21st CENTURY UNIVERSITIES

The future of Higher Education in South Asia

Day 1: Thursday 28 November

8.00 – 9.00

Pre function area-Ballroom

Registration and Coffee

9.00 – 9.15

Al Khor Ballroom

Welcome Address:

Stephan Roman, Regional Director South Asia, British Council Prof Abdullah.M.Alshamsi, Vice-Chancellor, British University in Dubai (BUiD)

09.15 – 10.30

Al Khor Ballroom

Opening Plenary 1: Is the current Higher Education model in South Asia fit for purpose in the 21st

century?

South Asia represents a youthful and dynamic region with an emerging demographic dividend. However, to reap the benefit of

this, issues of scale, sustainability, capacity and relevance need to be addressed within Higher Education provision. Is there a risk of South Asia replicating the past and repeating the mistakes of their western counterparts or rather learning and adapting

for needs?

Speaker: Prof Dr. S. Sohail H. Naqvi, Vice-Chancellor, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan

Speaker: Raman Madhok, Managing Director, CMI FPE Limited (CMI Group of Belgium), India

Speaker: Rajay Naik, Director of Government and External Affairs, The Open University (OU), UK

Speaker: Prof Raj Gill, Pro Vice Chancellor, Middlesex University, UK

Panel Discussion followed by Q&A

Chair: Ismail Badat - Regional Manager, Higher and Further Education, Wider South Asia, British Council

Theme: Transformation

2

1030 - 1100 Pre function area - Ballroom

Coffee and networking

1100 – 1215

Al Khor Ballroom

Parallel 1: 21st Century Universities

What are the future models of delivery of

Higher Education emerging in SA in the 21st

Century given the challenges of scale,

capacity and relevance?

Speaker: Dr Zubair Hanslot, Provost, University of Bolton, UK

Speaker: Piera Gerrard, Director Marketing, Northern

Consortium UK (NCUK) Speaker: Dr N V Varghese, Director Centre for Policy

Research, NEUPA, India

Round table discussion

Facilitator: Ismail Badat, Regional Manager, Higher and Further Education, Wider South Asia, British Council

Theme: Innovation - Future models

Murjan 3

Parallel 2: 21st Century Academics

What are the defining characteristics of the 21st Century

Academic and impending challenges and opportunities -

what does he/she (or it) look like and what are the new

toolsets at their disposal?

Speaker: Prof Marilyn Leask, Dean, Bedfordshire University, UK Speaker: Prof N. B. Jumani, Department of Education, International

Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan

Speaker: Dr Ravi Singh, Director, Indira Gandhi National Open University, India

Speaker: Prof Muhammad Abbas Khan, Advisor to Speaker Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Round table discussion

Facilitator: Michelle Potts, Director Education South Asia, British

Council

Theme: Innovation – Teaching & Learning

1215 - 1330 Liwan Restaurant

Lunch and networking

3

1330 – 1445

Murjan 1

Case Study 1

Higher Education and the new

normal

Dr A. K. Enamul Haque Professor of Economics, United

International University and Director, Insight School of Learning,

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Followed by group discussion and action points

Facilitator: Ismail Badat, British Council

Theme: Innovation - Future Models

Murjan 2

Case Study 2

‘Collaboration a people

endeavour’ - University of

Liverpool & Laureate, on Line

partnership

Dr Ian Willis, Head of Educational Development division, University of

Liverpool, UK

Followed by group discussion and

action points

Facilitator: Michelle Potts, British Council

Theme: Innovation - Future Funding models - New Partnerships

Murjan 3

Case Study 3

Towards a Global and National

Innovation System for Inclusive

Higher Education in a Developing

Country: Case of the University of

Uva Wellassa, Sri Lanka (The

Entrepreneurial University)

Chandra Embuldeniya– Founder and Former Vice Chancellor, University of

Uva Wellassa, Sri Lanka

Followed by group discussion and

action points

Facilitator: Liz Dempsey, British Council

Theme: Innovation – Future Models - Inclusive Growth

1445 – 1515

Al Khor Ballroom

Presentation of the Latest benchmark British Council research reports, ‘HE Trends in South Asia’ and

‘Skills in South Asia’

Highlights of two cutting edge reports commissioned by the British Council into the latest HE Trends and Skills in South Asia.

Presenter: Michelle Potts, British Council

1515 - 1545 Pre function area - Ballroom

Coffee and networking

4

1545 – 1700

Al Khor Ballroom

Plenary 2: Panel discussion on the key messages for South Asia emerging from the British Council

research reports, ‘HE Trends in South Asia’ and ‘Skills in South Asia’,

An invited panel of experts will discuss the salient points highlighted in the paper (and elsewhere), drawing key messages for

South Asia and posing the questions as to what South Asia now needs to do to seize the opportunity or risk losing the intiative.

Speaker: Mr Sanjay Bhargava, General Secretary, Shiksha Mandal, Wardha (Bajaj Group), India Speaker: Dr Flevy Lasrado, Head of QA and Planning – Sharjah Institute of Science and Technology, UAE

Speaker: Roeen Rahmani, Chancellor and President, Kardan University, Kabul, Afghanistan Speaker: Dr Zubair Hanslot, Provost, University of Bolton, UK

Panel discussion followed by Q&A

Chair: Stephan Roman, Regional Director South Asia, British Council

Theme - Transformation

1700 - 19.00 Networking drinks hosted by University of Bolton

5

Day 2: Friday 29 November

0830 – 0900 Registration and Coffee

0900 – 0915 Al Khor Ballroom

Welcome to Day 2 and reflections on Day 1

Michelle Potts, Director Education, South Asia, British Council

Dr Jo Beall, Director Education and Society, British Council

0915 – 1030

Al Khor Ballroom

Plenary 3: 21st century learners - Expectations, experiences and satisfaction

Speaker: Rajay Naik, Director of Government and External Affairs, The Open University (OU) UK

Speaker: Abia Akram, Global Coordinator - Global Network of Emerging Young Women Leaders with Disabilities (Disabled People’s International), Pakistan Speaker: Nizam Razzaq, CEO, Business Management School (BMS), Sri Lanka

Speaker : Dr Fahima Aziz, Vice Chancellor, Asian University for Women, Bangladesh

Panel discussion followed by Q&A

Chair: Dr Jo Beall, Director Education and Society, British Council

1030 – 1100

Coffee and networking

6

1100 – 1215

Murjan 1

Case Study 4

The broader partnerships agenda

and the political decision making

process behind different models of

higher education delivery

Piera Gerrard, Director Marketing, Northern

Consortium UK (NCUK) Followed by group discussion and action

points

Facilitator: Ismail Badat, British Council

Theme: Innovation – Future Models

Murjan 2

Case Study 5

Promoting Entrepreneurship in

the 21st Century University - case

studies and good practice of how

universities have supported

entrepreneurs and how key

components might be adapted by

universities in South Asia.

Jennifer Sheldon, Consultant, Quantum Leaps, Inc. USA

Dr. Marina Arnaut, Assistant Professor,

University of Dubai, UAE

Followed by group discussion and action points

Facilitator: Michelle Potts, British Council

Theme: Innovation – Entrepreneurship –

Policy

Murjan 3

Case Study 6

State vs. Private higher education:

the rise of the private sector

Dr Mohammad A Mannan, Vice Chancellor,

Bangladesh Open University, Bangladesh

Followed by group discussion and action

points

Facilitator: Liz Dempsey, British Council

Theme: New partnerships – Inclusive Growth

1215 1250

Al Khor Ballroom

Feedback and review point

12:50 – 13.00

Al Khor Ballroom

Concluding remarks and close: Dr Jo Beall, Director Education and Society, British Council

1300 onwards Liwan Restaurant

Lunch