Regional Conference of South, South-West and Central Asia on Higher Education Concludes with the Adoption of New Delhi Declaration
	19:15 IST

The Sub-regional Conference of South, South-West and Central Asia on Higher Education concluded here today at Vigyan Bhavan with the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration. The Declaration affirms the fundamental linkage between higher education, nation-building and sustainable development and has recommended measures to develop institutions of excellence in the region. The participating countries have underlined the need for expanding higher education opportunities. The New Delhi Declaration on Higher Education states that enrolment in higher education in the region needs to be increased for participation in the global economy. It further says that the high rates of growth of population and expanding enrolments at the school level exerts pressure on the higher education to expand. To meet this challenge the region needs to evolve an adequate strategy to respond to the increasing social demand for higher education. The New Delhi Declaration on Higher Education recognizes the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the role of technologies for expanding access to higher education. It says that the traditional modes of imparting Open Distance Learning and traditional methods of on-campus teaching are being transformed by “e-learning” and “on-line” teaching methodologies. Therefore, there is a need for countries of the region to work towards sharing e-learning materials and technologies, including open source materials, for improving access and affordability of Higher Education, and work towards an appropriate net work for this purpose. The concluding session of the 2-day Conference was presided over by Smt. D. Purandeswari, Minister of State for Higher Education. The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil had inaugurated the Conference yesterday. It was organized by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and the National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) in collaboration with UNESCO. The theme of the conference was: ‘Facing Global and Local Challenges: the New Dynamics for Higher Education’ and was part of a series of regional conferences being organized as prelude to the World Conference on Higher Education to be convened by UNESCO later this year. Following is the full text of the New Delhi Declaration on Higher Education: NEW DELHI DECLARATION We the participants of the South, South-West and Central Asia Sub-Regional Preparatory Conference on Higher Education held in New Delhi, India on 25-26 February 2009 present this Declaration; we affirm the fundamental linkage between higher education, nation-building and sustainable development and recommend measures to develop institutions of excellence in the region. In that context.. 1. We recognize that higher education system in countries of the region must be oriented towards carrying forward the task of nation-building and development of human values in the region, and that nation building should not be circumscribed to the immediate demands of the market place. 2. We reiterate the need for preserving and promoting multi-cultural and multi-ethnic values and that higher education systems must always encourage open discussions, democratic debate and encourage plurality of views to be articulated and shared. 3. We underline the need for expanding higher education opportunities. Enrolment in higher education in the region needs to be increased for participation in the global economy. The high rates of growth of population and expanding enrolments at the school level exerts pressure on the higher education to expand. The region needs to evolve an adequate strategy to respond to the increasing social demand for higher education. 4. We agree that enrolment in higher education needs to be enhanced to specially prepare quality faculty for all levels of education. 5. We advocate expansion of higher education through national and regional funding. The expansion of higher education in the region needs to be largely met through an expansion of the public system. Contributions by philanthropic initiatives have also supplemented the expansion of higher education in the region. Public support is essential in those States where other actors may not be available. Even so, possibilities of expanding the private initiatives, consistent with public objectives, must be explored. 6. We encourage all stake holders in local communities to participate in resource mobilization for the national goal of higher education. 7. We acknowledge the role of private higher education institutions in many countries of the region to meet the rapidly growing demand for higher education, particularly in technical and professional subject areas, and in particular on skill development. However, we would encourage private institutions to be inclusive in their approach to access. We endorse the recommendations of 48th Session of the ICE in Geneva with its theme of inclusive education. We also recognize that higher education should be affordable and inclusively accessible in order to encourage the disadvantaged. 8. We exhort the private providers of higher education to balance offering of disciplines for a well rounded development of human resources in the region in keeping with the national regulatory framework. 9. We recognize the potential of ICT and the role of technologies for expanding access to higher education. Traditional modes of imparting Open Distance Learning and traditional methods of on-campus teaching are being transformed by “e-learning” and “on-line” teaching methodologies. We recognize the need for countries of the region to work towards sharing e-learning materials and technologies, including open source materials, for improving access and affordability of Higher Education, and work towards an appropriate net work for this purpose. 10. We commit ourselves to ensuring the quality of higher education in the region and for the need to establish appropriate systems of standards based quality assurance as well as to net-work national level accreditation agencies of the region. We recognize the need for institutional and human capacity building in quality assurance. 11. We appreciate that while higher education should meet the priorities and challenges of an increasingly globalizing world, there is a need to preserve local cultures and values. 12. We acknowledge the trend towards internationalization of higher education, as reflected in the increased mobility of students, academics, educational programmes and higher education institutions across national borders. The region experiences large outflow of students, and we recognize the need to establish appropriate regulatory frameworks to ensure optimum benefits of cross border educational opportunities, and to promote mutual collaboration and equal partnerships. 13. We encourage opportunities for developing research collaborations, co-operation and networks in all disciplines and in particular in science and technology. 14. We believe that higher education should become an instrument to promote development policies that are gender sensitive, economically sustainable, environmental-friendly and based on respect for human rights. 15. We appreciate the need for academic reforms, including faculty development, and to facilitate opportunities in optimizing the learning opportunities for students in higher education. 16. We reiterate the importance of promoting autonomy of institutions of higher education, consistent with the principle of accountability for maintaining academic and ethical standards. 17. We affirm that research programmes of higher education institutions be designed to promote self-reliance in discovery and creation of useful knowledge. 18. We underline the principle of maintaining and increasing public spending on higher education, notwithstanding the global financial crisis, and emphasize the need to explore alternatives to augment available resources. ADOPTED BY CONSENSUS BY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF ALL COUNTRIES OF THE REGION PRESENT ON THIS DAY THE 26TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2009 -------------------------- KKP/ska