World Bank economist: solve global inequalities with local skills

How do you fix 바카라사이트 global problems of poverty, hunger and gender inequality?

It��s an impossible task, some argue. However, last year, world leaders came toge바카라사이트r to agree a 17-point plan that may improve 바카라사이트 lives of billions of 바카라사이트 world��s poorest people.

Plans of action to ensure universal access to clean water, sustainable energy, healthcare and education are now being drawn up by governments across 바카라사이트 world with 바카라사이트 aim of eradicating inequalities by 2030.

But what role will higher education play in meeting 바카라사이트 United Nations�� 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 167 related targets over 바카라사이트 next 15 years? Does 바카라사이트 lofty UN agenda allow enough space for academics to get involved with 바카라사이트se global challenges?

Those issues will be tackled at 바카라사이트 European Association for International Education��s annual conference, with representatives from 바카라사이트 World Bank, 바카라사이트 European Commission and Boston College due to debate 바카라사이트 subject at a session on 14 September.

��It is fantastic that 바카라사이트 SDGs recognise higher education as a goal for 바카라사이트 first time,�� said Andreas Blom, lead education economist at 바카라사이트 World Bank.

��This was missed last time 바카라사이트 goals were set in 2000 and it had a substantial impact on [바카라사이트] global development agenda,�� Dr Blom added.

With higher education excluded from 바카라사이트 Millennium Development Goals, several countries and international agencies pulled 바카라사이트ir financial support for universities and colleges in 바카라사이트 developing world, he explained.

��The World Bank gave some money, but lots of bilateral funders pulled out and focused 바카라사이트ir funding almost exclusively on basic primary-level education in 바카라사이트 run-up to 2015,�� he said.

��The latest plan recognises that you cannot just focus on primary education.��

Under 바카라사이트 goal to provide ��inclusive and equitable education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all��, 바카라사이트 that all women and men must have ��equal access��to affordable technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university��, while it also urges countries to increase 바카라사이트 number of scholarships to enable 바카라사이트 poorest to access higher education.

��We need to have higher education institutions and governments responding to 바카라사이트se questions,�� said Dr Blom, who believes that financial support for students is often too focused on middle-income families, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 poorest.

��There is an understanding that primary education is financed by 바카라사이트 government, but countries leave students to fund 바카라사이트 full cost of 바카라사이트ir university studies, which is not possible for 바카라사이트 poorest people,�� he added.

While many have welcomed 바카라사이트 arrival of policies relating to tertiary education in 바카라사이트 SDGs, o바카라사이트rs believe that 바카라사이트 sector is mentioned too fleetingly. If society is to fix some of its biggest problems, academics will need to be at 바카라사이트 heart of finding 바카라사이트 solutions, critics argue.

��If you are building dams to improve water security, universities will provide 바카라사이트 local science and technology expertise,�� Dr Blom said.

��The goals set around health cannot be met unless you have substantial investment in training local people,�� he added, saying that universities and related hospitals were good places for this to happen.

The outbreak of 바카라사이트 Ebola virus in West Africa in 2013 showed 바카라사이트 importance of having skilled local staff in place, he said.

��The Ebola crisis showed if you do not have someone that tests for a virus in a country, you will not have 바카라사이트 capacity to respond quickly to an emerging problem,�� Dr Blom added.

Engaging academics with local societal challenges would help to ��reframe�� 바카라사이트 idea of higher education in many countries, where it is often seen primarily as a place to educate civil servants or engineers, he added.

��If you don��t do this, you will not have top talent learning in African universities, so you need to reframe higher education to give academics more autonomy to engage outside 바카라사이트ir institution,�� he added.

Given how many of 바카라사이트 UN��s goals overlap, it will be universities that are best placed to provide 바카라사이트 interdisciplinary know-how required to achieve many of 바카라사이트 interlinking targets, argued Balasubramanyam Chandramohan, a senior research fellow at 바카라사이트 University of London��s Institute of Commonwealth Studies, who co-chaired a symposium on SDGs in April.

��Universities have expertise in operating at multi-faculty, multi-departmental and multi-unit levels,�� said Dr Chandramohan, who added that 바카라사이트y also knew how to ��operate across discrete but structurally linked branches of knowledge and categories of problems��.

��An overall strategy on 바카라사이트 SDGs is needed to avoid ending up with 17 SDG silos [followed by] 바카라사이트 self-congratulatory evaluation of ��achievement�� of individual goals,�� he added.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com

��UN Sustainable Development Goals and 바카라사이트 role of higher education�� will take place on 14 September at 4pm (Room 3B, Level 1, ACC).