After long behind-the-scenes political skirmishes, 150 governments attending the Unesco World Conference on Higher Education in Paris earlier this month unanimously adopted a document acknowledging higher education as a “public good” and calling on countries not to disinvest in the sector during the global economic crisis.
The agreement pits Unesco ideologically against the inclusion of education as a “service” in the General Agreement on Trade and Services (Gats) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), although the United Nations agency does not have a formal place at the negotiating table. WTO talks are stalled, but may be revived later this year.
The “public good” divides many developed and developing countries. At its heart is the wish by several developed countries to export education as a “commodity” without facing barriers to entry in foreign markets. They have pushed countries to sign into effect education’s inclusion in Gats, which would allow private providers to set up freely in developing countries.
Developing countries fear their governments will be constrained from regulating higher education. There has been concern that governments would be required under Gats to subsidise foreign providers on the same basis as they fund local public universities or violate Gats anti-discriminatory clauses.
Delegates said WTO talks were mentioned “in almost every session” of the group drafting the Unesco document. The group comprised 60 people.
Within the group there was said to be a strong lobby that argued that unless education as a human right or a public good was explicit in the Unesco statement, it could be seen as an endorsement of opening up “trade in education” to private providers in WTO talks.
The first point of the final document stated: “Higher education as a public good is the responsibility of all stakeholders, especially governments.”
Minister after minister supported this stance and, sources said, India was particularly insistent that education be considered a public good. India does not allow foreign providers at present, but the government is expected to present a Bill to Parliament to allow them in under certain conditions.
Indian Minister for Human Resources Kapil Sibal told the conference that “no nation in the world can cater to the need of the explosion that is taking place in education. Private players can serve the market.” He suggested that Unesco should play a role in benchmarking standards.
Although private providers now enroll 30% of the world’s student population, this fact is barely mentioned in the final document. — University World News