Asian universities are set to improve in world rankings, says expert
Asian universities continue to improve in world rankings, but Hong Kong's mid-sized institutions are at a disadvantage, writes Liz Heron
In just 16 years, East Asia has emerged as the world's third great zone of research and innovation, following Europe and North America. And it is poised to continue this rapid advance over the next decade.
That was the message delivered by Simon Marginson, a professor of international higher education at the University of London's Institute of Education.
The region is at the leading edge of two major global trends in higher education: rapid expansion of tertiary participation; and greater investment in building national capacity in science and technology, says Marginson at the Tin Ka Ping Education Fund Distinguished Lecture at the University of Hong Kong.
As participation doubled worldwide, increasing from 15 per cent of the age group to30 per cent from 1995 to 2011, East Asian countries, with the exception of Vietnam and mainland China, headed towards universal participation in tertiary education.
South Korea doubled its rate to more than 90 per cent, and Taiwan reached 84 per cent over the period. Hong Kong and Japan rose to 60 per cent and Macau to 64 per cent.
In 2011, US$448 billion was spent on research and development by East Asian nations, compared to US$453 billion by Canada and the US, and US$320 billion by European countries, says the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
