Introduction
1. There is an unprecedented demand for and a great
diversification in higher education, as well as an increased
awareness of its vital importance for sociocultural and
economic development, and for building the future, for which
the younger generations will need to be equipped with new
skills, knowledge and ideals.
2. Higher education includes ‘all types of studies,
teaching, training and research at the post-secondary level,
provided by universities or other educational establishments
that are approved as institutions of higher education by the
competent authorities.
3. Everywhere higher education is faced with great
challenges and difficulties related to financing, equity of
conditions at access into and during the course of studies,
improved staff development, skills-based training,
enhancement and preservation of quality in teaching,
research and services, relevance of programmes,
employability of graduates, post-graduates and doctorates,
establishment of efficient co-operation agreements and
equitable access to the benefits of international
co-operation.
4. At the same time, higher education is being challenged by
new opportunities relating to technologies that are
improving the ways in which knowledge can be produced,
managed, disseminated, accessed and controlled. Equitable
access to these technologies should be ensured at all levels
of education systems.
5. The initial years of this century and the last 50 years
of the twentieth century will go down in the history of
higher education as the period of its most spectacular
expansion: an over sixfold increase in student enrolments
worldwide. But it is also the period which has seen the gap
between the industrially developed, the developing countries
and in particular the least developed countries with regard
to access and resources for higher learning and research,
already enormous, becoming even wider. It has also been a
period of increased socio-economic stratification and
greater difference in educational opportunity within
countries, including in some of the most developed and
wealthiest nations.
6. Without adequate higher education and research
institutions providing a critical mass of skilled and
educated people, no country can ensure genuine endogenous
and sustainable development and, in particular, developing
countries and the least developed countries cannot reduce
the gap separating them from the industrially developed
ones. Sharing knowledge, international co-operation and new
technologies can offer new opportunities to reduce this gap.
7. Higher education has given ample proof of its viability
over the centuries and of its ability to change and to
induce change and progress in society. Owing to the scope
and pace of change, society has become increasingly
knowledge-based so that higher learning and research now act
as essential components of cultural, socio-economic and
environmentally sustainable development of individuals,
communities and nations.
8. Higher education itself is confronted, therefore, with
formidable challenges and must proceed to the most radical
change and renewal it has ever been required to undertake,
so that our society, which is currently undergoing a
profound crisis of values, can transcend mere economic
considerations and incorporate deeper dimensions of morality
and spirituality.
9. It is with the aim of providing solutions to these
challenges and of setting in motion a process of in-depth
reform in higher education worldwide that the Confederation
of Indian Universities (CIU) is being established with a
view to designing a Masterplan Paradigm for introducing
development systems for strengthening the cause of higher
education in the third millennium.
CIU's declaration on higher education
We, the University level Institutions in India assembled at
New Delhi on 15 April 2004;
10. Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
which states in Article 26, paragraph 1, that ‘Everyone has
the right to education’ and that ‘higher education shall be
equally accessible to all on the basis of merit’, and
endorsing the basic principles of the Convention against
Discrimination in Education (1960), which, by Article 4,
commits the States Parties to it to ‘make higher education
equally accessible to all on the basis of individual
capacity’.
11. Convinced that education is a fundamental pillar of
human rights, democracy, sustainable development and peace,
and shall therefore become accessible to all throughout life
and that measures are required to ensure co-ordination and
co-operation across and between the various sectors,
particularly between general, technical and professional
secondary and post-secondary education as well as between
universities, colleges and technical institutions.
12. Believing that, in this context, the solution of the
problems faced in the twenty-first century will be
determined by the vision of the future society and by the
role that is assigned to education in general and to higher
education in particular.
13. Aware that at the beginning of a new millennium it is
the duty of higher education to ensure that the values and
ideals of a culture of peace prevail and that the
intellectual community should be mobilized to that end.
14. Considering that a substantial change and development of
higher education, the enhancement of its quality and
relevance, and the solution to the major challenges it
faces, require the strong involvement not only of
governments and of higher education institutions, but also
of all stakeholders, including students and their families,
teachers, business and industry, the public and private
sectors of the economy, legislatures, the media, the
community, professional associations and society as well as
a greater responsibility of higher education institutions
towards society and accountability in the use of public and
private, national or international resources;
15. Emphasizing that higher education systems should enhance
their capacity to live with uncertainty, to change and bring
about change, and to address social needs and to promote
solidarity and equity; should preserve and exercise
scientific rigour and originality, in a spirit of
impartiality, as a basic prerequisite for attaining and
sustaining an indispensable level of quality; and should
place students at the centre of their concerns, within a
lifelong perspective, so as to allow their full integration
into the global knowledge society of this new century; and
16. Also believing that international co-operation and
exchange are major avenues for advancing higher education
throughout the world.
Proclaim the following:
MISSIONS AND FUNCTIONS OF the
confederation of indian universities
Mission to Educate, to Train and to Undertake Research
We affirm that the core missions and values of higher
education, in particular the mission to contribute to the
sustainable development and improvement of society as a
whole, should be preserved, reinforced and further expanded,
namely, to:
17. Educate highly qualified graduates and responsible
citizens able to meet the needs of all sectors of human
activity, by offering relevant qualifications, including
professional training, which combine high-level knowledge
and skills, using courses and content continually tailored
to the present and future needs of society.
18. Provide opportunities for higher learning and for
learning throughout life, giving to learners an optimal
range of choice and a flexibility of entry and exit points
within the system, as well as an opportunity for individual
development and social mobility in order to educate for
citizenship and for active participation in society, with a
worldwide vision, for endogenous capacity-building, and for
the consolidation of human rights, sustainable development,
democracy and peace, in a context of justice.
19. Advance, create and disseminate knowledge through
research and provide, as part of its service to the
community, relevant expertise to assist societies in
cultural, social and economic development, promoting and
developing scientific and technological research as well as
research in the social sciences, the humanities and the
creative arts.
20. Help understand, interpret, preserve, enhance, promote
and disseminate national and regional, international and
historic cultures, in a context of cultural pluralism and
diversity.
21. Help protect and enhance societal values by training
young people in the values which form the basis of
democratic citizenship and by providing critical and
detached perspectives to assist in the discussion of
strategic options and the reinforcement of humanistic
perspectives; and
22. Contribute to the development and improvement of
education at all levels, including through the training of
teachers.
Ethical Role, Autonomy, Responsibility and
Anticipatory Function
Higher education institutions and their personnel and
students should :
23. Preserve and develop their crucial functions, through
the exercise of ethics and scientific and intellectual
rigour in their various activities.
24. Be able to speak out on ethical, cultural and social
problems completely independently and in full awareness of
their responsibilities, exercising a kind of intellectual
authority that society needs to help it to reflect,
understand and act.
25. Enhance their critical and forward-looking functions,
through continuing analysis of emerging social, economic,
cultural and political trends, providing a focus for
forecasting, warning and prevention.
26. Exercise their intellectual capacity and their moral
prestige to defend and actively disseminate universally
accepted values, including peace, justice, freedom, equality
and solidarity.
27. Enjoy full academic autonomy and freedom, conceived as a
set of rights and duties, while being fully responsible and
accountable to society.
28. Play a role to help identify and to address issues that
affect the well-being of communities, nations and global
society.
SHAPING A NEW VISION OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Equity of Access
29. In keeping with Article 26.1 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, admission to higher education
should be based on the merit, capacity, efforts,
perseverance and devotion, showed by those seeking access to
it, and can take place in a lifelong scheme, at any time,
with due recognition of previously acquired skills. As a
consequence, no discrimination can be accepted in granting
access to higher education on grounds of race, gender,
language or religion, or economic, cultural or social
distinctions, or physical disabilities.
30. Equity of access to higher education should begin with
the reinforcement and, if need be, the reordering of its
links with all other levels of education, particularly with
secondary education. Higher education institutions must be
viewed as, and must also work within themselves to be a part
of and encourage, a seamless system starting with early
childhood and primary education and continuing through life.
Higher education institutions must work in active
partnership with parents, schools, students, socio-economic
groups and communities.
31. Secondary education should not only prepare qualified
candidates for access to higher education by developing the
capacity to learn on a broad basis but also open the way to
active life by providing training on a wide range of jobs.
However, access to higher education should remain open to
those successfully completing secondary school, or its
equivalent, or presenting entry qualifications, as far as
possible, at any age and without any discrimination.
32. As a consequence, the rapid and wide-reaching demand for
higher education requires, where appropriate, all policies
concerning access to higher education to give priority in
the future to the approach based on the merit of the
individual.
33. Access to higher education for members of some special
target groups, such as indigenous peoples, cultural and
linguistic minorities, disadvantaged groups, peoples living
under occupation and those who suffer from disabilities,
must be actively facilitated, since these groups as
collectivities and as individuals may have both experience
and talent that can be of great value for the development of
societies and nations. Special material help and educational
solutions can help overcome the obstacles that these groups
face, both in accessing and in continuing higher education.
Enhancing Participation and Promoting the Role of Women
34. Although significant progress has been achieved to
enhance the access of women to higher education, various
socio-economic, cultural and political obstacles continue in
many places in the world to impede their full access and
effective integration. To overcome them remains an urgent
priority in the renewal process for ensuring an equitable
and non-discriminatory system of higher education based on
the principle of merit.
35. Further efforts are required to eliminate all gender
stereotyping in higher education, to consider gender aspects
in different disciplines and to consolidate women’s
participation at all levels and in all disciplines, in which
they are under-represented and, in particular, to enhance
their active involvement in decision-making.
36. Gender studies (women’s studies) should be promoted as a
field of knowledge, strategic for the transformation of
higher education and society.
37. Efforts should be made to eliminate political and social
barriers whereby women are under-represented and in
particular to enhance their active involvement at policy and
decision-making levels within higher education and society.
Advancing Knowledge through Research in
Science, the Arts and Humanities and the
Dissemination of its Results
38. The advancement of knowledge through research is an
essential function of all systems of higher education, which
should promote postgraduate studies. Innovation,
interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity should be
promoted and reinforced in programmes with long-term
orientations on social and cultural aims and needs. An
appropriate balance should be established between basic and
target-oriented research.
40. Institutions should ensure that all members of the
academic community engaged in research are provided with
appropriate training, resources and support. The
intellectual and cultural rights on the results of research
should be used to the benefit of humanity and should be
protected so that they cannot be abused.
41. Research must be enhanced in all disciplines, including
the social and human sciences, education (including higher
education), engineering, natural sciences, mathematics,
informatics and the arts within the framework of national,
regional and international research and development
policies. Of special importance is the enhancement of
research capacities in higher education and research
institutions, as mutual enhancement of quality takes place
when higher education and research are conducted at a high
level within the same institution. These institutions should
find the material and financial support required, from both
public and private sources.
Long-Term Orientation based on Relevance
42. Relevance in higher education should be assessed in
terms of the fit between what society expects of
institutions and what they do. This requires ethical
standards, political impartiality, critical capacities and,
at the same time, a better articulation with the problems of
society and the world of work, basing long-term orientations
on societal aims and needs, including respect for cultures
and environmental protection. The concern is to provide
access to both broad general education and targeted,
career-specific education, often interdisciplinary, focusing
on skills and aptitudes, both of which equip individuals to
live in a variety of changing settings, and to be able to
change occupations.
43. Higher education should reinforce its role of service to
society, especially its activities aimed at eliminating
poverty, intolerance, violence, illiteracy, hunger,
environmental degradation and disease, mainly through an
interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach in the
analysis of problems and issues.
44. Higher education should enhance its contribution to the
development of the whole education system, notably through
improved teacher education, curriculum development and
educational research.
45. Ultimately, higher education should aim at the creation
of a new society - non-violent and non-exploitative -
consisting of highly cultivated, motivated and integrated
individuals, inspired by love for humanity and guided by
wisdom.
Strengthening Co-operation with the World of Work and
Analysing and Anticipating Societal Needs
46. In economies characterized by changes and the emergence
of new production paradigms based on knowledge and its
application, and on the handling of information, the links
between higher education, the world of work and other parts
of society should be strengthened and renewed.
47. Links with the world of work can be strengthened,
through the participation of its representatives in the
governance of institutions, the increased use of domestic
and international apprenticeship/work-study opportunities
for students and teachers, the exchange of personnel between
the world of work and higher education institutions and
revised curricula more closely aligned with working
practices.
48. As a lifelong source of professional training, updating
and recycling, institutions of higher education should
systematically take into account trends in the world of work
and in the scientific, technological and economic sectors.
In order to respond to the work requirements, higher
education systems and the world of work should jointly
develop and assess learning processes, bridging programmes
and prior learning assessment and recognition programmes,
which integrate theory and training on the job. Within the
framework of their anticipatory function, higher education
institutions could contribute to the creation of new jobs,
although that is not their only function.
49. Developing entrepreneurial skills and initiative should
become major concerns of higher education, in order to
facilitate employability of graduates who will increasingly
be called upon to be not only job seekers but also and above
all to become job creators. Higher education institutions
should give the opportunity to students to fully develop
their own abilities with a sense of social responsibility,
educating them to become full participants in democratic
society and promoters of changes that will foster equity and
justice.
Diversification for Enhanced Equity of Opportunity
50. Diversifying higher education models and recruitment
methods and criteria is essential both to meet increasing
international demand and to provide access to various
delivery modes and to extend access to an ever-wider public,
in a lifelong perspective, based on flexible entry and exit
points to and from the system of higher education.
51. More diversified systems of higher education are
characterized by new types of tertiary institutions: public,
private and non-profit institutions, amongst others.
Institutions should be able to offer a wide variety of
education and training opportunities: traditional degrees,
short courses, part-time study, flexible schedules,
modularized courses, supported learning at a distance, etc.
Innovative Educational Approaches: Critical
Thinking and Creativity
52. In a world undergoing rapid changes, there is a
perceived need for a new vision and paradigm of higher
education, which should be student-oriented, calling in most
countries for in-depth reforms and an open access policy so
as to cater to ever more diversified categories of people,
and of its contents, methods, practices and means of
delivery, based on new types of links and partnerships with
the community and with the broadest sectors of society.
53. Higher education institutions should educate students to
become well informed and deeply motivated citizens, who can
think critically, analyse problems of society, look for
solutions to the problems of society, apply them and accept
social responsibilities.
54. To achieve these goals, it may be necessary to recast
curricula, using new and appropriate methods, so as to go
beyond cognitive mastery of disciplines. New pedagogical and
didactical approaches should be accessible and promoted in
order to facilitate the acquisition of skills, competencies
and abilities for communication, creative and critical
analysis, independent thinking and team work in
multicultural contexts, where creativity also involves
combining traditional or local knowledge and know-how with
advanced science and technology. These recast curricula
should take into account the gender dimension and the
specific cultural, historic and economic context of each
country. The teaching of human rights standards and
education on the needs of communities in all parts of the
world should be reflected in the curricula of all
disciplines, particularly those preparing for
entrepreneurship. Academic personnel should play a
significant role in determining the curriculum.
55. New methods of education will also imply new types of
teaching-learning materials. These have to be coupled with
new methods of testing that will promote not only powers of
memory but also powers of comprehension, skills for
practical work and creativity.
Higher Education Personnel and Students as Major Actors
56. A vigorous policy of staff development is an essential
element of higher education institutions. Clear policies
should be established concerning higher education teachers,
who nowadays need to focus on teaching students how to learn
and how to take initiatives rather than being exclusively
founts of knowledge. Adequate provision should be made for
research and for updating and improving pedagogical skills,
through appropriate staff development programmes,
encouraging constant innovation in curricula, teaching and
learning methods, and ensuring appropriate professional and
financial status, and for excellence in research and
teaching. Furthermore, in view of the role of higher
education for lifelong learning, experience outside the
institutions ought to be considered as a relevant
qualification for higher educational staff.
57. Clear policies should be established by all higher
education institutions preparing teachers of early childhood
education and for primary and secondary schools, providing
stimulus for constant innovation in curricula, best
practices in teaching methods and familiarity with diverse
learning styles. It is vital to have appropriately trained
administrative and technical personnel.
58. National and institutional decision-makers should place
students and their needs at the centre of their concerns,
and should consider them as major partners and responsible
stakeholders in the renewal of higher education. This should
include student involvement in issues that affect that level
of education, in evaluation, the renovation of teaching
methods and curricula and, in the institutional framework in
force, in policy-formulation and institutional management.
As students have the right to organize and represent
themselves, students’ involvement in these issues should be
guaranteed.
59. Guidance and counselling services should be developed,
in cooperation with student organizations, in order to
assist students in the transition to higher education at
whatever age and to take account of the needs of ever more
diversified categories of learners. Apart from those
entering higher education from schools or further education
colleges, they should also take account of the needs of
those leaving and returning in a lifelong process. Such
support is important in ensuring a good match between
student and course, reducing drop-out. Students who do drop
out should have suitable opportunities to return to higher
education if and when appropriate.
FROM VISION TO ACTION
Qualitative Evaluation
60. Quality in higher education is a multidimensional
concept, which should embrace all its functions, and
activities: teaching and academic programmes, research and
scholarship, staffing, students, buildings, facilities,
equipment, services to the community and the academic
environment. Internal self-evaluation and external review,
conducted openly by independent specialists, if possible
with international expertise, are vital for enhancing
quality. Independent national bodies should be established
and comparative standards of quality, recognized at
international level, should be defined. Due attention should
be paid to specific institutional, national and regional
contexts in order to take into account diversity and to
avoid uniformity. Stakeholders should be an integral part of
the institutional evaluation process.
61. Quality also requires that higher education should be
characterized by its international dimension: exchange of
knowledge, interactive networking, mobility of teachers and
students, and international research projects, while taking
into account the national cultural values and circumstances.
62. To attain and sustain national, regional or
international quality, certain components are particularly
relevant, notably careful selection of staff and continuous
staff development, in particular through the promotion of
appropriate programmes for academic staff development,
including teaching/learning methodology and mobility between
countries, between higher education institutions, and
between higher education institutions and the world of work,
as well as student mobility within and between countries.
The new information technologies are an important tool in
this process, owing to their impact on the acquisition of
knowledge and know-how.
The Potential and the Challenge of Technology
63. The rapid breakthroughs in new information and
communication technologies will further change the way
knowledge is developed, acquired and delivered. It is also
important to note that the new technologies offer
opportunities to innovate on course content and teaching
methods and to widen access to higher learning. However, it
should be borne in mind that new information technology does
not reduce the need for teachers but changes their role in
relation to the learning process and that the continuous
dialogue that converts information into knowledge and
understanding becomes fundamental. Higher education
institutions should lead in drawing on the advantages and
potential of new information and communication technologies,
ensuring quality and maintaining high standards for
education practices and outcomes in a spirit of openness,
equity and international co-operation by:
64. Engaging in networks, technology transfer,
capacity-building, developing teaching materials and sharing
experience of their application in teaching, training and
research, and making knowledge accessible to all;
65. Creating new learning environments, ranging from
distance education facilities to complete virtual higher
education institutions and systems, capable of bridging
distances and developing high-quality systems of education,
thus serving social and economic advancement and
democratization as well as other relevant priorities of
society, while ensuring that these virtual education
facilities, based on regional, continental or global
networks, function in a way that respects cultural and
social identities;
66. Noting that, in making full use of information and
communication technology (ICT) for educational purposes,
particular attention should be paid to removing the grave
inequalities which exist among and also within the countries
of the world with regard to access to new information and
communication technologies and to the production of the
corresponding resources;
67. Adapting ICT to national, regional and local needs and
securing technical, educational, management and
institutional systems to sustain it;
68. Facilitating, through international co-operation, the
identification of the objectives and interests of all
countries, particularly the developing countries, equitable
access and the strengthening of infrastructures in this
field and the dissemination of such technology throughout
society;
69. Closely following the evolution of the ‘knowledge
society’ in order to ensure high quality and equitable
regulations for access to prevail;
70. Taking the new possibilities created by the use of ICTs
into account, while realizing that it is, above all,
institutions of higher education that are using ICTs in
order to modernize their work, and not ICTs transforming
institutions of higher education from real to virtual
institutions.
Strengthening Higher Education Management and Financing
71. The management and financing of higher education require
the development of appropriate planning and policy-analysis
capacities and strategies, based on partnerships established
between higher education institutions and state and national
planning and co-ordination bodies, so as to secure
appropriately streamlined management and the cost-effective
use of resources. Higher education institutions should adopt
forward-looking management practices that respond to the
needs of their environments. Managers in higher education
must be responsive, competent and able to evaluate
regularly, by internal and external mechanisms, the
effectiveness of procedures and administrative rules.
72. Higher education institutions must be given autonomy to
manage their internal affairs, but with this autonomy must
come clear and transparent accountability to the government,
legislature, students and the wider society.
73. The ultimate goal of management should be to enhance the
institutional mission by ensuring high-quality teaching,
training and research, and services to the community. This
objective requires governance that combines social vision,
including understanding of global issues, with efficient
managerial skills. Leadership in higher education is thus a
major social responsibility and can be significantly
strengthened through dialogue with all stakeholders,
especially teachers and students, in higher education. The
participation of teaching faculty in the governing bodies of
higher education institutions should be taken into account,
within the framework of current institutional arrangements,
bearing in mind the need to keep the size of these bodies
within reasonable bounds.
74. The promotion of North-South co-operation to ensure the
necessary financing for strengthening higher education in
the developing countries is essential.
Financing of Higher Education as a Public Service
The funding of higher education requires both public and
private resources. The role of the government remains
essential in this regard.
75. The diversification of funding sources reflects the
support that society provides to higher education and must
be further strengthened to ensure the development of higher
education, increase its efficiency and maintain its quality
and relevance. Public support for higher education and
research remains essential to ensure a balanced achievement
of educational and social missions.
76. Society as a whole must support education at all levels,
including higher education, given its role in promoting
sustainable economic, social and cultural development.
Mobilization for this purpose depends on public awareness
and involvement of the public and private sectors of the
economy, legislature, the media, governmental and
non-governmental organizations, students as well as
institutions, families and all the social actors involved
with higher education.
Sharing Knowledge and Know-How across Borders and Continents
77. The principle of solidarity and true partnership amongst
higher education institutions worldwide is crucial for
education and training in all fields that encourage an
understanding of global issues, the role of democratic
governance and skilled human resources in their resolution,
and the need for living together with different cultures and
values. The practice of multilingualism, faculty and student
exchange programmes and institutional linkage to promote
intellectual and scientific co-operation should be an
integral part of all higher education systems.
78. The principles of international co-operation based on
solidarity, recognition and mutual support, true partnership
that equitably serves the interests of the partners and the
value of sharing knowledge and know-how across borders
should govern relationships among higher education
institutions in both developed and developing countries and
should benefit the least developed countries in particular.
Consideration should be given to the need for safeguarding
higher education institutional capacities in regions
suffering from conflict or natural disasters. Consequently,
an international dimension should permeate the curriculum,
and the teaching and learning processes.
79. Regional and international normative instruments for the
recognition of studies should be ratified and implemented,
including certification of the skills, competencies and
abilities of graduates, making it easier for students to
change courses, in order to facilitate mobility within and
between national systems.
From ‘Brain Drain’ to ‘Brain Gain’
80. The ‘brain drain’ has yet to be stemmed, since it
continues to deprive the developing countries and those in
transition, of the high-level expertise necessary to
accelerate their socio-economic progress. International
co-operation schemes should be based on long-term
partnerships between institutions in the South and the
North, and also promote South-South co-operation. Priority
should be given to training programmes in the developing
countries, in centres of excellence forming regional and
international networks, with short periods of specialized
and intensive study abroad.
81. Consideration should be given to creating an environment
conducive to attracting and retaining skilled human capital,
either through national policies or international
arrangements to facilitate the return - permanent or
temporary - of highly trained scholars and researchers to
their countries of origin. At the same time, efforts must be
directed towards a process of ‘brain gain’ through
collaboration programmes that, by virtue of their
international dimension, enhance the building and
strengthening of institutions and facilitate full use of
endogenous capacities.
Partnership and Alliances
82. Partnership and alliances amongst stakeholders -
national and institutional policy-makers, teaching and
related staff, researchers and students, and administrative
and technical personnel in institutions of higher education,
the world of work, community groups - is a powerful force in
managing change. Also, non-governmental organizations are
key actors in this process. Henceforth, partnership, based
on common interest, mutual respect and credibility, should
be a prime matrix for renewal in higher education.
The Confederation of Indian Universities (CIU) adopts this
Declaration and reaffirms the right of all people to
education and the right of access to higher education based
on individual merit and capacity.
The Confederation of Indian Universities (CIU) pledges to
act together within the frame of our individual and
collective responsibilities, by taking all necessary
measures in order to realize the principles concerning
higher education contained in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and in the Convention against Discrimination in
Education.
The Confederation of Indian Universities (CIU) solemnly
reaffirms the commitment to peace. To that end, CIU is
determined to accord high priority to education for reducing
peacelessness, unemployment, pollution and intolerance.
The Confederation of Indian Universities (CIU) adopts,
therefore, this Declaration on Higher Education and
Development. To achieve the goals set forth in this
Declaration and, in particular, for immediate action, CIU
agrees on the following Framework for Priority Action for
Change and Development of Higher Education.
FRAMEWORK FOR PRIORITY ACTION FOR CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT OF
HIGHER EDUCATION
Priority Actions at National Level
States, including their governments, legislatures and other
decision-makers, should:
83. Establish, where appropriate, the legislative, political
and financial framework for the reform and further
development of higher education, in keeping with the terms
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which
establishes that higher education shall be ‘accessible to
all on the basis of merit’. No discrimination can be
accepted, no one can be excluded from higher education or
its study fields, degree levels and types of institutions on
grounds of race, gender, language, religion, or age or
because of any economic or social distinctions or physical
disabilities;
84. Reinforce the links between higher education and
research;
85. Consider and use higher education as a catalyst for the
entire education system;
86. Develop higher education institutions to include
lifelong learning approaches, giving learners an optimal
range of choice and a flexibility of entry and exit points
within the system, and redefine their role accordingly,
which implies the development of open and continuous access
to higher learning and the need for bridging programmes and
prior learning assessment and recognition;
87. Make efforts, when necessary, to establish close links
between higher education and research institutions, taking
into account the fact that education and research are two
closely related elements in the establishment of knowledge;
88. Develop innovative schemes of collaboration between
institutions of higher education and different sectors of
society to ensure that higher education and research
programmes effectively contribute to local, regional and
national development;
89. Fulfil their commitments to higher education and be
accountable for the pledges adopted with their concurrence,
at several forums, particularly over the past decade, with
regard to human, material and financial resources, human
development and education in general, and to higher
education in particular;
90. Have a policy framework to ensure new partnerships and
the involvement of all relevant stakeholders in all aspects
of higher education: the evaluation process, including
curriculum and pedagogical renewal, and guidance and
counselling services; and, in the framework of existing
institutional arrangements, policy-making and institutional
governance;
91. Define and implement policies to eliminate all gender
stereotyping in higher education and to consolidate women’s
participation at all levels and in all disciplines in which
they are under-represented at present and, in particular, to
enhance their active involvement in decision-making;
92. Recognize students as the centre of attention of higher
education, and one of its stakeholders. They should be
involved, by means of adequate institutional structures, in
the renewal of their level of education (including
curriculum and pedagogical reform), and policy decision, in
the framework of existing institutional arrangements;
93. Recognize that students have the right to organize
themselves autonomously;
94. Promote and facilitate national and international
mobility of teaching staff and students as an essential part
of the quality and relevance of higher education;
95. Provide and ensure those conditions necessary for the
exercise of academic freedom and institutional autonomy so
as to allow institutions of higher education, as well as
those individuals engaged in higher education and research,
to fulfil their obligations to society.
96. States in which enrolment in higher education is low by
internationally accepted comparative standards should strive
to ensure a level of higher education adequate for relevant
needs in the public and private sectors of society and to
establish plans for diversifying and expanding access,
particularly benefiting all minorities and disadvantaged
groups.
97. The interface with general, technical and professional
secondary education should be reviewed in depth, in the
context of lifelong learning. Access to higher education in
whatever form must remain open to those successfully
completing secondary education or its equivalent or meeting
entry qualifications at any age, while creating gateways to
higher education, especially for older students without any
formal secondary education certificates, by attaching more
importance to their professional experience. However,
preparation for higher education should not be the sole or
primary purpose of secondary education, which should also
prepare for the world of work, with complementary training
whenever required, in order to provide knowledge, capacities
and skills for a wide range of jobs. The concept of bridging
programmes should be promoted to allow those entering the
job market to return to studies at a later date.
98. Concrete steps should be taken to reduce the widening
gap between industrially developed and developing countries,
in particular the least developed countries, with regard to
higher education and research. Concrete steps are also
needed to encourage increased co-operation between countries
at all levels of economic development with regard to higher
education and research. Consideration should be given to
making budgetary provisions for that purpose, and developing
mutually beneficial agreements in order to sustain
co-operative activities and projects through appropriate
incentives and funding in education, research and the
development of high-level experts.
PRIORITY ACTIONS AT THE LEVEL OF SYSTEMS AND INSTITUTIONS
99. Each higher education institution should define its
mission according to the present and future needs of society
and base it on an awareness of the fact that higher
education is essential for any country or region to reach
the necessary level of sustainable and environmentally sound
economic and social development, cultural creativity
nourished by better knowledge and understanding of the
cultural heritage, higher living standards, and internal and
international harmony and peace, based on human rights,
democracy, tolerance and mutual respect. These missions
should incorporate the concept of academic freedom.
In establishing priorities in their programmes and
structures, higher education institutions should:
100. Take into account the need to abide by the rules of
ethics and scientific and intellectual rigour, and the
multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach;
101. Be primarily concerned to establish systems of access
for the benefit of all persons who have the necessary
abilities and motivations;
102. Use their autonomy and high academic standards to
contribute to the sustainable development of society and to
the resolution of the issues facing the society of the
future. They should develop their capacity to give
forewarning through the analysis of emerging social,
cultural, economic and political trends, approached in a
multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary manner, giving
particular attention to:
high quality, a clear sense of the social pertinence of
studies and their anticipatory function, based on scientific
grounds;
knowledge of fundamental social questions, in particular
related to the elimination of poverty, to sustainable
development, to intercultural dialogue and to the shaping of
a culture of peace;
the need for close connection with effective research
organizations or institutions that perform well in the
sphere of research; and
fundamentals of human ethics, applied to each profession and
to all areas of human endeavour.
103. Ensure, especially in universities and as far as
possible, that faculty members participate in teaching,
research, tutoring students and steering institutional
affairs.
104. Take all necessary measures to reinforce their service
to the community, especially their activities aimed at
eliminating poverty, intolerance, violence, illiteracy,
hunger and disease, through an interdisciplinary and
transdisciplinary approach in the analysis of challenges,
problems and different subjects.
105. Set their relations with the world of work on a new
basis involving effective partnerships with all social
actors concerned, starting from a reciprocal harmonization
of action and the search for solutions to pressing problems
of humanity, all this within a framework of responsible
autonomy and academic freedom.
106. Ensure high quality of international standing, consider
accountability and both internal and external evaluation,
with due respect for autonomy and academic freedom, as being
normal and inherent in their functioning, and
institutionalize transparent systems, structures or
mechanisms specific thereto.
107. As lifelong education requires academic staff to update
and improve their teaching skills and learning methods, even
more than in the present systems mainly based on short
periods of higher teaching, establish appropriate academic
staff development structures and/or mechanisms and
programmes.
108. Promote and develop research, which is a necessary
feature of all higher education systems, in all disciplines,
including the human and social sciences and arts, given
their relevance for development are needed to ensure
continued progress towards such key national objectives as
access, equity, quality, relevance and diversification.
109. Remove gender inequalities and biases in curricula and
research, and take all appropriate measures to ensure
balanced representation of both men and women among students
and teachers, at all levels of management.
110. Provide, where appropriate, guidance and counselling,
remedial courses, training in how to study and other forms
of student support, including measures to improve student
living conditions.
111. While the need for closer links between higher
education and the world of work is important worldwide, it
is particularly vital for the developing countries and
especially the least developed countries, given their low
level of economic development. Governments of these
countries should take appropriate measures to reach this
objective through appropriate measures such as strengthening
institutions for higher/professional/vocational education.
At the same time, international action is needed in order to
help establish joint undertakings between higher education
and industry in these countries. It will be necessary to
give consideration to ways in which higher education
graduates could be supported, through various schemes,
following the positive experience of the micro-credit system
and other incentives, in order to start small- and
medium-size enterprises. At the institutional level,
developing entrepreneurial skills and initiative should
become a major concern of higher education, in order to
facilitate employability of graduates who will increasingly
be required not only to be job-seekers but to become
job-creators.
112. The use of new technologies should be generalized to
the greatest extent possible to help higher education
institutions, to reinforce academic development, to widen
access, to attain universal scope and to extend knowledge,
as well as to facilitate education throughout life.
Governments, educational institutions and the private sector
should ensure that informatics and communication network
infrastructures, computer facilities and human resources
training are adequately provided.
Institutions of higher education should be open to adult
learners:
113. By developing coherent mechanisms to recognize the
outcomes of learning undertaken in different contexts, and
to ensure that credit is transferable within and between
institutions, sectors and states.
114. By establishing joint higher education/community
research and training partnerships, and by bringing the
services of higher education institutions to outside groups.
115. By carrying out interdisciplinary research in all
aspects of adult education and learning with the
participation of adult learners themselves.
116. By creating opportunities for adult learning in
flexible, open and creative ways.
ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN AT INTERNATIONAL
LEVEL
117. Co-operation should be conceived of as an integral part
of the institutional missions of higher education
institutions and systems. Inter-governmental organizations,
donor agencies and non-governmental organizations should
extend their action in order to develop inter-university
co-operation projects in particular through twinning
institutions, based on solidarity and partnership, as a
means of bridging the gap between rich and poor countries in
the vital areas of knowledge production and application.
Each institution of higher education should envisage the
creation of an appropriate structure and/or mechanism for
promoting and managing international co-operation.
118. The intergovernmental organizations and
non-governmental organizations active in higher education,
the states through their bilateral and multilateral
co-operation programmes, the academic community and all
concerned partners in society should further promote
international academic mobility as a means to advance
knowledge and knowledge-sharing in order to bring about and
promote solidarity as a main element of the global knowledge
society of tomorrow, including through strong support a the
joint work plan 2004-2010 on the recognition of studies,
degrees and diplomas in higher education and through
large-scale co-operative action involving, inter alia, the
establishment of an educational credit transfer scheme, with
particular emphasis on South-South co-operation, the needs
of the least developed countries and of the small states
with few higher education institutions or none at all.
119. Institutions of higher education in industrialized
countries should strive to make arrangements for
international co-operation with sister institutions in
developing countries and in particular with those of poor
countries. In their co-operation, the institutions should
make efforts to ensure fair and just recognition of studies
abroad. Initiatives should be taken to develop higher
education throughout the world, setting itself clear-cut
goals that could lead to tangible results. One method might
be to implement projects in different regions renewing
efforts towards creating and/or strengthening centres of
excellence in developing countries relying on networks of
national, regional and international higher education
institutions.
120. All concerned parts of society, should also undertake
action in order to alleviate the negative effects of ‘brain
drain’ and to shift to a dynamic process of ‘brain gain’. An
overall analysis is required in all regions of the world of
the causes and effects of brain drain. A vigorous campaign
should be launched through the concerted effort of the
international community and on the basis of academic
solidarity and should encourage the return to their home
country of expatriate academics, as well as the involvement
of university volunteers - newly retired academics or young
academics at the beginning of their career - who wish to
teach and undertake research at higher education
institutions in developing countries. At the same time it is
essential to support the developing countries in their
efforts to build and strengthen their own educational
capacities.
Within this framework, International Organisations should:
121. Promote better co-ordination among intergovernmental,
supranational and non-governmental organizations, agencies
and foundations that sponsor existing programmes and
projects for international co-operation in higher education.
Furthermore, co-ordination efforts should take place in the
context of national priorities. This could be conducive to
the pooling and sharing of resources, avoid overlapping and
promote better identification of projects, greater impact of
action and increased assurance of their validity through
collective agreement and review. Programmes aiming at the
rapid transfer of knowledge, supporting institutional
development and establishing centres of excellence in all
areas of knowledge, in particular for peace education,
conflict resolution, human rights and democracy, should be
supported by institutions and by public and private donors.
122. Jointly with the various intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations, become a forum of reflection
on higher education issues aiming at:
(i) preparing update reports on the state of knowledge on
higher education issues in all parts of the world;
(ii) promoting innovative projects of training and research,
intended to enhance the specific role of higher education in
lifelong education;
(iii) reinforcing international co-operation and emphasizing
the role of higher education for citizenship education,
sustainable development and peace; and
(iv) facilitating exchange of information and establishing,
when appropriate, a database on successful experiences and
innovations that can be consulted by institutions confronted
with problems in their reforms of higher education.
123. Take specific action to support institutions of higher
education in the least developed parts of the world and in
regions suffering the effects of conflict or natural
disasters.
124. Make renewed efforts towards creating or/and
strengthening centres of excellence in developing countries.
125. Take the initiative to draw up an international
instrument on academic freedom, autonomy and social
responsibility.
Ensure follow-up of this Declaration jointly with other
inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations and
with all higher education stakeholders. It should have a
crucial role in promoting international cooperation in the
field of higher education in implementing this follow-up
under the aegis of the Confederation of Indian Universities
(CIU) and in the light of the following context :
126. At the start of the twenty-first century, universities
nationwide and worldwide, though their circumstances differ,
face important and common challenges.
127. The phenomenon of globalisation which affects diverse
sectors - the economy, the media, etc. - also has its impact
on higher education throughout the world. It demands change
and an explicit policy of internationalisation by
universities.
127. The unprecedented development of information and
communication technologies is an important vehicle in the
processes of globalisation and technological accleration
which carry with them opportunities and challenges that are
specific to universities and to the way they fulfil their
missions.
128. More than ever, the creation of knowledge, access to
knowledge and its development are central to the development
of societies. The knowledge society requires a new
generation of skilled people. In this context, demand for
more differentiated higher and continuing education,
including professional development as well as open and
distance learning, is in all countries expanding and, in
some regions, overwhelming.
129. The rapid production of knowledge and technological
development spur on the quest for quality, excellence and
relevance. The university has a special responsibility to
ensure that attention is paid to solving ethical questions.
In this setting, the university's critical role towards
society assumes a new urgency.
130. The preconditions for universities and other types of
higher education institutions to cope successfully with new
challenges such as these remain, however, basically
unchanged. These preconditions include autonomy of action,
academic freedom and adequate human and financial resources.
131. For higher education of quality to be today and in the
future a motor of social, cultural and economic development,
other conditions are required, amongst which effective
dialogue with external partners and responsible university
governance.
As a social institution, the university cannot be replaced.
Hence, it must continue to adapt and change if the
challenges are to be met. It will remain an institution
central to societies throughout the world as long as its
activities make a difference to better the condition of
humankind.
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