Depok, August 17th 2023. Universitas Indonesia (UI) was holding the Fourth Communique Webinar Series as a series of pre-events from the 2023 ASEAN Higher Education Conference (AHEC). The event carrying the theme “Higher Education and Industry Connectivity (HEIC) in ASEAN Quality Assurance and Mobility” was held on Wednesday (16/8) and broadcasted live via Zoom and UI Youtube channels.
At the event, five speakers were present who discussed achievements in higher education, industry, and important hopes for education in the future. The five source persons were Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Higher Education Science Research and Innovation, The Kingdom of Thailand, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lorterapong Pasit; Department of Information and Communication Technology, Republic of the Philippines, Mr. Ivan John Enrile Uy; Deputy President and Provost of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore, Professor Ling San; IMCC Deputy Director (Global Engagement & Network) Universiti Sains Malaysia, Dr. Syaheerah Lebai Lutfi; and Director of Asia Pacific Education and Healthcare, Huawei South East Asia Region, Wellingtong Wang.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pasit Lorterapong on that occasion delivered presentation related to “National and Regional Strategies for Fostering Innovation in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the ASEAN Region”. According to him, a national strategy is needed to encourage innovation in higher education. This strategy includes establishing a policy framework, investing in research and development, curriculum and pedagogical innovation, developing research infrastructure and facilities, and increasing technology transfer and commercialization.
In addition, collaboration and coordination at the regional level among universities is also needed to foster innovation in higher education by pooling resources, sharing knowledge and funding, and tackling common challenges. Regional strategies allow universities to collectively design solutions, draw on each other’s experiences, increase research output, and increase global recognition.
In his presentation entitled “Anticipating Digital Innovation in the Future”, Mr. Ivan John Enrile Uy mentioned the importance of collaboration in strategic sectors such as higher education in Southeast Asia. Regional stability depends on the extent of the commitment of countries in Southeast Asia in establishing regional cooperation. This is done as an effort to realize the ASEAN Goals, namely the ASEAN Epicentrum. The ASEAN community must support government programs, especially those related to the use of technology in the digital era.
Wellingtong Wang considered that the trend of higher education from time to time is determined by how committed the university is to increasing innovation. The first trend is traditional campuses with characteristics that do not pay much attention to the use of technology. The second trend is digital campuses that have adopted digitization with great attention to the use of technology. Finally, the third trend is the smart campus (smart school campus) with characteristics that are adaptive and accommodating to four elements, namely technology, people, education, and policy makers (government).
However, the use of this technology is not without challenges. According to Professor Ling San, the challenges posed by disruptive technologies and major challenges demand a good and effective response. Therefore, responses must be coordinated, integrated, agile, fast, resilient and sustainable. To address this challenge, NTU offers cross-disciplinary learning programs and opportunities for students to hone their skills.
One of the learning opportunities for students is manifested in the mobility program. There are four types of student mobility programs, namely student exchange, short term, research, and internship. Dr. Syaheerah Lebai Lutfi said, the imbalance in the quality of education in Southeast Asia is one of the main problems that must be resolved immediately. This is because the more unequal the background of the origin campus and the mobility destination campus, it will make it difficult for students to participate in learning while participating in the mobility program.
Challenges that are often faced by students in the mobility program, namely the imbalance in the quality of education, language barriers, the complexity of obtaining visas, and cultural constraints/differences. However, it is not impossible that this can be overcome if every country in ASEAN affirms its commitment to organizing cooperation at the higher education level.
