Launch of the Public Policy Forum at CRES+5

On 15 March, the First Edition of the Public Policy Forum on Higher Education (ForoPES) took place, an event organised by the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC), with the support of the Brazilian government and in the framework of the  follow-up meeting of the Regional Conference on Higher Education CRES +5.

Through the exchange of ideas, experiences and practices, the ForoPES served to share the problems common to higher education in the region and innovative solutions, fostering international dialogue and intercultural understanding around public higher education policies in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This first edition of the forum consisted of two panels on two key issues for public policies in higher education in the region: quality and financing, with the cross-cutting theme of the contribution of higher education to the Sustainable Development Goals through quality and financing.

Each panel was attended by public policy makers in the region at the highest level and with the contribution of representatives of higher education stakeholders, with open debates, as well as comments and questions from the audience. The sessions were moderated by Dr. Victoria Galán-Muros, Director of Research and Analysis at UNESCO IESALC.

The first panel explored the challenges and opportunities for quality improvement in higher education from a holistic perspective, covering aspects such as quality monitoring and improvement within institutions; system-wide supervision by quality assurance agencies; faculty competencies and professional learning; the relevance of higher education and research to societal needs; and innovation in quality improvement practices.

Participants included Federico Mora, Vice-Minister of Higher Education of Paraguay; Cecilia Santana, Undersecretary of Higher Education Institutions of Ecuador; Alejandro Álvarez Gallego, Vice-Minister of Higher Education of Colombia; and María José Rhi Sausi Garavito, Director General of the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation System of Mexico.

The second panel dealt with the financing of higher education and considerations for sustainability. It covered aspects linked to scholarship and student loan support schemes, funding to ensure decent working conditions, science funding, alignment of university and state missions, as well as effective strategies to build sustainable funding models that respond to the needs of higher education and optimise its impact on society.

Participating in this second panel were the Undersecretary of Higher Education of Chile, Victor Orellana Calderón; the Director of Higher Education Policies and Programmes of Brazil, Alexandre Brasil Carvalho da Fonseca; the Minister of Higher Education of Cuba, Walter Baluja García and the Executive Director of the Tertiary Education Commission of Jamaica, Dameon Black.