New platform fills gap in comparable data about HE systems

Higher education plays a significant role in advancing individuals and societies worldwide, but higher education systems vary significantly across countries, encompassing diverse governance structures, priorities and challenges.

While a large share of information on higher education systems is public, it has never been systematised globally, nor centralised in a single location. This lack of comparable international data on higher education systems has represented a critical obstacle to understanding the variety of higher education systems and policies across the globe.

In addition, specific higher education strategies in some countries that could be a model for others have gone unnoticed as systematic communication channels still need to be put in place. Consequently, this prevents evidence-based policy-making and management, which are the basis for developing and improving higher education.

Freely accessible platform

The UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean has designed and developed the Higher Education Policy Observatory (HEPO) to fill this gap. This platform, launched in December 2023, has been created by collecting and standardising information on national higher education systems in a freely accessible platform that compiles systematic and comparable information on higher education governance and policies in nearly 150 countries.

Users can visualise this information through individual country profiles, compare information about several countries simultaneously or explore world overviews on specific indicators.

With 45 indicators drawn from 150 variables – which represent over 22,000 single data points – the Higher Education Policy Observatory offers a wide range of information at national level for each higher education system. In subsequent versions, it will integrate key international statistics relevant to higher education.

Indicators are grouped into eight categories that allow researchers to answer key questions about higher education systems. These categories are:

• Governance (for example, which governmental department or body is responsible for the higher education system?)

• Legislative framework (for example, which laws regulate higher education? Are academic freedom and institutional autonomy officially recognised?)

• Quality assurance (for instance, are there quality assurance national agencies and, if so, what are their characteristics?)

• System planning (for example, what plans or strategies steer higher education policy?)

• Access (for instance, is the right to higher education recognised?)

• Admission pathways (for example, are there national exams or entry quotas?)

• Costs (for instance, is public higher education free?)

• Recognition of future qualifications (for instance, have the UNESCO global and regional conventions been ratified?)

Navigating heterogeneity

The use of the Higher Education Policy Observatory can benefit researchers in higher education, who will find a wide array of comparable and reliable information as a foundation for their research, and policy-makers. They will both gain insights into the characteristics of individual systems, a comprehensive understanding of regional or global trends and successful approaches to higher education.

This better understanding will help them to navigate a heterogeneous higher education landscape more effectively. For example, a policy-maker aiming to enhance internationalisation in her country can seek information on several foreign higher education systems before deciding whether to start or increase cooperation projects or mobility schemes with these countries.

This familiarisation with the characteristics and regulations of higher education systems internationally is a powerful basis for shaping evidence-based policies in higher education.

Policy-makers can leverage this international data to conduct a comparative diagnosis of their system, explore alternative policies or governance mechanisms or assess the effectiveness of policies implemented in other countries.

For example, policies mandating tuition-fee-free higher education might not necessarily be the most efficient way to strengthen equity as other financial and socio-cultural barriers can prevent some students from accessing higher education.

Alternatively, policy-makers could explore alternative social justice policies implemented in countries facing similar challenges, such as providing scholarships or access quotas targeting specific population groups.

It is equally important to recognise the significance of context and its influence on the outcomes of a policy or an intervention. With proper consideration of local specificities, internationally comparable data can also contribute to generating a deeper understanding of the relationships between policies and their potential impact on higher education systems.

In addition, comparable international information facilitates measuring systems against global standards. Countries can assess their performance and progress and identify valuable areas for improvement. This process encourages continuous improvement, transparency and accountability, enabling higher education systems to hold themselves to higher standards and strive for excellence and universality.

International dialogue and collaboration

The Higher Education Policy Observatory is a platform that aims to bring together policy-makers, researchers and higher education leaders to share valuable information, exchange knowledge and experiences, foster constructive dialogue and encourage effective collaboration in higher education between countries to address common challenges.

They can, for example, collaborate to achieve better coordinated higher education systems that facilitate and foster cross-border academic mobility. This is currently happening among the countries that have ratified the UNESCO Global and Regional Conventions on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees concerning Higher Education.

By embracing and contributing to this platform, policy-makers will be able to harness the collective wisdom and experiences of diverse higher education systems to drive positive change in higher education.

Victoria Galán-Muros is chief of research and analysis at the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO IESALC). She has a background in higher education policy, with experience as a policy analyst at the OECD, as an expert for the European Commission, and as a senior consultant for national governments and universities worldwide. Mathias Bouckaert is a policy analyst at UNESCO IESALC. He has worked for more than 10 years researching education, higher education and sustainability internationally, including as a policy analyst at the OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. At UNESCO he is actively involved in the management of the different initiatives of the Policy Hub, including the development and design of the Higher Education Policy Observatory.