Assumption University University Autonomy- Need for a new framework for higher education in the era of globalization Kuldeep Nagi Assumption University,

Assumption University

University Autonomy- Need for a new framework for higher education in the era of globalization

Kuldeep NagiAssumption University, Bangkok, Thailand 10240http://[email protected]

Assumption University, Bangkok ASAHIL-2008

University Autonomy- Need for a new Framework for Higher Education in the era of Globalization

• Born in India, US citizen• Lived in Seattle, WA, USA for +25 Years• Fulbright Fellowship Award – 2006 work at Assumption

University

About Me



About Assumption University- Bangkok

CAMPUS



AGENDA-About MeAbout Assumption University

1. INTRODUCTION– AUTONOMY: A BIG QUESTION?2. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF UNIVERSITY AUTONOMY

2.1 Need for changes in Government Policy for university funding

3. GLOBALIZATION- ESSENTIALS OF AUTONOMY IN BORDERLESS

MARKET OF HIGHER EDUCATION & EMPLOYMENT3.1. Language of Higher education- The need for use of English language as the main delivery medium of higher education3.2. Standards in Higher Education- Need for a National Policy for increased internalization and R & D

4. CONCLUSION

Q & A



2. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF UNIVERSITY AUTONOMYFar from being naturally “outside” government, the modern university is a product of government and serves the purposes of government, though it also has other constituencies and purposes. Conventional academic freedom is ... exercised within boundaries controlled by government and management.

(Marginson 1997)



For the purposes of this presentation university autonomy is defined as the freedom of an institution to run its own affairs without direction or influence from any level of government.

Government influence may be based on legislative authority or executive framework leading to financial power. For example, Ministry of Education in Thailand exert its influence through its legislative authority to appoint the Presidents or members of the governing body; or it may exert influence over such matters as the salaries and working conditions of academic staff, not because of any legal authority, but simply because it provides most of the money and can threaten to withhold funding unless its conditions are met. Some ways it is also common a common practice in other countries in the region.

As we will see, government influence by ‘steering from a distance’ using financial authority is very common in the countries in ASEAN region.

1. INTRODUCTION – AUTONOMY: A BIG QUESTION?



Government?

Q1. AUTONOMY- What is it?

Q2. AUTONOMY- For What?

Q3. AUTONOMY- For Whom?

Q5. AUTONOMY- In which part of the World?

1. History of the country

2. Culture of the country

3. Values of Higher Education

Universities

Autonomy?


Q4. AUTONOMY-From Whom?

Thailand



Because Thai higher education is so diverse and complex, any description of “standard practice” in its autonomy inevitably misstates much about individual colleges and universities. Indeed, important exceptions to most of the characteristics described in this paper/presentation do exist.

Nonetheless, this section provides an overview of how most colleges and universities are traditionally governed and financed, and how their students and faculty, and the nature of the curriculum and student life are influenced




In Thailand the higher education has been an essential part of government function and control for a long time. Originally established in 1871 as the Royal Page School producing graduates for government service, Chulalongkorn University has since then been instrumental in providing equal opportunities in higher education for all. In the royal words of King Chulalongkorn: “All of our subjects - be they royals, nobles or commoners- will have the same opportunity to study.”

Chulalongkornn University entered the modern era in 1917. The second Thai university was established in 1933, and thereafter three more were founded in 1943. These five universities, all located in Bangkok city, were established primarily to train and prepare personnel and civil servants for the government.

Each public university in Thailand was created by special legislation, and is considered to be an extension of the government. All staff, teaching and non-teaching, are traditionally referred as "government servants" rather than "public servants," and are thought to work for the "government," not for the "public.” Although the issue of higher education reform in Thailand has been raised for many years, it was not until the ratification of the National Education Act in 1999 that the comprehensive reform in higher education became critical.

1. INTRODUCTION- AUTONOMY: A BIG QUESTION?



However, the increasing globalization of higher education is creating new challenges for Thai and other universities in ASEAN. In a very competitive market of borderless education there are many issues that Thai universities will be forced to confront. The list of these issues include-

unclear and ambiguous educational objectivesquality of academic programs for borderless employmentlanguage of instruction funding methodsinability to recruit and retain qualified facultylack of focus on R & Dlack of foreign talent and lack of strong labor unions to foster change.




Other failures of universities include their inability to recruit and educate sufficient numbers of students in basic sciences, medicine, engineering and technology to serve the country's economic development.

Above all, an outdated hierarchical administrative system seems to be the biggest hurdle in reforming higher education in Thailand. Many of these issues and problems are rooted in the cultural history and traditions of the society.




2. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF UNIVERSITY AUTONOMY IN THAILANDThai universities have always needed Royal patronage and government protection.

Only recently the Christian Church, philanthropists, foreign embassies and foundations among others have funded universities and have expected suitable outcomes in response-correct doctrine, political policies, social values or charitable support.

But universities have also cherished their freedom and at times have actually challenged state power; for example, Thammasat University in 1960s provided support to political dissidents and students against the government.

One of the biggest private Catholic Universities, the Assumption University located in Bangkok is a good example of a private university cutting through governmental regulations and controls.



2. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF UNIVERSITY AUTONOMY IN THAILANDOver the last 90 years Thai government have become the chief patrons of universities and, in response, have expected them to be useful instruments for the advancement of national purposes. Universities have wanted to keep the cake and to eat it too. They welcomed generous beneficence and encouraged expansion of higher education to dimensions undreamed of 20 years ago. The price of this support has of course been greater government interest in the internal affairs of universities. By and large, Thai universities have successfully resisted attempts from government to run them the way that Thai school service is conducted.

University Presidents

GOVT



2. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF UNIVERSITY AUTONOMY IN THAILAND

A survey of expert opinion shown in Figure-1 about “University Autonomy in Twenty Countries” conducted by Don Anderson & Richard Johnson of Center for Continuing Education, Australian National University in April 1998 indicate that the Thai government beaurocracy have interfered 46% of the times in their operations. That is about half of their regular decision making cycle. Malaysia and Indonesia are have much more degree of interference…

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

1

Canada

UK

Ireland

USA

Australia

Italy

S. Africa

Singapore

Russia

Sweden

Germany

NZ

Netherland

J apan

Chile

Thailand

Sri Lanka

Malaysia

France

Indonesia

Figure-1. Expert Ratings of Autonomy in Countries

Least Govt.

interferences in

academic affairs



2. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF UNIVERSITY AUTONOMY IN THAILANDIn a recent show of authority the

Higher Education Commission published the first-ever rankings of the top 49 Thai universities, amid questions over the credibility of the initiative after the withdrawal of Tamest University and opposition by some other institutions.

The long-awaiting rankings were based on assessments of 49 out of 138 public and private universities across the country. The Webometric ranking of public and private universities was released in July 2008 by the Commission on Higher Education.

A partial list of World Ranking is shown in Table-1. These ranking clearly reflects upon the status of Thai universities on the world stage.

Universities of Thailand

Jan 2007

July 2007

Jan 2008

July 2008

Chiang Mai University

861 805 841 877

Thammasat University

894 866 806 850

AIT 721 772 707 741

Mahidol University

909 916 802 740

Kasetsart University

577 516 477 544

Chulalongkorn University

505 527 443 444

Prince of Songkla

University

896 672 308 384

Table-1 Webometrics Ranking of World Universities – July 2008



2. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF UNIVERSITY AUTONOMY IN THAILANDThe government of Thailand has also told universities that they will lose their accreditation if the learning centers attached to them offers a substandard education. This is tough talk for Thailand, and perhaps yet another sign that the government is serious about raising education standards, which vary widely throughout the country.

The Thai government's first-ever ranking of the country's national universities is being widely criticized by Thailand's higher-education community after many institutions received average or below-average grades.



2. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF UNIVERSITY AUTONOMY IN THAILAND2.1 CHANGES IN POLICY FOR UNIVERSITY FUNDING

As mentioned earlier there are more than 138 public and private universities, of them 6 are called autonomous universities

There is an increasing domestic demand for higher education. Undergraduate level enrolment is on the increase because of huge young population studying in high schools for the next 4-5 years. There is also a steady increase in graduate level because of new undergraduate populating and existing local aging workforce.

National standard is an operation requirement of university degree programs. Although some sort of quality assurance is being enforced, it is no way at par with what is required in the US or European universities.

Thai universities can be classified in a few discreet categories. Their diversity in characteristics and status depends upon whether they-

1. are doing research, teaching or both 2. have highly qualified faculty and good students3. are closed or open universities4. are traditional or Face to Face (F2F) in their nature or are promoting new

ICT enabled eLearning and mLearing solutions to enhance their reach



Reforming the Thai higher education system is required to facilitate competition and differentiation by means of deregulation, performance orientation and the creation of incentives.

It is needed to ensure the international competitiveness in higher education institutions for the 21st. century. In the context of such a rapidly changing situation it is often difficult for many Thai universities to charter their own course. Most of them have been run and regulated by government bureaucracy from their inception.

2. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF UNIVERSITY AUTONOMY IN THAILAND

External agencies with jurisdiction

over higher education

Bureaucracy

ControlSupervisio

n

Figure-2 Higher Education Bureaucracy

Autonomy?



3. GLOBALIZATION- ESSENTIALS OF AUTONOMY IN A BORDERLESS MARKET OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Globalization is center stage in the contemporary world. New and emerging technologies are harnessing the power of World Wide Web at a very fast pace.

As Thailand gears up for Borderless Education, addressing issues of autonomy, capacity, developing high quality programs and courseware complying with international standards has become very crucial.

Globalization is influencing higher education in form and content while free markets are changing the nature of universities. The resulting mix of opportunities is also creating new challenges for universities in Thailand other ASEAN members

In Borderless Education & Employment the learner-centricity and the quality of programs, courseware and delivery systems is becoming a key facet of higher education.

Autonomy vs. Money- It is the same story

How many times do I have to tell you, Dr. Chawit, it is a question of how much money is at stake?




The world is moving from a competitiveness model based on cheap manpower to one based on brainpower. In total, India, China and Russia educate 14 million university students each year, as many as the USA. These students quickly become young professionals eager for success, who are relatively affordable and highly motivated. Through technology, these brains can be accessed from all over the world. Thai universities have yet to recognize these trends. To participate in the increasingly competitive market of higher education Thai universities need to recognize three other major forces:

3.1. Language of Higher education- The need for use of English language as the main delivery medium of higher education



3.1. Language of Higher education- The need for use of English language as the main delivery medium of higher education

% of all Internet Users

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

English

Spanish

French

Portuguese

Korean

Languages

Figure-2. Top 10 Languages in the Internet




3.2. Standards in Higher Education- The traditions vs. technology

Thai universities also need to examine their overall current eReadiness framework and take up drastic reforms to participate in the globalized market of higher education.

With increasing use of new communication technologies in higher education in USA and Europe the role of Guru is becoming peripheral. Although usage of the Internet and resources such as Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia, YouTube, MySpace and Second-Life and many other web services has increased in Thailand, most of the Thai universities still continue to take pride in the traditional “Sage on the Stage” model and keep allowing the delivery of didactic and stale programs and courses.

The new reforms being proposed by Ministry of Education should include the effective usage of new ICT solutions for drastically increasing the quality of higher education. In spite of the drastic improvements in its economy, things are moving along slowly.

vs.




CountryWorld

Ranking Score CountryWorld

Ranking Score

Out of

10 Out of 10

United States 2 8.88 France 19 7.86

United Kingdom

5 8.64 Japan 21 7.77

Australia 8 8.5 Taiwan 23 7.51

Canada 9 8.37 Malaysia 37 5.6

Hong Kong 10 8.36 Thailand 47 4.63

Singapore 13 8.24 India 53 4.25

New Zealand 14 8.19 Philippines

56 4.04

Ireland 16 8.09 China 57 4.02

Korea 18 7.9 Indonesia 62 3.39Table-2 World eReadiness Rankings 2006

3.2. Standards in Higher Education- The traditions vs. technology




3.3. Universities in the 21st century- National Policy for increased internalization and R & D

The third challenge is in the area of Research and Development (R&D) investment in Thai institutions of higher learning.

By and large Thai universities have remained academic in nature. Their traditional role has been to offer programs and services leading to an academic degree. Engaging in research, creating and owning patents have not been the main focus of the Thai universities. Patents and intellectual property rights are major issues in the borderless education market.

By comparison universities in China, Hong Kong, India, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan have made substantial contributions to their own economic strength by rapidly becoming research oriented institutions.




The IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) is the world’s most renowned and comprehensive annual report on the competitiveness of nations, ranking and analyzing how a nation’s environment creates and sustains the competitiveness of enterprises. The World Competitiveness Scoreboard presents the 2008 overall rankings for the 55 economies covered by the WCY. The economies are ranked from the most to the least competitive and the results from the previous year’s scoreboard (2007) are shown in brackets.

3.3. Universities in the 21st century- National Policy for increased internalization and R & D

Figure-3 The World Competitiveness Scoreboard




4. CONCLUSION

Autonomy from the state regulations and control is the trend in many countries, including Thailand. However, the traditional patronage and government bureaucracy keeps their autonomy in check. The aiming for academic freedom and self governance in personnel, operational and financial affairs are gradually on the increase. Collaboration with foreign agencies, institutions and universities is also increasing.

Forces of globalization of higher education and competition from the neighboring countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and India are increasing pressure on Thai universities to evaluate their current teaching-learning paradigms. The new forces of technology innovations are changing the traditional role of universities. Role of the Guru is being replaced by Google.

Thai universities must rapidly move from their traditional ways of delivering higher education or face crushing competition from those that have already embraced the new technology based. However, public funding is a key factor to determine autonomy from the market. But if the universities depend too much on the market for revenue, it is may loose academic autonomy.



4. CONCLUSION

In conclusion it could be said that globalization of higher education is changing the nature of higher education as well as employment. Just looks at the trends in outsourcing and in- sourcing..

Globalization of higher education, its links and relevance to the Western countries in which the higher education is very competitive are somewhat tenuous because the forces of competition are being created by the world outside ASEAN.

No matter how much pride the Thai or other universities in the region may have in their traditional role and culture they can not afford to remain on the receiving end.

There is little double that the process of globalization is exercising a significant influence on the university autonomy.



Questions&

Answers



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[email protected]

College of Internet Distance Education (CIDE)

Assumption UniversityThailand, Bangkok

Assumption University University Autonomy- Need for a new framework for higher education in the era of globalization Kuldeep Nagi Assumption University,

Documents

university funding

modern university

introduction autonomy

language of higher education

new framework

bangkok asahil

government influence

ministry of education