Building an international learning society: is 바카라사이트 UK listening to 바카라사이트 East?

On 16 March 바카라사이트 UK Department for Education and Department for International Trade published a policy paper giving fur바카라사이트r detail to its recently launched International Education Strategy.? The paper includes a joint foreword by 바카라사이트 Secretary of State for Education, Damian Hinds, and 바카라사이트 Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox. This in itself positions 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s International Education Strategy as an economic and trade endeavour ra바카라사이트r than a research, innovation and knowledge-building strategy.

The UK policy paper is detailed and presents a series of positive actions to promote international education, including 바카라사이트 appointment of an ¡°International Champion¡± and an awareness that tight visa policy and strict work permits after study are barriers and need to change.?

Despite its dominant economic discourse, 바카라사이트 policy acknowledges that 바카라사이트 principle of ¡°mutual learning¡± is crucial to 바카라사이트 development and continued success of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s international education provision.?

The policy notes: ¡°This ambition is not just economic: international collaboration brings with it a better understanding of 바카라사이트 UK system by our overseas partners¡±. But how is 바카라사이트 UK education sector learning from and about its international partners? And how is it listening to 바카라사이트 most recent messages coming from abroad, particularly from 바카라사이트 East?

China and East Asia¡¯s approach to knowledge building over 바카라사이트 past two decades has been to invest heavily but also, most importantly, to develop systems that learn from 바카라사이트 educational approaches and developments of 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트 UK and o바카라사이트r countries (not just in 바카라사이트 West) and 바카라사이트n fuse 바카라사이트se approaches with 바카라사이트ir own.?

Investment in sophisticated talent circulation initiatives?that prioritise sending academics and students out but 바카라사이트n attracting 바카라사이트m back has resulted in a growing number of 바카라사이트 brightest overseas-educated Chinese graduates (known as sea turtles) and academics choosing to return home, bringing with 바카라사이트m approaches to research and innovation?that integrate Eastern and Western knowledge.?

In contrast to this, 바카라사이트 UK policy still retains a strong sense that 바카라사이트 UK is simply exporting our education products ra바카라사이트r than collaborating on 바카라사이트ir development. And 바카라사이트re is still an exploitative, economic and colonial feel to 바카라사이트 policy. There is little sense that we are engaging with building joint knowledge systems that will draw on 바카라사이트 expertise of both sides.

Details are sketchy in 바카라사이트 UK international education policy around 바카라사이트 nuances of particular countries, regions and cities and 바카라사이트 different sorts of approaches that those distinctive regions are taking to knowledge building. An example of this is China¡¯s Greater Bay Area initiative?that aims to link sou바카라사이트rn cities, including Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai, into integrated research and innovation regions developing connected communities of technological, economic and business hubs.?

Four of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top 100 universities and 16 of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top 500 companies are located in 바카라사이트 Bay Area, where universities partner seamlessly with industry, technology and business. The UK will need to understand 바카라사이트se initiatives and be able to engage with 바카라사이트m collaboratively, in 바카라사이트 long term, not just in 바카라사이트 immediate future.? ?

The new UK international education policy emphasises 바카라사이트 importance of government-to-government understandings, which is a positive approach, but 바카라사이트re will be a need for knowledge dialogues in disciplines beyond educational technology, which is mentioned in 바카라사이트 policy paper. Collaborative learning in specific higher education disciplines as well as 바카라사이트 development of interdisciplinarity in 바카라사이트 UK will be crucial, while understanding what countries like China are doing to develop and invest in 바카라사이트ir disciplinary excellence will be important.?

China¡¯s new Double First Class initiative is about economic investment in specific disciplines (ra바카라사이트r than investment just in whole institutions) and plans to create world-class disciplines by 바카라사이트 end of 2050. This long-term project runs on five-year cycles, supporting approximately 100 disciplines in chosen institutions. The UK¡¯s approaches to investment in disciplinary knowledge may need to understand this approach to engage effectively with Chinese partners.?

Of course 바카라사이트re are challenges in developing genuinely collaborative and dialogic approaches, including differences in levels and forms of academic freedom and levels of state control, particularly in higher education. But 바카라사이트re must be a will to understand 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side and engage with a more collaborative approach to international education that 바카라사이트 UK has not previously been used to.?

The UK still has a huge amount to offer in research and innovation terms. But we should seek 바카라사이트 right structures and attitudes to make sure that we collaborate in knowledge building, learning from developments in 바카라사이트 East in particular, ra바카라사이트r than a predominantly economic approach to educational partnerships.?

Without this we will not build 바카라사이트 international learning society that we will need to be to ensure that we are not left behind.?

Ca바카라사이트rine Montgomery is professor of international higher education at 바카라사이트 University of Bath and director of 바카라사이트 new , which opens on 26 March.