Pan-Commonwealth Higher Education Conference

Education is at the heart of Governments’ efforts to raise productivity and the quality of life of citizens. Higher education imparts specialised skills essential for economic growth and is an important element of sustainable development.  In today’s globalised, knowledge-driven economy, a country’s stock of skilled labour is key in attracting foreign direct investment, especially in higher value industry. Universities have a long tradition of enrolling foreign students mainly for social and political objectives.  Over the last 20-30 years, the economic benefits of exporting education have gained more prominence. Education is exported through all modes:  Distance learning (Mode 1), studying abroad (Mode 2), establishment of foreign institutions (Mode 3) and short term travel of lecturers abroad (Mode 4).  In addition to generating revenue and employment, exporting education services especially through Mode 2  has spillover effects in other sectors of the economy, including construction, retail, transport, and tourism.

Countries have witnessed spectacular growth in higher education over the past few decades. Today, about 132 million students have enrolled in higher education, compared to 13 million in 1960. There is a sharp rise in movement of international students across countries. Demand is projected to increase to 8 million international students in 2025.

Commonwealth member states such as Australia, UK, Canada and India are among the world’s leading exporters of higher education. In assisting Commonwealth developing countries achieve sustainable development, the Trade Section has supported several to identify and promote a range of services for trade and investment. Improving export of higher education services has emerged as an achievable goal for a number of Member States including Cyprus, Malta, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Ghana and Uganda.  Many other countries strive to create an enabling environment to attract sustainable foreign direct investment in higher education.

This Pan Commonwealth Conference  was  organised by  the Trade Section to provide a platform for Member States to learn, share experiences and be equipped to address common challenges in exporting higher education. Third in a series of thematic Pan Commonwealth conferences, the forum was co-hosted by the Government of Malta through Malta Enterprise and aimed to:

• Expose participants to emerging trends and opportunities to export HE
• Share good practice in addressing challenges in exporting HE
• Share perspectives on how to harness transnational HE for global prosperity
• Encourage greater collaboration and networking among providers, policy makers and experts  in Commonwealth countries.

The conference attracted a total of 45 participants from Government ministries, regulatory bodies, trade promotion organisations and universities. The thematic areas addressed included:

• Trends and issues in internationalisation of HE
• Opportunities and challenges of exporting HE
• Cross cutting issues in international HE
• Facilitating transnational HE  through collaboration

Annex 1.1 - Overview

Annex 1.2 - Issues and prospects for DC

Annex 1.3 - Malaysia Edn Export

Annex 1.4 - Transforming Mauritius

Annex 2.0 - Policy issues

Annex 2.4 - Trends and issues in India

Annex 3.1 - Positioning Malta

Annex 3.2 - Malta keys to Employability

Annex 3.3 - COMNET IT

Annex 4.3 - Antigua and Barbuda

Annex 4.4 - Malaysia Lessons

Annex 4.5 - Export strategy

Annex 5.1 - Financing HE-Uganda

Annex 5.2 - Financing HE - Ghana

Annex 5.3 - University advancement - Caribbean

Annex 5.4 - University advancement -South Africa

Annex 5.5 - Industry and research linkages

Annex 6.0 - Summary of key issues

Annex B Programme

Annex C - MoFA speech

Annex D - COMSEC support

Annex E - Keynote address

Conference Report - final