Redefining Higher Education on Account of Globalization

The future of countries would be largely determined by their abilities to compete in a global market where industrial based economies are giving way to knowledge based industries. Higher education is vitally important to all nations, given the critical role of education in economic, cultural and social development.The global village is witnessing a growing emphasis on international cooperation and action to find satisfactory solutions to problems that have global dimensions with the increased development of transport and communication. Rapid developments in technology and communication are forcing changes within educational systems across the world as ideas, values and knowledge, vital to education, cross nation states and boundaries. As economy progresses, techniques alter rapidly. Globalization has shrunk the world into a global village and there is a need that the higher education has to evolve into more meaningful to meet the new challenges. It represents a significant threat as well as a substantial opportunity to the economies and educational systems. One of the manifestations of Globalization is the emergence of the Virtual University.Education is a dialogue between the past, present and the future and Universities are places of ideals and idealism. Higher education is a critical factor and must be part of any development strategy. It is an important investment in human capital essential to economic growth as it lays emphasis on the training of skilled manpower, market forces requiring “marketable products” and consequently on, “specialization” contributing to a knowledge-based society in many ways. The demand of the emerging global society from the enterprise of education is quicker, cost-effective production of ‘global citizens’- ‘intelligent people with a broad range of skills and knowledge’ excellently equipped for employment in ‘ a competitive, information based techno-driven environment. The cycle of knowledge creation, distribution, learning and utilization is becoming shorter leading to a need for continuous qualification of the workforce and an update of the learning content. New curricula reflecting novel content, learning objectives, teaching methodology, certification and relevant learning process need to be designed. Radical changes in the system of examination need to be done making education reality-oriented and learner-centered. Changes are being called for in the way we think about the role of both instructor and student.Within both the distance education and general education framework, new standards are being defined based on a student-centered curriculum, increased interactive learning, integration of technology into the educational system, and collaborative study activities.Higher education is being seen as a commercial product like any other commodity now and has now reached the global marketplace. The core missions of higher education - to educate, to train, to undertake research and to provide services to the community - must be preserved, reinforced and further expanded. The search for quality is indispensable for a policy based on merit. Countries need to develop a new learning culture, a culture of lifelong learning for all.The basic mission of universities is to carry out research and provide education based on it. We are in the midst of a true revolution in higher education, a revolution that has the potential to profoundly change our basic understanding of the role of the university. Globalization of higher education can provide people with an opportunity to meet international market demand and develop cooperative working environments.