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In recent decades, higher education systems have grown and diversified in all OECD countries and must now address broad objectives of growth, full employment and social cohesion. Ministers of Education from OECD countries and invited observers met in Athens on 27-28 June 2006 to discuss how to ensure that quality, equity and efficiency characterise all aspects of higher education.
The Forum on the Future of Higher Education which preceded the meeting looked at how four major forces for change – technology, globalisation, demography and new approaches to governance – might impact higher education. The objectives of the Forum were to provide a forward-looking introduction to the ministerial discussions and to generate debate. The Forum was open to a wide range of invited stakeholders and to media covering the meeting. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions and contribute to the discussion.
The meeting opened with a welcome from the Chair, Mrs. Marietta Giannakou, Minister of National Education and Religious Affairs, Greece, and remarks from the new OECD Secretary-General, Mr. Angel Gurría. On the morning of 28 June, ministers discussed "The purposes, governance, and sustainable provision of higher education", followed by group discussions on three themes:
- Who should pay for higher education?
- Measuring the quality and impact of higher education.
- Higher education’s contribution to research and innovation in a global knowledge economy.
Over a working lunch, Ministers discussed the challenges and opportunities of the global market for education.
In the afternoon of 28 June, Ministers discussed ”Improving the quality, relevance and impact of higher education”, focussing on the following questions:
- To what extent is higher education meeting the needs of 21st century societies?
- How can the OECD help nations devise better ways to measure quality, relevance and impact?
The meeting concluded with a summary from the Chair and a press briefing.
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