Versión original en inglés del documento Peligro y Promesa: La educación superior en los países en desarrollo, año 2000, disponible aquí mismo en castellano.
http://www.tfhe.net/report/readreport.htm
The Task Force on Higher Education and Society was convened by the World Bank and UNESCO. It brought together experts from 13 countries to explore the future of higher education in the developing world.
Based on research and intensive discussion and hearings conducted over a two-year period, the Task Force has concluded that without more and better higher education, developing countries will find it increasingly difficult to benefit from the global knowledge-based economy.
The Task Force has attempted to clarify the arguments for higher education development, especially from the standpoint of public policy-makers and the international community. It has also diagnosed specific problems that are common across the developing world – home to over 80 per cent of the world’s population – and suggested potential solutions.
“Peril and Promise: Higher Education in Developing Countries” is split into 6 chapters, covering:
– higher education’s long-standing problems and the new realities it faces.
– the nature of the public interest in higher education.
– how focusing on higher education as a system will yield the benefits of planned diversification.
– the need to improve standards of governance.
– the particularly acute requirement for better science and technology education.
– a call to develop imaginative general education curricula for certain students.

The Task Force on Higher Education and Society was convened by the World Bank and UNESCO. It brought together education experts from 13 countries to explore the future of higher education in the developing world.
As knowledge becomes more important to the global economy, so does higher education. The quality of knowledge generated within higher education institutions, and its accessibility to the wider economy, is increasingly critical to national competitiveness.
Developing countries are falling behind. Their higher education systems are chronically under-funded, faculty under-qualified and poorly motivated, and students often badly taught. Developing countries need to teach more students, to a higher standard, and develop the research capacity that will help them connect to the knowledge economy.
“Higher Education in Developing Countries: Peril and Promise” addresses six key areas:
– Longstanding problems and new realities – looking at expanding demand, the diversification of higher education systems, and the implications of the knowledge revolution.
– Higher education and the public interest – exploring the substantial public returns on investment in higher education, with highly educated individuals essential to social and economic development.
– Systems of higher education – countries must plan their higher educations systems strategically and then draw on the energy of a range of actors to ensure effective implementation.
– Governance – the major principles of good governance are outlined, and compared to the actual situation in developing countries. A range of tools are suggested to improve standards.
– Science and technology – the costs and significance of scientific and technological education are examined. Developing countries face serious problems as the science base becomes more complex and costly, and strategies to tackle this are suggested, including industry-university partnerships and local, regional and international cooperation.
– General education – the relevance of a general or liberal education is highlighted for developing countries, who have an enduring need for people with the flexibility to adapt to rapid social and economic change.
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Task Force Steering Committee
Mamphela Ramphele, Henry Rosovsky, David E. Bloom, Kamal Ahmad, Kenneth Prewitt
Members and Co-Directors Contact Information
Babar Ali President
World Wide Fund for Nature
c/o Packages Ltd.
Shahrah-E-Roomi
Lahore 54770, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-5811-548
Fax: +92-42-5811-978
Email: [email protected]
Hanan Ashrawi Quaddoumi
Beit Hanina
Jerusalem, Israel
Tel: +972-2-585-1842 or +972-2-583-4842
Fax: +972-2-583-5184
Email: [email protected]
José Joaquín Brunner Fundación Chile
Avenida Parque Antonio Rabat Sur 6165
P.O. Box 773
Santiago, Chile
Tel: +56-2-240-0413
Email: [email protected]
Lone Dybkjær Member of the European Parliament
97-113 Rue Belliard
B-1047 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 284 53 91 or +32 2 284 73 91
Fax: +32 2 284 93 91
Email: [email protected]
José Goldemberg Professor of Physics
University of São Paulo
Institute of Electrotecnics and Energy
Av. Prof. Almeida Prado, 925
Cidade Universitária 05508-900
São Paulo-SP- Brazil
Tel: +55 11 818 5053 or +55 11 818 5054
Fax: +55 11 818 5056
Email: [email protected]
Georges Haddad Professor of Mathematics
Université de Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne
12, Place du Panthéon
75231 Paris cedex 05, France
Tel: +33 1 45 68 13 13
Fax: +33 1 45 68 56 26 or +33 1 45 68 56 27
Email: [email protected]
Motoo Kaji Vice President
University of the Air (Tokyo)
2-11 Wakaba, Mihama-ku
Chiba City 261, Japan
Tel: +81-43-276-5111 or +81-3-3470-4611
Fax: +81-3-3489-1222
Email: [email protected]
Jajah Koswara Director
Research and Community Service Development
Directorate General of Higher Education
Direktorat Jendral Pendidikan Tinggi
Jalan Pintu 1 Senayan, Jakarta Pusat
Indonesia
Tel: +62-21-5731251
Fax: +62-21-5732468
Email: [email protected]
Narciso Matos Senior Program Officer
Carnegie Corporation of New York
437 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Tel: +212 207-6337 or +212 207-6269
Fax: +212 223-9822
Email: [email protected]
Kenneth Prewitt Director
Bureau of the Census
Suitland Federal Center
Room 2049, FB 3
Washington, DC 20233
Tel: +1-301-457-2135
Fax: +1-301-457-3761
Email: [email protected]
Mamphela Ramphele Vice Chancellor
University of Cape Town
Room 101, Bremner Building
Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa
Tel: +27-21-650-2105
Fax: +27-21-689-2440
Email: [email protected]
Henry Rosovsky University Professor Emeritus
Loeb House
17 Quincy St.
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
Tel: +1-617-495-4151
Fax: +1-617-495-9381
Email: [email protected]
Manmohan Singh Member of Parliament
Room 120, Parliament House Annexe
New Delhi – 110001, India
Tel: +91-11-3034120
Fax: +91-11-3014948 or +91-11-3015585
Email: [email protected]
Carl Tham The Olof Palme International Center
PO Box 3221
S-103 64 Stockholm
Tel: +46-8-440 12 60
Fax: +46-8-440 12 61
Email: [email protected]
CO-DIRECTORS:
Kamal Ahmad Corporate Attorney
Morrison & Foerster LLP
1290 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10104-0050 USA
Tel: +1-212-506-7312
Fax: +1-212-859-8587
Email: [email protected]
David Bloom Professor of Economics and Demography
Harvard School of Public Health
665 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115 USA
Tel: +1-617-432-0654
Fax: +1-617-566-0365
Email: [email protected]