Pandemic reveals need for greater global research cooperation
SANTO DOMINGO.- The pandemic has shown the need for a increased global cooperation en research projects., innovation and improvement of scientific capacities, as well as that universities must be better prepared for crises, he assured Eglis Chacon, policy analyst International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC).
During a presentation at the first Thematic Forum for the Institutional Strategy 2023-2025 of the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) the specialist maintained that COVID-19 poses challenges for higher education that will continue to be relevant in 2050.
"COVID-19 is the emblem of the global challenges that will continue to be relevant on the 2050 horizon. In this sense, the systemic, racial, economic inequalities that have been persistent have not yet been adequately addressed," said the expert, who also he cited languages, research skills, pedagogical and technological skills, problem solving, developing curiosity and working on projects as the core skills needed by students of the future.
The activity also included the participation of Luz Gamarra, also a policy analyst from IESALC, who presented the main findings of the research "The futures of Higher Education, paths to 2050 and beyond", prepared by that international organization.
The activity also included the participation of the international consultant on Higher Education of the World Bank, Javier Botero Álvarez, who warned that there are disconnections between higher education and its priority relationship sectors, such as industry, governments, graduates and the community.
Botero Álvarez insisted that the current context requires the higher education sector to make decisions at all levels and highlighted that there are key points of focus for the future, such as the need to manage accurate and timely information on the behavior of the system. .
He also cited the application of incentives to students, to graduate and do so on time, and to institutions, to increase diversity and connect with the labor market, among other initiatives; Greater capacity for students to choose between institutions, programs, methodologies, with options of financial means and the supervision and regulation of institutions, to ensure quality, evaluation and accreditation systems.
INTEC develops a series of thematic forums as part of its 2023-2027 strategic formulation process with the objective of contributing to a better elaboration of the strategic guidelines and their distillation through FOAR analysis (strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results). They are aimed at a broad institutional audience made up of the managerial levels of the institution (regents, rector, vice-rectors, deans, division heads, undergraduate and postgraduate coordinators and other coordinators, professors, students and graduates.