An Analysis of Transnational Pharmacy Education in Asia-Pacific Region

1

• An Analysis of Transnational Pharmacy Education
  in Asia-Pacific Region

Dr. Benjamin Tak-Yuen Chan Division of Health and
Applied Sciences, SPACE, University of Hong Kong
2
Transnational Education (TNE)

• Important and growing phenomenon in cross-border
  higher education
• Mobility of programmes and institutions across
  national borders instead of student mobility
• Growth of enrolments in importing
  countries/regions (offshore provision) is faster
  than onshore international student enrolments (in
  the case of UK and Australia)

3
Extent of TNE

• For higher education (HE) sector, 33 of
  Australian educational exports are offshore
  provisions (in 2001)
• Top three sites of offshore enrolment parallel
  source of international student enrolments
• (Singapore gt HKSAR gt Malaysia)
• UK institutions enrolled 140,000 offshore
  students against 200,000 international students
  onshore in 1996-1997
• Source AEI 2003 OECD 2002

4
TNE in Profile

• An average 56.8 of Australian HE educational
  exports in these 3 countries/regions are offshore
  provisions
• Together, they account for 79 of offshore total
  enrolments

Countries/ regions Onshore Offshore offshore
Singapore 21,964 13,112 59.7
HKSAR 19,479 12,426 63.8
Malaysia 17,972 8,211 45.7
Source AEI 2003
5
Challenge of TNE

• New forms of delivery and partnership involved
• According to IDP (2001)
• Delivery modes are face-to-face teaching (40)
  and supported distance education (40)
• Partnered with private institutions or providers
  (51) or public education institutions (25)
• Predominantly postgraduate (56) and in business
  related subjects (51)

6
Classification of TNE Provision

• Type I Locally supported distance learning
• Foreign curriculum, some local teaching
• Type 2 Twinning programmes
• Foreign curriculum, local teaching and student
  mobility in upper years
• Type 3 Franchise arrangement
• Curriculum and teaching arrangement approved by
  foreign institution
• Type 4 Branch campus
• Curriculum and teaching wholly controlled by
  foreign institution emulating home context

Source Marginson and McBurnie (2003)
7
TNE in Health Sciences

• Very few TNE provisions are in the health
  sciences field
• Business and management make up 68.2 and IT
  (19) of all external bachelor degree enrolments
  in Singapore. 90 of external postgraduate
  enrolments are in business and management
  (Statistics Singapore Newsletter 2001)
• Notable provision in health sciences field is in
  nursing (both top up or degree conversion and
  postgraduate Masters)

8
TNE in Pharmacy (1)

• Evolution
• Started as early as 1990 with provision of
  locally supported distance learning
  MClinPharm-Otago University by HKU SPACE (Hong
  Kong)
• Twinning programmes (22) model for BPharm
  delivery pioneered by IMU/Strathclyde U and
  SIT/UniSa (Malaysia)
• Branch campus model for BPharm delivery by
  Nottingham and Monash Universities represent
  latest developments (Malaysia)
• Franchise arrangement applies to pharmaceutical
  management degrees of Bradford and Sunderland
  Universities (HKSAR Singapore)

9
TNE in Pharmacy (2)

• Enabling factors
• Shortage of pharmacists
• Lack of postgraduate education training courses
• Insufficient local capacity or barriers to
  expansion
• Commonwealth sphere of influence in pharmacist
  training (UK, Australia, NZ)
• Government support (Malaysia) or free market
  access (HKSAR Singapore)
• Receptive students
• Foreign degree highly valued

10
TNE in Pharmacy (3)

• Benefits
• Augments local capacity and achieve faster supply
  of graduates
• Introduces new curriculum ideas and catalyses
  change in local sector
• Encourages private investment in education
• Possible side-effects
• Competition and oversupply in the long run
• Hinders localisation efforts
• Uncertain return on private investment in
  education (graduates with dual registration may
  not work in home country)

11
Overseeing TNE in Pharmacy

• National governments
• Define national capacity (HKSAR and Malaysia in
  opposite poles)
• National pharmaceutical associations
• Connect with professionalisation strategy
  (achieving SPD)
• Institutions offering TNE in pharmacy
• Quality assurance, internationisation of
  curriculum, proper training and support to
  teaching staff, ensuring competencies of graduates

12
Global Pharmacist Supply Situation
Source FIP 2006
13
Pharmacist Supply Situation in the Three
Countries/ Regions
Country/ Region Pop. (mil) No. reg. pharmacists pharmacists to population ratio (2005) foreign trained to local educated (total 2005) No. required to achieve 50100,000 ratio Yrs to take based on 2005 level of new pharmacists registered Strategy pursued
Hong Kong SAR 6.9 1,583 23100,000 82 60 (2005) 3,450 24 None
Malaysia 26.0 3,965 15100,000 - 40 (2005) 13,000 24 Local capacity and TNE in pharmacy
Singapore 4.1 1,330 32100,000 17 21 (2005) 2,050 17 Local capacity
Source P P Board of HK, Pharmacy Board of
Malaysia, Singapore Pharmacy Board
14
Global Pharmacists Employment Fields
Source FIP 2006
15
Western Pacific Pharmacists Employment Fields
Source FIP 2006
16
Challenge for Curriculum Decision-makers in TNE

• To understand local context, priorities, needs
  and constraints
• To adapt home curriculum with infusion of local
  elements
• To orient home staff to foreign teaching
  environment identify and train local staff up to
  common expectation
• To involve local stakeholders in curriculum
  planning
• To uphold academic values over entrepreneurial
  concerns of private provider

17
Curriculum Influence in Pharmacy in the Western
Pacific Region

• International
• FIP statement of policy/professional standards
  (Good Pharmacy Education Practice, Pharmaceutical
  Care, GPP Guidelines, Code of Ethics)
• US
• 6 year DPharm (Japan, South Korea)
• Postgraduate pharmacy residency training and
  pharmacy specialists accreditation (Taiwan,
  Singapore, Thailand)
• British and Australia
• 3/4 year undergraduate education 2 year
  postgraduate education (clinical pharmacy) (NZ,
  HK, Malaysia, Singapore)
• Autochthonous
• Colonial heritage, but largely independent
  development (Philippines, India)

18
Practicalities of Curriculum Implementation for
TNE in Pharmacy

• Science-based and Clinical practice contents are
  fairly standard as defined by universal consensus
  (FIP)
• Pharmaceutical legislations and introduction to
  health system require localization
• Behavioral sciences and health promotion need to
  account for varying beliefs about health and
  illness and patterns of medicines usage
• Social and administrative pharmacy increasingly
  important as a subject (SPD, NDP, RUD, regional
  pharmaceutical public health issues identified by
  WPPF)
• How to provide for multidisciplinary learning and
  practice placement?

19
Benefits of TNE for Exporter Country

• Encourage study abroad for exporter countries
  with low rates of domestic student mobility (e.g.
  Australias foreign students domestic students
  abroad ratio is 19.74)
• Enhance staff development in international
  education
• Foster international awareness of students
  through curriculum and extra-curricular
  activities
• Move beyond mono-culturalism, deepen cultural
  capacities and engage with emerging nations
  cultures in the region
• Source Marginson and McBurnie (2003)

20
Strategy for Curriculum Internationalization

• Need not involve large-scale re-casting of the
  curriculum of a course
• Builds on what is already in it (Levels 1 2 of
  the typology) and utilises institutional
  off-campus arrangements (Level 3)
• Involves changing and transforming students
  perspectives from a mono-cultural view to
  reflection and acquisition of international
  literacy
• Ideally complemented by providing students with
  skills and knowledge to perform competently in
  international environment

21
Edwards Typology of Curriculum
Internationalisation
Source Edwards et al. (2003) Higher Educ Res Dev
22(2) 183-192
22
Success of TNE in Pharmacy

• When educators have done their lot, it will be
  incumbent on
• Governments of importing country/region
• To articulate a clear vision of pharmacy
  development in order to reap public benefits of
  private investment in education (prevent brain
  drain)
• National pharmaceutical association
• To help shape TNE policy
• To assist graduates/ returnees in integrating
  into the local pharmacist corporate
• To combat segregation and inequality of
  opportunities for TNE graduates vis-à-vis local
  graduates

23
Thank you!