How can countries develop their tertiary education systems so as to improve the chances of their economic and social development in the medium-to long term? What are the key issues relating to knowledge transfer and capacity-building in a globalising world? Should the international community reassess models of partnership and donor priorities and upgrade the attention to tertiary education?

The main topics include:

• What is the role of tertiary education in meeting national development needs and Education for All (EFA) targets?
• What are the appropriate forms of partnership between local, national and international policy determination and its implementation?
• What responsibilities does a university have towards the local community and wider society? Should it be engaged in outreach, knowledge sharing and in offering lifelong learning opportunities?
• Does increased access to higher education have to be at the expense of quality and international competitiveness?
• Is there a role for commercial distance learning providers and other private and “for-profit” agencies trading in higher education provision and services? Can such provision co-exist with the state sector?
• What planning frameworks, regulatory mechanisms, quality assurance measures and institutional governance are needed and how can these be set in place?