The UNESCO/OECD Guidelines on
Quality Provision in Cross-Border
Higher Education: the reasons of their
development and their main
consequences
Alexandria 14-16 November 2005
Bernard Hugonnier
OECD Deputy Director for Education
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The Seven wonders
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
2
Les pyramides
Les jardins suspendus de Babylone
La statue de Zeus à Olympie
Le temple d’Artémis à Éphèse
Le mausolée de Halicarnasse
Le colosse de Rhodes
Le phare d’Alexandrie
La bibliothèque Alexandrina
The UNESCO/OECD Guidelines
Next steps
3
1.
Analytical work
2.
Dissemination
3.
Implementation
Consumer protection
1.
4
Trade and international
co-operation
Learners are protected
from low-quality provision
1. Sending
and receiving
Co-operation
and qualifications
countries
are sharing
between
2. High international validity
The consequences
responsibilities
UNESCO, for assuring
and portability of
of the Guidelines
on
quality
of cross-border
WTO
and
qualifications
prevail
higher education
consumer
OECD
3.
Strong quality assurance
2. The brain drain risk is
protection are
very
and accreditation
systems
minimised
clear
exist
3. The education gap between
4.
International co-operation
the least developed
among national quality
countries and the other
assurance and
developing
countries is
The
consequences
on
accreditation agencies is
mitigated
competition
and
trade
need
increased
further analytical
work provision meet the
1.
Foreign
1. There exist a level
The consequences
needs
of
the
importing
country
playing field
for HEI
Joint
on development are
(economic, social and cultural
2. Competition
between
Analytical
straightforward as
needs)
HEI is open
and fair
work
well
3. Competition
between
between
the
2.
The risk for the stability and
professionals
is open
OECD
continuity of the education
and fairEducation
system is limited
Development
and
3.
Capacity building is taking place
Competition
Dissemination







5
Brochures
Web sites
House magazines (e.g. OECD Observer)
Policy Briefs
Conferences (e.g. 3rd UNESCO Global Forum on
QA focusing on Learners, October 2006)
Media
Co-ordination with stakeholders
Implementation


Presentation of an action plan to the OECD Education
Committee (March 2006)
Action plan


Spring 2006: Creation of national co-ordinators
Summer 2006: Meeting at national level of associations
of main stakeholders (2006) who could either:
– Aknowledge the Guidelines
– Validate the underpinning principles and the objectives of the
Guidelines
– Agree to take action (dissemination & implementation)



6
Summer 2007: second meeting at national level of
stakeholders
Autumn 2007: OECD meeting with national co-ordinators
Autumn 2007: UNESCO/OECD conference in
preparation to a progress report from the Unesco DG to
the 34th General Conference
Implementation

Information tool



Capacity building



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Objective: creation of a portal of accredited HEIs and
programmes to be hosted by UNESCO
2006: pilot project
2006: UNESCO and World Bank to assess the capacity
building needs and develop an action plan.
2006-2007: implementation
Autumn 2007: progress report by the DG to the 34th
UNSECO General Conference
Thank you.
OECD: www.oecd.org
Education Directorate: www.oecd.org/edu
Bernard.hugonnier@oecd.org
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