More than 500 university presidents, vice-chancellors, and sector leaders descended upon sunny central London this week for Going Global, the world’s biggest conference of higher education leaders and influencers.
Government deal-makers were in attendance and behind the scenes there was a summit on unilateral approaches to the quality of the international student experience attended by key Western countries—a statement on the outcome of the talks is expected soon.
Convened by the British Council, Going Global is a seminar-based event which this year comprised 53 sessions over two-and-a-half days on the subject of internationalising higher education. Sessions ranged from the country- or region-specific to macro discussions about the ethics and future of international education.
Keynote speaker, Professor Homi K Bhabha of Harvard University, told a packed hall of 1,300 delegates that international education was an important “modern ethic”, focused on experience as well as education, and that they should think about more than the nuts and bolts of the process.
Nuts and bolts, however, was what many delegates had come for, with the conference a haven of networking for delegates and exhibitors looking to collaborate.
“Going Global exhibits the convening power of the British Council at its best,” commented Dr Jo Beall, the British Council’s director of education and society. “The most inspiring features have been the calibre of debate and dialogue, the degree of innovation which conference participants have shared and networks and partnerships forged.”
Stand-out speakers included Professor Adam Habib, Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Johannesburg, who challenged the very notion of international education. “Universities are not serious about international education just because they have a few students from Africa and Asia,” he claimed.
The notion of brain drain out of developing countries was also a theme in sessions
The notion of brain drain in developing countries was also a theme in sessions and transnational education (TNE) was hailed, in one case, as an alternative form of internationalisation that might stem the issue (although others pointed to TNE as a stepping stone to an overseas experience).
Others, such as Professor Goolam Mohamedbhai, Former Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities in Mauritius, questioned whether it was fair if fees of students in the developing world were used to finance an institution’s campus in the home country through its overseas branch.
“With some of the most challenging questions and some of the most innovative ideas coming from countries as diverse as Indonesia, Pakistan, Kenya and Brazil,” said Beall, “[the event] demonstrates how it is not just the mature economies that are driving forward new developments in education.”
Many of the sessions from Going Global 2012 are already available to view online.
