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The Wealth of Diversity: The role of the Universities in Promoting Dialogue and Development - General Report Ulysses Fagundes Neto1, Maria Cristina Surani M. Capobianco2, Luis Eugenio Mello3 Universidade Federal de São Paulo - São Paulo, Brazil 1 Professor of Pediatrics
The overall theme of the conference was addressed in a variety of perspectives, focusing in turn on three key concepts - Diversity, Development and Dialogue spurred throughout the Thematic conferences and Parallel workshops by the question of how higher education can contribute to safeguarding or enhancing these concepts. The 12th General Conference of the International Association of Universities (IAU) gathered representatives from all over the world: a total of 350 participants, representatives of 90 countries and 250 universities and turned out to be a very substantial debate. We would like to highlight observations of the several different speakers that in our opinion reflect the essence of what has been addressed. Dimensions of Diversity Valuing diversity involves deepening our understanding of how overlapping and multiple identities relate to patterns of socialization and affiliation. These patterns influence the way people understand and interpret the world. Understanding difference entails recognizing and appreciating the intercultural dynamics, social identities, and the wide range of cultural options that diversity provides for everyone. A commitment to diversity also recognizes that disparities in social and economic status among groups reflect the continuing impact of racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice and bigotry. With a broader mix of social, ethnic and educational backgrounds, and a wider age cohort enrolled, today's diverse student body generates new demands and expectations. What is taught and how what is taught is delivered, are changing. New teaching methods are emerging to take up the multiple demands today's higher education institutions face. Most higher education institutions and national systems of higher education are summoned to show their ability, readiness, and efficiency to meet society's expectations at local, national and international levels. As transnational education grows, so do calls for accreditation and quality assurance systems to become standardized and more international as well. “Recognizing, understanding, and respecting the dimensions of diversity are a prerequisite to mobilizing the wealth of diversity. Some fundamental questions relate to how to value and respect diversity; what influences reduce diversity; and what comprises the right balance of diversity, for instance, can there be too much diversity, can diversity be irrelevant and how can diversity be made more productive/ the wealth of diversity in nature and the human world is immense, and the realization of its potential is the key to promoting development.” “In education, the diversity of students and staff not only brings together the wealth of their unique experiences, values and ability to reason, act and participate in the pursuit of knowledge, but it also mirrors the diversity of society at large, and thus acts as a foundation for effective dialogue with empowerment of the community.” “The development of the World Wide Web has opened tremendous new opportunities to share knowledge and experiences, but the growing digital technology divides between developing and developed countries is worrisome. For example, while over 50% of the population in the USA and Western Europe use the internet, less than 0.5% of the population in Asia and Africa do so. There is also a wide and prohibitive disparity in costs of accessing the internet, varying from an equivalent of two months of the average wage in Bangladesh to less than 1% of the average monthly wage in the USA. It is worrying that science and technology are increasingly becoming proprietary: owning knowledge is becoming the order of the day. Does this mean that those who cannot afford it will be denied the fruits of scientific participation and progress? The number of patent applications has grown from 1 million in 1985 to over 7 million today. Recently a US company even attempted to patent turmeric, an herb valued for centuries in India for medicinal properties! Fairness, justice and ethics- which way do we turn?” “Diversity of knowledge, both scientific and traditional, can play a vital role in helping us to understand the wealth of diversity.....Knowledge empowers and enables, ... it promotes synergy, transparency and accountability.” “Diversity is increasingly threatened as the world moves toward uniformity in the name of efficiency, under the dominating influence and power of a few over the many. We have the intellect to recognize the relevance of diversity, but we are failing to respond despite the knowledge that any loss will be detrimental in the long term.” The notion of diversity is an asset of outstanding value. From an educational standpoint, a diverse learning environment improves the educational experience for all students and promotes respect for each individual learner. From a cultural standpoint, students exposed to the complexities of difference develop a more complete picture of the world and are better prepared to participate in an increasingly global economy. From an ethical standpoint, engaging diversity as part of the learning process helps students appreciate disparities within the human condition and strengthens their commitment to work for justice and peace. The Role of Higher Education in Promoting Development Universities are major players in the emergent Knowledge Society as they are primarily seen as key to national competitiveness, but also central to meeting the needs of the population. Nevertheless, if they focus on economic dimensions of development predominantly they will fail to meet the goals of sustainable development. Sustainable Development is most commonly defined as development that can lead to a better, healthier and safer world for all, including future generations. The notion of sustainability also adds social, cultural, and environmental dimensions to economic development, and integrates concerns of ethics, morality as well as citizenship at the community, national, regional and international level. Some interesting observations were:
There are dangers in such commercialization: undermining quality.
Therefore, countries should formulate policies for higher education in the pursuit of development so as to minimize the dangers and capture the opportunities created by markets and globalization. Development at the workshops and presentations In the debate over how higher education institutions can best contribute to scientific, socio-economic, cultural and political development, increasing commodification of higher education, brought about by the forces of globalization, cannot be ignored as a determinant of the evolution of higher education. It is unclear how these trends will nurture the kind of environment required for thriving research and innovation. It is also uncertain whether local and traditional knowledge, as well as participatory and context-specific approaches to advanced learning will develop in the future, despite those who argue that they offer a more likely path to sustainable development. Some important aspects were:
Development goals for higher education: From these discussions, two fundamental goals were set: 1. The urgency to focus research on poverty, gender and sustainability issues. 2. Governments should recognize the key developmental role of higher education, and invest more in it. The Role of the University in Fostering Dialogue Dialogue requires a two-way flow of ideas, understanding and learning. As learning, teaching and research organizations, higher education institutions need to be fully engaged in a variety of dialogues within and outside. For diversity of views to be experienced as an enrichment and joy, rather than as a source of misunderstanding, or a cause of conflict, more than acceptance and tolerance are required. Dialogue is the sole way to discover how we as people, as communities and as nations can live together peacefully. Intercultural dialogue is today a matter of necessity, not choice. Too often, higher education is based on one prevailing cultural model, and not enough attention has been paid to the cultural diversification of Higher Education. Pedagogical models should allow not only to host cultural diversity, but even more so to learn from cultural diversity. Universities should facilitate dialogue and prepare students for life in an increasingly multicultural and complex society. Speakers proposed: Within the University: - To create safe space for debate and dialogue.
Engaging with community stakeholders:
Workshops invited participants to share their own approaches to creating an interdisciplinary space in their universities. Attempts to bridge the various gaps that exist in academy, most particularly between social and human sciences on the one hand and natural sciences on the other have not been very successful so far. Yet many academics and university leaders recognize the necessity of finding ways to integrate diverse perspectives and analytical skills into most research projects and certainly into quality education and in research. The speakers verified the need to guarantee space for innovation, whether in new scientific fields, or in the study of complex practical problems whose solution requires an integrated vision from several disciplines. Role of the University The University exists within a given culture. It reflects and to some extent is expected to safeguard and enhance this culture, its history and tradition. As access to higher education opens up to constituencies and interests broader socially and geographically than ever before the cultural and socialization role of the university also takes on more weight. These delicate tasks of protecting diversity and promoting intercultural dialogue are deeply embedded in the values of academic freedom and pursuit of excellence and thus integral to the mission of higher education. Universities, whether public or private should stand outside society, and act as its critic and conscience with autonomy. Higher education institutions, expected to be houses of academic freedom and discovery, must also constitute a place where the value of other points of view and perspectives is recognized and encouraged. Finally we would like to emphasize the strategic role of IAU in bridging the enormous gap between the ones who have and the ones who have not. The promotion of higher education, mostly in countries, latecomers to development will be the shortest pathway to reach worldwide wish of those who do believe in the real task of the university. |
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September 2006 Volume 10 Number 3 |
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Copyright ©2006 Sociedad Latinoamericana de
Gastroenterología Pediátrica y Nutrición |
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