Asian Universities: Historical Perspectives and Contemporary Challenges

by Philip G. Altbach (Editor), Toru Umakoshi (Editor)

Overview

Since 1980, higher education access and endorsement have grown more dramatically in Asia than in any other area of the world. Both developed and developing nations are witnessing rapid expansion in the higher education sector. Nor is this progress entirely quantitative: a number of Asian universities are on a par with the finest institutions of higher education in the U.S. and Europe. Until now, however, there has been little historical analysis and virtually no comparative analysis of Asian higher education.

This volume offers a detailed comparative study of the emergence of the modern university in Asia, linking the historical development of universities in the region with contemporary realities and future challenges. The contributors describe higher education systems in eleven countries—Korea, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Phillippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and Japan—and explore similarities and differences through two comparative essays. Each case study includes a discussion of the nature and influence of both indigenous and European educational traditions; a detailed analysis of development patterns; and a close examination of such contemporary issues as population growth and access, cost, the role of private higher education, the research system, autonomy, and accountability.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801880377
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	12/10/2004
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Philip G. Altbach is the J. Donald Monan, SJ, Professor of Higher Education and director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College.

Toru Umakoshi is a professor of higher education in the Graduate School at Obirin University in Japan and president of the Japan Comparative Education Society.

Table of Contents

	Preface	7
	Introduction	9
Part I	Asian Perspectives
1	The Past and Future of Asian Universities: Twenty-First Century Challenges	13
2	Private Higher Education in Asia: Transitions and Development	33
Part II	Asian Giants
3	Chinese Higher Education: The Legacy of the Past and the Context of the Future	53
4	Higher Education in India: Massification and Change	85
Part III	Economic Prosperity and Academic Development
5	Japanese Higher Education: Contemporary Reform and the Influence of Tradition	115
6	Korean Higher Education: History and Future Challenges	145
7	Singapore: Small Nation, Big Plans	175
Part IV	Middle-Income Countries and Higher Education Investment
8	Thai Universities: Past, Present, and Future	201
9	Malaysian Universities: Toward Equality, Accessibility, and Quality	221
Part V	Development in the Context of Massification
10	The Evolution of Higher Education in Indonesia	249
11	The Philippines: Past, Present, and Future Dimensions of Higher Education	279
Part VI	Building Universities in Low Per Capita Income Countries
12	Universities in Vietnam: Legacies, Challenges, and Prospects	301
13	Cambodian Higher Education: Mixed Visions	333
	List of Contributors	363
	Index	367

What People are Saying About This

William Cummings

The quality and currency of this volume ensures it an important niche in the contemporary literature on comparative higher education.

From the Publisher

The quality and currency of this volume ensures it an important niche in the contemporary literature on comparative higher education.
—William Cummings, Ph.D., George Washington University