Higher education and international development

Abstract

This article summarizes the recent report of the Task Force on Higher Education and Society. It outlines the complex and formidable problems facing most developing world higher education systems, noting that these problems are likely to become ever more evident as demographic factors, the knowledge economy, and globalization place increasing demands on students, institutions, and societies. Tackling these issues requires a move away from the ill-founded view propagated by many economists that higher education provides a lower return on investment than primary and secondary education, and a recognition of the wider benefits that having a well-qualified workforce confers. The article highlights the importance of good governance and the adoption of a systems approach to the promotion of higher education. It also stresses the importance to developing countries of offering high-quality general education programs and building teaching and research capacity in the areas of science and technology.