The first Deep Dialogues event to take place in South Asia was held on 10 and 11 December 2024, in Colombo.
It brought together 112 participants from five countries in South Asia and the UK to discuss ‘Widening access to quality tertiary education through transnational education (TNE)’ as a significant driver of educational transformation, knowledge economy and sustainable development goals. Participants comprised education policy makers, quality assurance agencies, sector experts, senior leaders, and academics from higher education institutions.
Keynote speakers included Prof Mary Stiasny OBE, Professor Emerita, University of London, UK and Prof Alison Johns, Chief Executive, Advance HE, UK. Conversations explored solutions to overcome challenges the TNE policymakers and practitioners face, and shared their experiences, highlighting both successful and unsuccessful approaches.
The event design considered feedback from previous British Council TNE events and our research on country specific TNE landscape in South Asia.
Session topics:
- TNE trends in global and South Asian contexts
- SDGs and socio-economic development
- Policy and frameworks for operationalising TNE
- Networking and TNE alumni insights
- University visit
- TNE partnership management strategies
- Importance of quality assurance in TNE
- Master Class on mutual recognition of qualifications
- Closing plenary on TNE’s impact
- Reflections and close