Agenda

1:30 - 2:30pm          Registration and Reception

2:30 - 3:00 pm         Welcome

Welcome - Drew Gilpin Faust, President of Harvard University; Lincoln Professor of History

Opening Remarks, Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School, Director of SAI

3:00 - 4:15 pm          Quality and Content: Innovative Solutions in Higher Education

There is growing recognition that higher education is central to economic and political development, and vital to competitiveness in an increasingly globalized knowledge society. However, concern about the quality of higher education in South Asia is also on the rise. There is increasing public perception that educational quality is being compromised in the effort to expand enrollment as both private and international providers begin entering the space. There is also growing criticism from employers that graduates are poorly prepared for the workplace.

Therefore, institutions of higher education are challenged to adjust their program structures, curricula, teaching and learning methods to adapt to these new demands.

Highlighting the role of the university in creating women leaders and alleviating demographic divides, as well as the influence the private sector has had on the emphasis for educational quality, leaders from the field of higher education will explore the role of the university in South Asia as it is and as it could be.

Speakers:
Howard Gardner, John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard University
Meenakshi Gopinath, Principal, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi, India
M. Omar Rahman, Vice Chancellor (in charge), Independent University, Bangladesh
Chair: Pratap Bhanu Mehta, President and Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi

4:15 - 4:30 pm          Break

4:30 - 5:45 pm          Access to Higher Education across South Asia

Despite growth of the higher education sector, only a small percentage of the relevant population attains some form of higher education. Another serious issue is the inequality of access across social, gender, and economic groups. Higher education in South Asia is intrinsically linked to the question of social inclusion and exclusion by examining (a) the actual participation in the system of higher education and (b) how higher education- through its content, academic programs, research agenda, policies and institutional cultures- recognizes and addresses the realities of social inclusion, exclusion, disparity and discrimination.

In this context, the panel will bring together leading experts from the field of higher education that will deliberate on the viability and scalability of various innovating quality assurance systems and practices occurring across the region.

Speakers:
Jacqueline Bhabha, University Advisor on Human Rights Education; Director of Research FXB Center; Lecturer on Social Studies; Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Lecturer on Law; Research Director for the FXB Center, Harvard University
Manzoor Ahmed, Senior Advisor, Institute of Education and Development, BRAC University
Nikhil Sinha, Vice Chancellor, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, India
Chair: Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School, Director of the South Asia Initiative