Equity in higher education: Now for real

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Equity in higher educationNow for real!

• GENERAL REPORT

Anita Lice
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The context

• When?
• Democratization and massification of education
  in 60-ties
• In the context of the Bologna Process and the
  Lisbon Strategy
• ESIB/ESU involvement
• the aim of the organisation (Statutes!)
• Policies
• Equity project
• ESU involvement in UNESO World conference on
  equity

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Equity today for tomorrow. Stocktaking and
foresight (1)

• What is equity in HE?
• OECD definition focus on individuals innate
  ability and study effort
• European Commission s definition focus on
  socio-economic disadvantage
• Equality is what we want to achieve, equity is
  how we get there. Equity - fairness. Education
  is a tool to achieve a greater equality in
  society (Ingrid, OBESSU)

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Stocktaking and foresight (2)

• Can equity be achieved?
• Which educational level to prioritize?
• primary and secondary education?
• HE? (reproduce inequalities and as well as
  generate new ones)
• After graduation? (opportunities and
  social/demographic consequences)

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Stocktaking and foresight (3)

• Higher education positive example SCQF
• supports diversity, flexibility
• Transparency ensured by defined outcomes which
  de-mystify learning for students themselves and
  for employers
• Prior learning recognition
• Flexible entries into degrees and transition
  between programmes and institutions

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Stocktaking and foresight (4)

• Some actions
• Data on equity
• Awareness
• ? Get politicians to look at the data to ensure
  that decision making is connected to real
  problems
• ? Positive action, provide incentives or remove
  disincentives to provide flexible provisions in
  universities
• ? performance indicators commitment to equity

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How can equity in higher education system be
ensured? Window dressing or implementation?

• Segmentation a new way of segregation
• Sometimes our own behaviors goes beyond our
  action
• Critically view ourselves
• Politicians who talks about equity but do not
  talk about responsibility for equity financial
• Social capital
• System where students have to adjust to the
  system and not the system adjusts to students

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Return to education and financial responsibility

• Who benefits from education and from equity in
  HE? Short term and long term vision.
• Broad understanding on public returns to
  education
• Cost sharing How can it be managed to charge a
  fair tuition fees? Even if it seems fair, it can
  actually work in practice (HIS study)

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Workshops any answers?

• 1 How can equity be ensured in an integrative
  system of Life-long learning?
• Discussed
• how do we plan to achieve LO? Concept of LLL.
• Where inequalities arise from? How they are
  generated in the LLL?
• How much it is up to NUSes to engage in promoting
  equity in LLL? Which are the tools?

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• 2 Do reforms of structures like flexibilisation
  and student centered learning increase equity?
• 3 Empowernment action as a tool to fight
  inequalities

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• 4 How can competing interests of equity,
  efficiency and quality be combined?
• 5 How to increase equity through different
  methods of funding

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Conclusions

• Its not about potential which is different for
  different groups of societies
• Its not about only previous inequities. A lot
  can be done to reduce inequalities and increase
  opportunities
• Its not only about wasted talent in economic
  terms, but about what kind of society we want
• Its not about limited resources, but rather
  about political will

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Window dressing?What about us?