The ASEF Regional Conference on Higher Education (ARC) is the “Official Dialogue Partner of the ASEM Education Ministers Meeting (ASEMME)” and the only bi-regional multi-stakeholder dialogue platform for university and student leaders, policymakers and ministers to discuss higher education issues and shape the education landscape in Asia and Europe.
What is the ARC programme?
For the past 15 years, ARC has continuously evolved and contributed with various outputs (policy recommendations, research, and events) to the ASEM Education Process, and created opportunities for key Asian and European stakeholders to connect. ARC’s role as a valuable dialogue partner has been reiterated in all ASEMMEs, and its outcomes and outputs helped to sustain a dynamic ASEM Education Process. Take a look at the past editions here.
The ARC programme cycle covers two years and is aligned with the timeline of the ASEMMEs. Its results, including research, and policy recommendations, feed into the preparations for ASEM Education Senior Officials’ Meetings (SOMs) and the ASEM Education Ministers’ Meetings (MEs), which ARC experts are invited to attend.
Now running on its tenth cycle, ARC’s objectives are ►
Knowledge Exchange
Inform Policy
Background of ARC10
ARC10 revolves around the future of higher education in Asia and Europe, given the trends and developments that higher education must cope with. Climate change, geopolitical disruptions, inequalities and disparities on various fronts, digital transformation, and the possibility of failing to meet the SDGs. Guided by ASEM’s directives and priorities on Education that stand as ASEF’s guideposts, our work in ARC10 answers the call to explore substantive changes to reinvent higher education given its key role in transforming our collective future.
In these two years we work through debates, webinars, policy dialogues, and a publication under the theme “[Un]debated Ways of Rethinking Higher Education” which has three sub-themes that explore what the ASEM Education Space hopes to achieve by 2030 and beyond where deeper global conversations are needed.
By focusing the discussions on these subthemes, we explore questions such as:
► Will teaching and learning benefit from AI in the next decade?
► Who has more responsibility in making higher education more equitable and accessible: universities or policymakers?
► Does TNE bring more opportunities or risks in ensuring balanced mobility of people and knowledge?
► How will universities become real lifelong learning institutions?
ARC10 Highlights
ARC10, guided by our programme objectives, hopes to provide spaces at various levels where higher education stakeholders and partners can come together to build a collective vision of the future.
As we conclude the project’s first year, we have made progress in achieving the project’s intended outcomes and impacts. See our highlights below!
Check out the ARC10 Year 1 Project Report below to learn more about this year’s main activities and policy-relevant events we attended:
ARC10 Activities
ARC10’s first year involved two main components: the Debate Webinar Series in the latter half of 2024, and Policy Dialogue Workshops that we integrated into major affiliate events in November 2024.
October-December 2024 | Online
Experts and representatives of key stakeholder groups were invited to share their perspectives on the future of higher education on a given sub-theme. We produced narrative reports anchored in these discussions that capture a collective vision of how a key area of higher education will evolve in the coming years. Our discussions took place on following dates:
Session 1: Rethinking Digital Transformation, 17 October 2024
The expectations from AI are rapidly rising. It offers promising ways to personalise content, enrich the learning experience, help with assessment, even with mental health of students. However, there are also a lot of assumptions, fear, and misinformation around this topic that raises important considerations about ethics, equity, and the human touch in education. Our expert speakers engaged in a debate and explored both sides of the equation in this webinar.
Session 2: Rethinking Equitable Access and Success, 07 November 2024
Poverty and inequality, nevertheless, remains to be a key determinant of access to education (UNESCO, 2021). Thus, social justice measures such as free higher education are put in place to level the playing field and expand access to learning opportunities. But does making higher education free truly make access more equitable? This session tackled the pros and cons of such a policy and explored its implications from different angles and contexts.
Session 3: Rethinking Recognition and Balanced Mobility, 05 December 2024
Transnational education (TNE) has a wide range of positive impacts, chief among them expanding access to opportunities for students and professionals alike which in turn drives social and economic mobility (British Council, 2022). However, internationalisation of higher education through TNE fosters the risk of exposure to fraudulent activities such as diploma and accreditation mills increases, especially as we shift to online means of teaching and learning. In a debate setting, our expert ventured to assess the situation.
Read more about the webinars or watch the recordings here.
18-22 November 2024 | Bangkok, Thailand
As ARC is the Official Dialogue Partner of the ASEMME, we aligned with complemented the programme of the ASEM Intermediate Senior Officials Meeting (ISOM) co-organised by the ASEM Education Secretariat and Thailand’s Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI).
We also partnered with the SEAMEO Regional Centre on Higher Education and Development (RIHED) and organised a panel discussion at the 2024 Inter-Regional Research Symposium!
At the ASEM Education Intermediate Senior Officials Meeting (ISOM), we held a Policy Dialogue Workshop titled “Campus to Career: Redefining Equity, Access & Success in Higher Education in the Digital Age” on 19 November 2024. Our panelists mentioned that almost in all the countries where data is available there are differences and gaps in participation in higher education. Gender inequities persist, just as socioeconomic barriers and lack of access mechanisms for those with disabilities. Ultimately, policies on access, equity, and success and not robust enough to deal with great system changes, like what digital transformation has triggered.
A key highlight from the event is also the confirmation of ASEF as the third Co-chair of the Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goals and Education to tackle access, equity, and success in higher education. You may find details about our participation here.
Another policy dialogue workshop took place on 20 November 2024 at the 2024 Inter-Regional Research Symposium organised by the SEAMEO RIHED. In line with the Symposium’s theme and priority areas, ARC10 introduced an interactive panel discussion titled “Digital Transformation: Will Teaching and Learning Benefit from Artificial Intelligence in the Next Decade?” for over 200 of IRRS’ participants. Our speakers took on specific debating roles and argued in favour of, or against, positions highlighting key issues on digital transformation and the use of AI in teaching and learning. The sentiment of the audience to our question on the pros and cons of AI was measured via Mentimeter, and nearly 80% agreed that it will ultimately be a force for good.
Finally, we moderated one of the parallel sessions, where Southeast Asian researchers presented their papers on the latest findings in lifelong learning and micro-credentials. You can find more information about our input here.
Participation in Policy Events
Part of our work in the ARC10 Project is to contribute to the strengthening of the higher education ecosystem in Asia and Europe. In Year 1, we participated in key events where we shared our work, sustained connections, built our network, and supported intellectual exchanges and discourse on key higher education topics:
Cork, Ireland
Tirana, Albania
Vientiane, Lao PDR
Oxford, United Kingdom
What’s Next in 2025?
Throughout 2025 | Online and Onsite
Based on the outputs of 2024, ARC10 activities in 2025 will primarily focus on a series of policy dialogues to bring the Debate Webinar Series narrative reports closer to ASEF’s partners and stakeholders.
We aim to build on partnerships with key global players such as WAHEN, SEAMEO RIHED, the ASEM Education Secretariat, and the ASEM Education Expert Group on the SDGs and Education guided by ARC10’s themes.
Through these policy dialogues, we will work in close collaboration with the ASEM Education Process Expert Groups and Stakeholders and gather policy recommendations with the aim of forwarding these to the ASEM Education Ministers.
Mid-2026 | Asia
ARC, as the Official Dialogue Partner of the ASEMME, will present its collection of policy recommendations based on our work from 2024-2025. These recommendations will include highlights of the Debate Webinar Series narrative reports and results of the capacity-building and dialogue events with our partners. We will present these at ASEMME10 for the Ministers’ consideration and guidance of the policymakers across Asia and Europe.
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