Human capital for a knowledge society higher education in the Maldives : an evolving seascape

Abstract

The Government of Maldives (GoM) is seeking to accelerate human development and economic prosperity within the political framework of a modern liberal democracy. The government’s reform program to achieve this goal, outlined in the policy statement “The Other Maldives” [GoM (2009a)] contains five pillars: good governance to strengthen democratic institutions and processes; expansion and development of human capital; climate change and adaptation; public sector reform to streamline the delivery of services and improve efficiency; and macroeconomic reform to promote private-sector led growth. 2. The Maldives is seeking to modernize and develop its higher education sector in the face of rising demand for higher education from an expanding pool of young secondary school completers, and increasingly sophisticated skills requirements from employers. The gross enrollment rate (GER) in higher secondary education rose from 6 percent in 2001 to 10 percent in 2005 to 21 percent in 2011. This GER is expected to rise further in the years to come, with increasing numbers of students enrolling in and completing higher secondary education. In this context, the government has sought the assistance of the World Bank to undertake an analysis of the higher education sector and recommend policy and strategy options, in the light of international good practice and experience, for the future development of the country’s higher education system. This policy analysis, which has been prepared through a process of widespread consultation in the Maldives, including with senior policy makers, administrators, academics, employers, public and private higher education providers, principals, teachers, parents and students, presents the results of this analysis and a menu of policy options for the future development of the higher education sector, for the consideration of the government. The Higher Education Policy Study is the first in a series of two World Bank studies. The second study will analyze the policy challenges facing the Maldives general education sector, and present a set of strategic options for the future development of general education, for the consideration of the relevant policy makers in GoM. 3. Higher education enrolment in the Maldives is low for a middle-income country. If only university degree level or equivalent enrollment is considered, the gross higher education enrollment rate (GER) is about 6 percent. This is approximately the same GER as countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan, which are much poorer than the Maldives and have less developed basic education systems. It is also about half the GER in India and less than a third the GER in Sri Lanka. The main reasons for the low enrollment in higher education are: (a) very limited access to higher education opportunities in the Maldives and (b) poor access to and completion of higher secondary education in the country. Countries at the per capita income level of the Maldives would normally have a larger gross enrollment rate in higher education. For instance, among small, middle-income countries Cape Verde has a GER of 12 percent, St Lucia a GER of 15 percent, and Mauritius a GER of 26 percent. 4. The Maldives, an enlightened, market-friendly country, contains both public and private higher education institutions (HEIs). The Maldives College of Higher Education (MCHE) was the main public HEI until February 2011, when it was converted into the Maldives National University (MNU). The majority students in the MNU, however, are at pre-degree level, reflecting its history as a college. The Maldives Polytechnic (MP) is the other public HEI. There are also seven major private providers of higher education courses and programs. Over 95 percent of enrolment in private HEIs are in pre-degree level diploma and certificate programs. 5. The shortage of degree level programs in the country has compelled Maldivians who wish to study to degree and postgraduate degree levels to seek their university education overseas in a diverse range of countries, including Australia, England, Egypt, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland and Sri Lanka. An important advantage and benefit of this option is that university educated Maldivians are exposed to a rich variety of higher education systems, as well as societies and cultures. A major constraint, however, is that this is an expensive option, particularly if Maldivians are to travel to the high quality HEIs in developed countries such as Australia, England and New Zealand. In consequence, higher education opportunities are severely limited for Maldivians, and there is a shortage of well-educated Maldivians for professional and managerial positions in the economy. THE GOVERNANCE AND QUALITY OF HIGHER EDUCATION 6. Governance and quality are the heart of higher education systems. Governance typically addresses such questions as the roles and responsibilities of the state and the private sector; the extent and nature of autonomy of institutions engaged in the delivery of higher education services; the protocols and processes for the accountability of the various agencies in the higher education sector; and the management and organization of HEIs. Higher education quality focuses on the framework for quality assurance and accreditation, and the ingredients of quality, such as the quality of faculty programs, curricula, and teaching-learning activities. Governance 7. In developed and upper-middle income countries governance mechanisms typically involve: • A national strategy for higher education that shows what the country wishes to get from its HEIs with some overall policy goals and targets. • Institutional strategies with targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that each institution has developed for itself and that have been endorsed and agreed with the government. • An external quality assurance agency that reviews the quality of the programs delivered by public and private HEIs. • A funding formula that is related to student numbers and/or outputs and outcomes rather than inputs. This is usually transparent and makes a financial link between resources invested and the performance of the institution. The formula may also incorporate weightings that favour particular subjects, depending on their costs and national importance, or differentiate between modes of delivery and the level of the program. • Special ‘earmarked’ funding linked to particular policy objectives set by the Ministry of Education (MOE), which can only be used for a particular purpose. • Financial audits by a national audit office or by authorised professional external audit companies. • A regular reporting and information system on costs, and outputs and outcomes. 8. Only some of the normal accountability mechanisms for a higher education system exist at present in the Maldives. This is due to the fact that, as yet, there is only an embryonic national program for higher education. There is no systematic funding formula, or results focused targets and performance indicators agreed with public HEIs, or a good Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS). Nor does the MOE set aside funding for policy related programs or performance based funds such as competitive funds. Thus, if the country is to come into line with best international practice there is a considerable amount of work to be done. 9. The government needs to select from among a rich menu of options available from international practice to meet the current challenges faced by the country. The appropriate degree of autonomy and accountability of the Maldives National University (MNU), and the role of the Maldives Polytechnic (MP), has to be carefully worked out. In particular, the government now needs to specify whether the MNU will be solely an institution focusing on degree and postgraduate degree programs and research, as is normally the case with a university, and all non-degree programs to be given to the MP and the private sector. The government also needs to develop a program by which the funding for the MNU and MP is linked to the performance of these institutions. 10. The provision of financial incentives for private HEIs through either support for capital expenditures, or recurrent costs, or both, needs to be decided. If a decision is made to provide such support to the private sector through such a system of fiscal incentives, the modalities of this relationship, expected performance and outcomes, and the accountability framework have to be set. Alternatively, if students are to be supported through a loan scheme, as the government has commenced to do, then the accountability framework with students, including processes for repayment, has to be established. The government also needs to decide whether resources will be made available to the private sector through competitive funds, and if so, the design and management of such funds. Quality 11. The quality of Maldivian higher education needs to be demonstrably up to international standards. As a small country the Maldives must be sure that its higher education is of high quality. This means that it is very dependent on establishing international partnerships and links so that it does not lose touch with global standards and developments in higher education. The government should consider ways of achieving this such as: • encouraging institutions to internationalize (by recruiting staff and students from overseas and arranging staff and student exchanges); • by sponsoring and promoting international partnerships and linkages and the use of international external examiners; • by encouraging institutional governing bodies and boards [such as the Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA)] to have members from other countries; and • another simple approach would be to benchmark with other countries the entry standards and definitions of pass rates for General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE O/L) and General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A/L) examinations. 12. The Maldives Qualifications Authority1 (MQA)’s operational mechanisms need to be developed to enable it to fulfil its role effectively. This would include: • accrediting new institutions; • externally reviewing the quality of the programs delivered by all higher education providers; and • working to strengthen the way that all institutions seek to enhance quality within their normal teaching and learning practices. HIGHER EDUCATION EXPANSION AND DIVERSIFICATION 13. The expansion and diversification of the higher education sector is a key challenge facing the Maldives. This challenge is the result of several converging factors. First, the demand for higher education is increasing as the proportion of youth in the population who complete secondary education rises. Second, the per capita income of the country is increasing, and the demand for higher education is expanding as the education aspirations of young people grow with greater affluence. Third, employers in the both the public and private sectors are seeking graduates with good skills and competencies for their organizations. Fourth, the delivery of higher education programs and courses is being transformed by global technological changes and economic developments. 14. The Government of Maldives is seeking to diversify and expand its limited range of higher education programs. This objective requires a combination of policy measures that cover both the private higher education sector and the public HEIs. The Maldives has several policy options to promote private-public partnerships in the provision of higher education and training for students. The main future options are: • The provision of land on Male’ for private higher education providers. • The payment of subsidies for rented premises to private HEIs. • Financial grants towards the capital costs of constructing buildings for private HEIs. • Payment of a subsidy for students enrolled in private HEIs in the form of scholarships, student loans or vouchers. • Inviting private HEIs to establish campuses in combination with other services: for instance, local and foreign partnerships in medical education and studies, linked with the establishment of hospitals on atolls that would provide health tourism services. • Allowing academics from private HEIs to compete for research grants under a government research fund on the same terms as academics from the MNU. 15. These different policy options are not in competition or mutually exclusive. The Government could choose to implement more than one, or even several, of these options. It is very important that the incentives provided establish a level playing field for public and private HEIs, and for domestic and overseas HEIs. 16. The Maldives National University (MNU) will need to develop along multiple paths. This could include the following. • The expansion of programs and courses, including e-learning programs and courses, to the various provinces and atolls. This will also require further development of the special types of student support required for e-learning within the MNU system. • The introduction of new degree programs and courses, wherever relevant and necessary. This could include programs more explicitly targeted at the promotion of modern, liberal democratic ideals, and of programs to support the economic comparative advantage of the country. • The shedding of non-degree programs and courses, over time. These programs and courses could be left to the Maldives Polytechnic (MP) and to the private sector. • The generation of research capacity and the production of research output, including journal articles, papers, monographs and books. 17. The Maldives Polytechnic (MP) will have to develop in ways that enable it to produce graduates who have skills that are relevant in a rapidly evolving and changing labor market. This would involve the following. • Strengthening the link with the world of work by having active Program Advisory Committees (PACs) composed of successful practitioners from various sectors of the economy who employ graduates of the MP programs. • Increasing the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) platforms and on-line Internet technologies to support the effective delivery of their programs in the atolls. • Increasing the capacity, quality and relevance of sub-degree programs in hospitality and tourism studies, construction and fisheries.