Southeast Asia should develop a ¡°regional standard¡± for its national university systems and create a distinctive regional higher education identity to compete with Europe and the US.

That is the argument set out in a British Council report on a recent major conference on universities in the Association of South East Asian Nations region.

A British Council Global Education Dialogue was held in Burma in July, in partnership with Burma¡¯s Ministry of Education and Unesco. A report based on the conference has now been published by the British Council.

In the report, the British Council states that Asean will take a step towards closer integration when it becomes an economic community in 2015.

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¡°This social and economic integration will put pressure on political leaders to harmonise systems as the mobility of students, professionals and labour forces increases between member states,¡± the document says.

The report notes that the region¡¯s universities range from those in ¡°low-middle income countries¡± such as Burma, focused on increasing enrolment and system expansion, to those in high-income countries such as Singapore with well-developed systems focused on increasing international recognition.

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The report¡¯s recommendations include establishing a goal to ¡°define and articulate a distinctive Asean identity for universities and what it means to study in the region¡±. It suggests that this should centre on ¡°a student experience based on strong links with industry and employers and the opportunity to be mobile and gain a variety of experiences¡±.

There should also be a drive to ¡°create an Asean regional standard for national systems, one that corresponds to other regional models ¨C not necessarily a direct replication ¨C but a system, based on a healthy?mixture of public and private provision, that is transferable and robust, based on quality processes and distinctive for students choosing an Asean experience¡±.

john.morgan@tesglobal.com