Comment on “Emerging and Near Future Challenges of Higher Education in East Asia”

Abstract

East Asian economies have achieved strong progress in tertiary education since the second half of the 20th century. They have established higher education systems and institutions that are now accessible to most students. Partially thanks to the higher education systems, they have accumulated strong human capital which is pointed out as one of the major contributing factors for their astonishing economic and social developments.

Horta (2023) describes the rapid changes in the East Asian higher education systems and institutions driven by massification and globalization. It also identifies new challenges facing them, such as how to address decreasing enrollments and shrinking resources, how to embrace new technologies, and how to develop a long-term collaborative science base. This paper must be a useful reference for readers who want to understand the status and future challenges of higher education in the East Asia region.

I have some comments. First, Horta (2023) focuses on the seven economies in East Asia, such as China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Japan, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan. It would be more useful to the readers of this journal if this paper added more discussion of higher education systems in other Asian economies in the South and Southeast Asian regions and pointed out variations across Asian economies. Despite some useful discussions, the paper is limited in providing an insightful analysis when comparing the characteristics of higher education across Asia. For instance, the claim that “East Asian higher education systems are at the end of the massification era and have attained universal higher education” may not apply to many countries in other Asian regions.

Second, a further discussion of the role of higher education in Asia's economic achievements, both in economic growth and income equality, would be helpful. In most Asian economies, alongside income growth, income inequality has increased in the past decades. Highly educated and skilled workers have contributed to economic growth through human capital accumulation and technological progress (Barro & Lee, 2015). In addition, the change in human capital distribution is related to income distribution. For instance, Lee and Lee (2018) show that educational expansion and educational inequality are significantly related to income distribution in Asian economies.

Third, one important question regarding higher education is its returns in the labor market. It is necessary to conduct a careful evaluation on the change and determinants of the returns to college education (ie college wage premium) in individual Asian economies. Horta (2023) asserts that “the earning premiums for those with tertiary education have been declining” in most (advanced) economies. Horta conjectures that such a decline is due to the increase in the relative supply of college-educated workers. However, studies show that the college wage premium has not declined monotonically. The college wage premium is determined by changes in the relative demand for high-skilled labor due to technological development and trade expansion, in addition to changes in relative supply.

Fourth, Horta (2023) rightly points out embracing new technologies as a key challenge for East Asia's higher education. Under rapidly changing technologies, education and vocational training should serve a vital role in equipping people with the adequate skills, knowledge, and attitudes they need not just for today, but also for tomorrow. Better technical skills and science knowledge can help people embrace new technologies and help economies nurture innovation-based growth. Unfortunately, current tertiary education systems in East Asian countries often fail to produce graduates with adequate skills and technical competencies relevant to the industry's needs. Education-skill mismatch is prevailing across many Asian economies.

In this regard, Horta (2023) suggests that universities teach bachelor-degree students in all subjects some transversal technical knowledge (such as the basics of engineering). Horta also notes that the changes, which should be effective in higher education settings, must be initiated in the early childhood period and throughout primary and secondary education. It cannot be overemphasized that basic education must be redesigned to equip all students with basic digital knowledge as well as solid cognitive and non-cognitive skills. Good-quality pre-primary, primary, and secondary education are essential for reaping more benefits from subsequent education and training. In addition, life-long learning activities should be strengthened to provide better employment opportunities for the whole population, especially the elderly. As pointed out by the author, hybrid learning modes and international collaboration can help tertiary education institutions adapt to complex demands and tackle diverse challenges.