Internationalization of Higher Education: A Tool for Sustainable Development

In the present Century i.e. 21st knowledge has become a key driving force. Ability of any country to emerge as a globally competitive player, substantially depends on its knowledge resources and their effective and efficient transformation. Generation of new knowledge is a major concern of every country. To address the concern of the entire knowledge spectrum, a systematic approach is sine-quo-non. Higher education is a most powerful and strategic tool not only to create new knowledge but also a very important sector for the growth and development of human resource which can take responsibility for economic, social, and scientific growth and development of the country. The socio-economic changes in the World and developing information and knowledge society have emphasized the importance of higher education and research in the whole World. There is well known quote “education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” With the liberalization resulting into quality education, the role of higher education in the future economic, societal, and cultural development of the World has become an issue of paramount significance. The World Declaration on Higher Education for the 21st Century: Vision and Action (1998) states that “Higher education should be considered as a public service.” Furthermore, the Declaration affirms that the role of higher education in the “consolidation of human rights, sustainable development, democracy and peace, in a context of justice,” and that “international cooperation and exchange are major avenues for advancing higher education throughout the world.”Higher education sector worldwide is going through rapid, and dynamic as well as irreversible changes. It is faced with great challenges and difficulties. New modes of teaching learning methods and application of information and communication technologies in the face of burgeoning demand for higher education, have transformed the way of higher education which was traditionally offered and received. Education systems have reacted to the developments in the users’ expectations and enabling environment by diversifying their syllabi, structures and the ways of delivering effective, efficient and quality education. Today, countries expect that their higher educational institutions must provide education of high quality, which meets international benchmarks, competition and standards, and should be relevant to the needs of the international community.Internationalisation of higher education promotes the possibility for innovation in teaching and delivery methods and higher mobility of students, programmes and providers. It enhances the productivity and makes educational system a spring board for preparing manpower of high quality that can successfully face the competition in the world market. At the same time, it improves relevance with closer links with the world of work and achieves quality in its teaching, research and business. The most important aspect of the internationalization of higher education is students mobility. Student mobility is a critical component in connecting people from countries around the world as globe has become seamless.