New development goals must include higher education

Press release – 31 August 2012

Post-secondary education must feature prominently in any international development objectives established to succeed the Millennium Development Goals, according to an international conference convened by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).

The call coincides with the decision of Commonwealth education ministers to establish a working party to advise on objectives to replace the existing goals after 2015.

In a presentation to ministers yesterday, Dr John Kirkland (Deputy Secretary General of the ACU), said that including targets for post-secondary education in the post-MDG goals should not be seen as a change in policy. 'Rather, it is a natural next step in the process that was started 15 years ago. It would be a tragedy if governments, after setting out to improve access for all at primary level, then decided that their aspirations for disadvantaged groups only extended to the ages of seven or 11'.

The recommendation was one of several made by the Post-Secondary and Higher Education Leaders' Forum, which brought together over 100 delegates from 25 countries alongside the Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Mauritius.

In their communiqué to ministers, delegates at the Forum called for firm targets to be set forparticipation rates, designated funds to develop staff working in the sector, and more progresstowards access for excluded groups. Recognising that governments alone cannot meet expandingdemand for post-secondary education, delegates proposed a range of approaches, including working more collaboratively with the private sector.

Notes:

1. The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) was established in 1913 and is the oldest international inter-university network in the world, with over 500 members in six continents. Its mission is to strengthen the higher education institutions within its membership through international cooperation and understanding. The ACU operates a series of professional networks for staff in key roles, undertakes research and policy analysis on key issues in international higher education, and has active programmes in libraries and information, research management, gender, and university governance. For further information, visit www.acu.ac.uk

2. The Post-Secondary and Higher Education Leaders' Forum (P2HELF) is one of four parallel for a run alongside the 18th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (18CCEM) in Mauritius, from 27-30 August 2012. The Forum was co-hosted by the ACU, the Government of Mauritius, and the University of Mauritius. For more information, visit www.acu.ac.uk/conferences/mauritius_2012

3. The full and final communiqué from the Forum will be available on the ACU website at www.acu.ac.uk from Monday 3 September 2012.

4. For further information, please contact:

Natasha Lokhun
+44 (0)20 7380 6760
[email protected]