of individual communities.

Over the years, Pathfinder’s innovative programs in reproductive health and family planning have expanded to integrate the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, and care for women suffering from complications of unsafe abortions. Today, these integrated services reach millions of the most vulnerable women, men and adolescents in the poorest communities of the world.

In isolated rural areas, Pathfinder trains community members to provide their neighbors with contraceptive services and reproductive health counseling in their own homes. With Pathfinder's support, young women who come to hospital emergency rooms suffering from unsafe, illegal abortions receive life-saving treatment, and are provided with counseling and contraception before they leave the hospital. Pathfinder's projects go directly to the people who need them most, bringing integrated information and services into the workplace, marketplace, schools, community groups, and youth centers.

Pathfinder's programs reflect the organization's belief that access to reproductive health and family planning services is a basic human right. Pathfinder is dedicated to providing women, men, and adolescents in the developing world with the information and services they need to exercise their reproductive rights.

For more information about Pathfinder International and its programs, please visit their website at http://www.pathfind.org/