10-11 February 2015
“Women and Leadership - the Absent Revolution”
New Delhi, India
Day 1:
08:30-09:30
Registration & coffee
09:30-09:45
Opening and welcome:
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 1
09:45-10:45
Rob Lynes, Country Director India, British Council
Guest of Honour: Government Representative, Ministry for Human Resources and Development (MHRD), India
Opening Plenary 1:
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 1
‘Women and Leadership: the Absent Revolution’
The under-representation of women in influential and senior leadership positions in the global academy is a major challenge. In
many countries, participation in education for women is now approaching parity with men at both secondary and undergraduate
levels (and in some countries surpassing men). Yet this has not translated into senior appointments and leadership positions in
higher education institutions globally. What are the barriers and causes of these absences in higher education leadership and what
policies and intervention are required to redress this imbalance?
Keynote: Jude Kelly CBE, Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre, UK
Keynote: Lalitha Kumaramangalam, Chairperson, National Commission on Women, India
Followed by Q&A
Chair: Peter Upton CMG, Country Director Pakistan, British Council
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Global Education Dialogues: South Asia Series 2015
10:45:11:00
Coffee and networking
Venue: Pre-function Area
11:00:12:00 Research and Analysis
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 1
‘Women in Higher Education Leadership in South Asia’, a report commissioned by the British Council and conducted by the
Centre for Higher Education and Equity Research (CHEER), University of Sussex, UK
Presenter: Professor Louise Morley, Professor of Education, University of Sussex, UK
Panellists:
 Mr Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, Minister for Education, Government of Punjab, Pakistan
 Prof. Raihana Popalzai, Academic Vice Chancellor, Kabul university, Afghanistan
 Prof. Louise Morley, Professor of Education, University of Sussex, UK
 Prof. Maithree Wickramasinghe, Founder/Director, Centre for Gender Studies - University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
Panel Discussion followed by Q&A
Chair: Michelle Potts, Director Education South Asia, British Council
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Global Education Dialogues: South Asia Series 2015
12:00-13:00
Parallel 1
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 1
Parallel 2
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 2
Parallel 3
Venue: Regal (Level 1)
‘Error 404: Data not found’ – the missing
data on female participation
Gender is often an absent category of
analysis in higher education policy - unless
it refers to participation rates of students
Internationalisation – a ticket to the top
or not?
In today’s globalised world, mobility has
become an important factor in career
advancement. Internationalisation and
opportunities for mobility, networks and
research partnerships not only provide
resources, but also introduce researchers
and academic staff to new knowledge,
contacts and professional approaches.
However, for many South Asian women
moving away from home may simply not be
an option and access to networks either
unavailable or inaccessible
Gender on the agenda – the rise of
positive action
There is a lack of gender-disaggregated
statistics held at country or regional level
with which to inform and evaluate effective
policy implementation. This missing data on
higher education staffing means that
progress is not being monitored or
managed
How can this be remedied? What good
practice in data collection exists already
and how can good data inform policymaking at institutional and national levels?
Panellists:
 Mr Vijai Vardhan, Addl. Chief
Secretary to Govt., Haryana,
Higher Education Department
 Dr Barbara Crossouard, Senior
Lecturer in Education, University of
Sussex, UK
Facilitator: Lynne Heslop, Senior
Education Adviser, British Council, India
Has internationalisation helped or hindered
progression? What pathways and
programmes exist to provide this exposure
and are they fairly accessible to all?
Panellists:
 Jude Kelly OBE, Artistic Director of
the Southbank Centre, UK
 Fahima Aziz, Vice Chancellor, Asian
University for Women, Bangladesh
 Manjula Rao, Assistant Director,
Internationalising Higher Education,
British Council, India
Facilitator: Danny Whitehead, Country
Director Iran, British Council
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Global Education Dialogues: South Asia Series 2015
The linking of research funding to
progress on gender equality recently in
the UK was viewed as something of a
watershed in higher education.
Is it time now for gender to be
mainstreamed into higher education
policy in relation to students and staff,
with equality seen as a central
constituent of quality?
What might this positive action look
like? What has worked, what hasn’t
and why?
Panellists:
 Prof Kshanika Hirimburegama,
Chairperson, UGC Sri Lanka.
 Dianah Worman, Chartered
Institute of Professional
development CIPD, UK
 Huma Ejaz Zaman, Lawyer and
Additional Secretary Higher
Education, Government of
Punjab, Pakistan
Facilitator: Ismail Badat, Regional
Manager - Higher & Further Education,
Wider South Asia, British Council
13:00-14:00
Lunch and networking
Venue: Pre-function Area
14:00-15:15
Plenary 2:
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 1
You’re Hired! Myths and realities in academic appointments
Bringing transparency into the recruitment and selection processes for senior appointments has been cited as a major step in
improving gender parity in academic appointments. Furthermore, the politicisation of academic appointments in South Asia raises
serious concerns about the quality of academic leadership as well as adding layers of complexity to the appointments system.
Do the recruitment and selection processes for senior appointments inadvertently or deliberately militate against women achieving
high office? What attitudes, attributes, qualities and qualifications are required for today’s leaders of higher education?
This session will explore the myths and realities of the appointment of senior staff in leadership roles in higher education from the
experiences of those on the inside – the people doing the hiring and selection
Panellists:
 Furqan Qamar, Secretary General of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), India
 Patrick Johnson, Head of Equality and Diversity, University of Manchester, UK
 Dr Fahima Aziz, Vice Chancellor, Asian University for Women, Bangladesh
 Prof Kshanika Hirimburegama, Chairperson, UGC Sri Lanka
Panel Discussion followed by Q&A
Chair: Richard Everitt, Director Education and Programmes India, British Council
15:15-15:30
Coffee and networking
Venue: Pre-function Area
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Global Education Dialogues: South Asia Series 2015
15:30-17:00
Case studies & Think Piece presentations
Panellists will present case studies and think pieces for discussion addressing the core themes of the Policy Dialogue “Women and
Leadership - the Absent Revolution” within the three sub themes below:
Theme: Fix the individual
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 1
Theme: Fix the Knowledge
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 2
Theme: Fix the Organisation
Venue: Regal (Level 1)
- relates to the behaviours and capabilities of
women and men to enable gender equity in
higher education to happen. Enhancing women’s
confidence and self-esteem, building capacity
and encouraging women in higher education to
be more competitive, assertive and risk-taking is
important.
- relates to identifying bias, for
example, in curricula, and the
importance of including gender as a
category in all disciplines as well as
introducing specific areas of
scholarship such as gender and
women’s studies.
- relates to gender mainstreaming through
institutional transformation by introducing
gender equality policies, processes and
practices, challenging discriminatory
structures, gender impact assessments,
audits and reviews.
Dianah Worman, Chartered Institute of
Professional development CIPD, UK
Ms. Shukria Barakzai MP, Member of
Parliament, Afghanistan
Dr Tayebeh Najafi, Ministry of Health and
Medical Education, Iran
Facilitator: Ismail Badat, Regional Manager,
Higher & Further Education, Wider South Asia,
British Council
Patrick Johnson, Head of Equality and
Diversity, University of Manchester, UK
Dr. Farida Momand, Kabul Medical
University, Afghanistan
Prof Sunaina Singh, Vice Chancellor,
The English and Foreign Languages
University, Hyderabad, India
Prof Maithree Wickramasinghe,
Founder/Director, Centre for Gender
Studies - University of Kelaniya, Sri
Lanka
Facilitator: Manjula Rao, Assistant
Director, Internationalising Higher
Education, British Council, India
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Global Education Dialogues: South Asia Series 2015
Professor Rohini Godbole, Indian Institute
of Science, India
Dr Barbara Crossouard, Senior Lecturer
in Education, University of Sussex, UK
Facilitator: Lynne Heslop, Senior
Education Adviser, British Council, India
18:30 –
20:30
Networking event – Reception and Dinner
Venue: British Council, 17 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi - 110001
A special screening of ‘Do not Trust my Silence’ - Mubareka Sahar Fetrat, Journalist & filmmaker, Co-founder independent Female
Society Organisation, Afghanistan
Day 2:
Breakfast
session
08:30-09:00
Mainstreaming persons with disabilities - Moving from the margins
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 2
Presenter: Dan Walsh , Head of Diversity, Pakistan, British Council
An informal discussion with Dan Walsh who will present the findings of a custom research report commissioned by the British
Council examining the challenges, opportunities and policy issues affecting persons with disabilities in Pakistan and which might
resonate with the rest of the countries in South Asia
09:05-09:30
Welcome to Day 2:
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 1
Peter Upton CMG, Country Director Pakistan, British Council
Women and Leadership - ‘the Absent Revolution’
Keynote Ms. Shukria Barakzai MP, Member of Parliament, Afghanistan
Keynote Professor Dwikorita Karnawati, Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia
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Global Education Dialogues: South Asia Series 2015
09:30-10:30
Research and Analysis
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 1
Defined by absence: women and research in South Asia - custom research report commissioned by the British Council and
conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
The rise in female participation in higher education has been driven by rising incomes, the creation of a rapidly growing market
for higher skilled graduates and gradually changing attitudes regarding women in the work force. However, female enrolment in
postgraduate degree programmes has not risen rapidly and women researchers in particular are noticeable by their absence.
Presenter & Chair : Dr Maryam Rab, Director Research Evaluation & Monitoring Unit (REMU), Pakistan, British Council
Panellists:
 Professor Dwikorita Karnawati, Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia
 Dr Hamid Akbari, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology, Research and Higher Education, Iran
 Dr Nafees Meah, Research Councils UK, India
 Dr Nandini Harinath, Mars Mission scientist, Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO, India
Panel Discussion followed by Q&A
10:30-10:45
Coffee and networking
Venue: Pre-function Area
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Global Education Dialogues: South Asia Series 2015
10:45 – 11:45
Parallel 4
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 1
Parallel 5
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 2
Parallel 6
Venue: Regal (Level 1)
Double jeopardy – future imbalance
As female participation in higher education
is growing in some parts of the world, in
other parts, noticeably in OECD countries
the proportion of males making up the
student population is dropping.
Invisible women
What causes women to become
overlooked from leadership positions? Is
it too simplistic to look at this issue in a
binary way? Anecdotes suggest that
women become invisible at a certain age
or those from certain disciplines e.g.
those from social sciences or humanities
backgrounds.
Women in STEM – sharing
experiences, challenges and best
practice
In the US for example, nearly 60% of
university graduates, 60% of master’s and
52% of doctoral degrees are awarded to
women. In many countries in the Middle
East, North Africa and Levant regions,
enrolment of women has overtaken men.
In the UK, it has been suggested that
universities would soon be required to
treat boys as an under-represented group
if current trends continued
What are the potential implications for the
global higher education landscape in
terms of gender and how might it affect
higher education leadership in the future?
Panellists:
 N V Varghese, National University
of Educational Planning and
Administration NEUPA, India
 Professor Louise Morley,
Professor of Education, University
of Sussex, UK
Facilitator: Lynne Heslop, Senior
Education Adviser, British Council, India
Does gender really matter or are there
other factors at play that determine
leadership outcomes e.g. socioeconomic background, an
internationalised education, English
language skills or urbanites who are
more likely to succeed in the leadership
stakes?
Panellists:
 Dr Jayanti Ravi, Commissioner
Labour, Government of Gujarat,
India

Manpreet Kaur Gill, SOAS –
South Asia Institute, University of
London, UK
Facilitator: Ismail Badat, Regional
Manager, Higher & Further Education,
Wider South Asia, British Council
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Global Education Dialogues: South Asia Series 2015
This session will be focused on
identifying, adopting, and sharing the
most effective methods and “best
practices” in addressing the challenges
women in STEM careers face in
different organisational settings in
various countries.
Panellists
 Dr Parvin Pasalar, Ministry of
Health and Medical Science,
Iran
 Dr Shahid Jameel, CEO,
Wellcome Trust/DBT India
Alliance, India
Facilitator: Manjula Rao, Assistant
Director, Internationalising Higher
Education, British Council, India
11:45-12:45
Plenary 4
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 1
Ivory towers and glass ceilings – contrasting the fortunes of HE with business and other sectors
There is an emerging gender disparity when it comes to positions of leadership and influence in Higher Education contrasted
with their counterparts in business and other sectors. Whilst women are beginning to break the glass ceilings in other walks of
life, scaling the ivory towers is still seen as precarious and the preserve of men.
This session contrasts the fortunes of HE with its counterparts in industry, finance, civil society, the arts and other professions.
What best practice exists outside of academia? What works, what doesn’t and why?
Panellists:
 Dr Rowena Arshad OBE. Head of Moray House School of Education/Co-Director of the Centre for Education for Racial
Equality in Scotland (CERES), UK
 Shahid Zaman, Additional Secretary of Higher Education, Government of Punjab, Pakistan
 Anuradha Das Mathur, Founder and Director, 9.9 Media, India
Chair: Danny Whitehead, Country Director Iran, British Council
12:45-13:30
Lunch & Networking
Venue: Pre-function Area
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Global Education Dialogues: South Asia Series 2015
13:30-15:00
Open Session: ways forward
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 1, Crystal Ballroom 2 and Regal (Level 1)
Participants will suggest ideas and propose solutions to the issues and opportunities that have been raised during the dialogue.
Participants will form teams based on individual interests and skills, discuss and present their ideas and solutions to a panel of
judges. Judging will be based on the following criteria:




IMPLEMENTABILITY
INNOVATION
IMPACT
SUSTAINABILITY
Facilitators:
Ismail Badat, Regional Manager, Higher & Further Education, Wider South Asia, British Council
Dr Maryam Rab, Director Research Evaluation & Monitoring Unit (REMU), Pakistan, British Council
15:00-15:15
Dialogue Close:
Venue: Crystal Ballroom 1
Peter Upton CMG, Country Director Pakistan, British Council
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Global Education Dialogues: South Asia Series 2015