This years’ conference, which runs for four days, is subtitled ‘The New Dynamics of Higher Education and Research for Societal Change and Development’.  On the agenda for discussion are the growth in student numbers, the new dynamics and policy implications and the social responsibility of higher education. The aim of the conference is an internationally agreed set of actions ‘to ensure that higher education and research play a strategic role in knowledge creation and sharing for a more sustainable, inclusive and development-oriented future’ says the UNESCO website.

Inside Higher Ed published an article today in which Nicholas Burnett, Assistant Director General for education at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization discusses the agenda in more detail.

“The first question is what are these new dynamics? I think there are many, but there are four in particular that we really think are changing the face of higher education,” said Burnett.

“In no particular order — and they’re all linked — one is just the accelerating demand for higher education. In the last seven years, we’ve just had extraordinary expansion — with an increase of about 51 million postsecondary students from 2001-8.”

See the full article on Inside Higher Ed to read all Nicholas Burnett’s points.

University World News, the official media partner of the conference and will be providing updates from the conference on their website throughout the conference.