Conference on Higher Education
in Developing Countries
By Sameen Ahmed Khan
Aga Khan University’s Institute
for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU–ISMC) hosted
a two-day Conference on Higher Education in Developing Countries:
With a Focus on Muslim Contexts, during, 24–25 February
2005 at the Congress Centre in London, UK.
The Conference brought together, students, educators, scholars
and decision-makers from around the world. It created an intellectual
platform for an assessment of present educational programs
and the future of higher education in developing countries,
and more specifically, in the Muslim countires. It is to be
noted that the Conference had a very informative website,
not only in English, but also in Arabic, Persian and Urdu
(http://www.aku.edu/ismc/samples/urdu/).
The Conference focused on the following main themes: (i) Vision,
purpose and aims of higher education in developing countries;
and (ii) Reforms and innovation in higher education –
successes and lessons learned.
The following were the sub-themes of the conference: (a) Academic
Issues: Teaching and Learning; (b) Academic Issues: Research;
(c) Governance and Management; (d) Human and Material Resources;
(e) Higher Education, the Global Context and Developing Countries;
and (f) Quality Assurance.
The conference featured keynote addresses and closing remarks
by internationally known experts with several concurrent sessions.
There were many interesting presentations from specific case
studies to innovative proposals. The conference was well organized
and the platform it successfully created is sure to influence
the future course of action. The excellent presentations will
be available in the form of proceedings in the next few months.
We need more of such conferences to address the urgent issues
impacting education in Muslim countries.
Established in 1983, the
Aga Khan University is a private international university,
with teaching and research programs in Pakistan, Kenya, Tanzania,
Uganda, Afghanistan, Syria and UK. In 2002, the university
established the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations
in London. The goal of the Institute is to strengthen research
and teaching on the heritage of Muslim societies in all its
historic diversity. The Institute seeks to create opportunities
for interaction among academics, traditionally trained scholars
and other professionals so as to deepen understanding of pressing
issues affecting Muslim societies (http://www.aku.edu/).
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