Transnational education, highly relevant in Asian region<\/p>\n
Dewi Anggraeni, Contributor, Melbourne, Australia<\/p>\n
To call education an industry, then to go ahead marketing it,
\noften brings out strong opinions from those who are decidedly
\nagainst it.<\/p>\n
The concept that education is a human right, and as such
\nshould not be a commodity, however, is becoming less attainable
\nevery day.<\/p>\n
Very few things, in fact, evade becoming a commodity these
\ndays. Putting the polemics aside, let us face the fact that in a
\nnumber of developed countries, education is even an export
\ncommodity. We are well and truly in an era of transnational
\neducation.<\/p>\n
In the 17th IDP (International Development Program) Australian
\nInternational Education conference held in Melbourne last week,
\nnobody among the approximately 1500 delegates from over 35
\ncountries, including Australia, openly questioned this accepted
\nfact. Instead, panels and speeches discussed and explored ways of
\nmaking the education industry more competitive and more
\nattractive to prospective clients.<\/p>\n
Delegates from exporter countries listened attentively to
\nsuggestions from importer countries. On the converse, those from
\nimporter countries were in the position of being able to pick and
\nchoose which institutions best met their needs.<\/p>\n
To accept the premise that education is an industry obviously
\nhas some advantages. Suppliers become more attuned to the needs
\nof buyers -- and they are kept alert and motivated to
\ncontinuously improve the quality of their products.<\/p>\n
Only 20 years ago, students from developing countries who came
\nto study in a developed country, be they full-fee payers or
\nscholarships recipients, would just have to overcome their
\nculture shock privately and quietly, adjust to the country's
\noften different teaching and learning methods -- even curriculum
\ncontents, or sink.<\/p>\n
While this treatment may be good for the soul eventually, it
\nis no longer ideal for today's world, where immediacy is the key
\nword; where what you learn must be able to be used immediately,
\nwhich usually means that while you are studying, you are actually
\nforging an income-earning tool, which is presumably ready to use
\nwhen you graduate.<\/p>\n
Today, transnational education providers who participate in a
\nbusiness worth billions of dollars have to offer a great deal
\nmore than just home-country syllabi. They have to be culturally
\nsensitive, acutely aware of the clients' expectations and
\nstandards vis-a-vis their own, take note of compatibility of
\nqualifications (which will facilitate recognition all round) and
\nbe up-to-date with various other aspects which never bothered
\nthem in the past.<\/p>\n
One of the providers of distance education, the University of
\nSouthern Queensland for instance, has put together a new course
\nof Comparative Law and Business after taking their clients' needs
\ninto consideration. In their MBA program, students have been
\ntaught the Australian legal system, including the business
\nregulatory environment, as part of their study. However, as many
\nof the students do not live in Australia and may not necessarily
\nwork in Australia, it is considered that they need to learn about
\nother legal systems as well.<\/p>\n
The conference has proven that the transnational education
\nindustry has become very relevant to us in Asia, as we are an
\nimporter region. A research study by IDP Education Australia,
\nGlobal Student Mobility 2025: Global Competition and Market
\nShare, predicts that in 2025, the Asian region will represent 93
\npercent of the demand for Australian international higher
\neducation, Australia being one of the major English-speaking
\ndestinations sought by importer countries in Asia.<\/p>\n
Export of transnational education is no longer confined to
\nmovement of students from their home country to the supplier
\ncountry. Program delivery can take place anywhere, University of
\nSouthern Queensland being an example. The growth of National-Plus
\nschools in Indonesia, where students are given the national as
\nwell as the International Baccalaureate curricula indicates that
\ntransnational education is already a reality.<\/p>\n
Given the situation we must not be shy in telling the
\nproviders what we want. And to be able to do that we urgently
\nneed to crawl out of our usual complacency and begin organizing
\nand planning. The danger glaring us in the face is the dreaded
\ncultural marginalization, either developed overseas where the
\nstudents are studying, or in our own country where the program is
\nbeing delivered.<\/p>\n
The high costs of transnational education may also contribute
\nto the deepening and widening of the gap between the rich and the
\npoor. If those who have enjoyed transnational education are
\nproven more capable to compete in the job market, they will
\neventually dominate the more lucrative-paying positions, while
\nthose who cannot afford transnational education will have to take
\nthe lower-paying jobs.<\/p>\n
A well-planned scholarship program may help tamper this social
\nproblem, seeing that an overhaul of the whole national education
\nsystem seems less viable in the immediate future.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that education is a crucial part of the
\ncountry's reform process and transnational education is here to
\nstay. Make the best of it.<\/p>",
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