Self Funded
World Access to Higher Education Day (WAHED) 2020 Asia Conference

Share on
Opportunity Type
Conferences
Self Funded
Description
The World Access to Higher Education Day (WAHED) will be celebrated on 17 November 2020. This year, WAHED will take the form of a global conference series – WAHED24 – based around ‘Access and Success in the Post Pandemic world’ and will feature a series of six events, each led by an organisation active in promoting equity in higher education within their own continent. Last year the ASEF Capacity Building Training on Equitable Access to Higher Education 2019 took place in conjunction with WAHED, and this year ASEF takes the lead in organising the Asia edition of the WAHED24 global conference series
Eligibilities
The event is accessible to all participants. Should you require any special assistance, kindly email E: reka.tozsa@asef.org, we will do our best to accommodate you.
Benefits
The conference will introduce perspectives from Asia (covering South, Southeast, East Asia) on current (during COVID-19) and emerging (post- COVID 19) challenges related to access and success for marginalised sectors in higher education.
Program Venue
Online
Eligible Regions
All Regions
All Countries
select_all_regions
Eligible Countries
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Angola, Africa, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia (formerly Macedonia), Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, USA, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City (Holy See), Venezuela, Vietnam, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Hungary, Cook Island
Application Process
TARGET GROUP
We are looking forward hosting access and success advocators and practitioners in higher education (university managers, NGOs), engaged in social outreach, inclusion, learning design in Asia; and students, student organisation representatives engaged on the topic.
DRAFT PROGRAMME
11.00-11.05AM | Welcome by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), coordinator of the Asia edition
- Ms Leonie NAGARAJAN, Education Department, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
11.05-11.15AM | Opening Remarks
- Mr MORIKAWA Toru, Executive Director, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), Coordinator of the Asia Regional event
- HE Ms Kara OWEN CMG, British High Commissioner to Singapore, ASEF Governor for the United Kingdom
11.15-12.15PM | Keynote Panel Discussion: From Asia to the World: Lessons on Ensuring Access and Success in the Time of Pandemic
Panellists are invited to reflect on the impact of the pandemic on marginalised groups in higher education in Asia, from a regional and national perspective; share some lessons learnt, and their vision on how to build back better, more equitable higher education systems in Asia.
- HE J. Prospero DE VERA III, Chairperson, Philippine Commission on Higher Education (tbc)
- Dr Chantavit SUJATANOND, Director, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation, Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED) (tbc)
- Mr Parkhat YUSSUPJANOV, Activist & President of Zhiger, Youth Organization of People with Disabilities, Kazakhstan (confirmed)
Moderated by Prof Dr Chanita RUKSPOLLMUANG, Vice President for Academic Development, Siam University; Chairman, Committee of National Education Council, Office of the Education Council, Thailand.
12.15-12.30AM I Virtual Coffee Break
12.30-13.30PM | Breakout Sessions
Breakout Session 1 | Women Students and Students from Lower Socio-economic, Rural and Refugee Backgrounds in Higher Education in Asia
Description | Asian students from lower socioeconomic, rural, remote and indigenous backgrounds face a range of structural challenges in sustaining their engagement in higher education institutions. While women have experienced increased participation in tertiary education in Asia, they continue to face significant social and economic barriers. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated conditions for equitable access for these profiles of students. More importantly, the crisis has revealed hitherto unknown issues affecting higher education for students in marginalised groups. It is thus crucial to examine the quality, relevance, and sustainability of ongoing and emerging global, regional and national responses to meet the needs of these marginalised students at the levels of policy and practice.
- Dr Tiffany CONE, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programmes, Asian University for Women, Bangladesh
- Ms Lilianne FAN, Thematic Working Group Chair, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN); Founder of Geutanyoe Foundation, Malaysia
- Student representative from Asia
Moderated by Ms Cynthia C CHANG, Head, Office of Service-Learning & Community Engagement, Centre for Experiential Learning, College of Lifelong & Experiential Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Singapore.
Breakout Session 2 | Pathways and Opportunities for Non-traditional Students in COVID-19 and Beyond
Description: While current and traditional groups of higher education students are coping rapidly given the shifts in learning design and delivery, technical and vocational students, adult learners, out-of-school youth, and other non-traditional students are gradually realising the impact of the pandemic on their employability and social mobility. As such, there is a need to understand how their reskilling, upskilling, and cross-skilling needs should be jointly addressed by education, industry, and labour market specialists.
- Mr Michael FUNG, President, Higher Education Planning Association; Deputy Chief Executive (Industry); Chief Human Resource Officer; Chief Data Officer; Skills Future Singapore (tbc)
- Mr A M Naik, Chairman, National Skills Development Corporation, India (tbc)
- Student representative from Asia
Moderated by Dr Edizon FERMIN, Vice President for Academic Affairs, The National Teachers College; Strategic Planning Consultant for the Commission on Higher Education, The Philippines.
Breakout Session 3 | Students with Special Needs in Higher Education in Asia
Description: Over the last decade, there had been significant achievements in furthering inclusion in higher education systems in the Asia-Pacific region. Students with special needs, learning difficulties, and disabilities, albeit still limited in number have been granted access to education provisions at the tertiary level. However, the momentum of engaging them has been affected dramatically by the pandemic. Aside from adaptations in terms of distance learning, other issues will need to be examined and anticipated in order to ensure that these students will succeed in the time of COVID-19 and beyond.
- Professor Sarah O’SHEA, Director, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, Australia
- Associate Professor Tim PITMAN, Faculty Dean of Research for the Humanities, Curtin University; Equity Fellow, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE), Australia
- Mr James CHAN, Student of Psychology, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and Inclusion Advisor, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
Moderated by Mr Anthony GARTNER, Manager, Equity and Diversity, La Trobe University, Australia.
13.30-13.45PM | Closing Keynote Session
The closing keynote message is providing food for thought on what will be the future of access and success in Asian higher education; what can the public and private sectors realistically do in order to address the constraints that COVID-19 has generated or has aggravated. In what ways can each nation state meaningfully recover and work together for a more inclusive higher education. At this closing plenary, we raise more questions so that the conversations in equitable access may be sustained.
- Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dzulkifli bin ABDUL RAZAK, Rector, International Islamic University Malaysia, immediate past president of the International Association of Universities (IAU) (confirmed)
Moderated by Ms Leonie NAGARAJAN, Education Department, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
13.45-14.00PM | Hand over to WAHED Europe Conference
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
STEERING COMMITTEE
The concept and programme of the WAHED2020 Asia Conference is designed by the Steering Committee. Our heartfelt thank goes to members of the Steering Committee for making this event possible:
- Ms Cynthia C CHANG, Head, Office of Service-Learning & Community Engagement, Centre for Experiential Learning, College of Lifelong & Experiential Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Singapore
- Dr Edizon FERMIN, Vice President for Academic Affairs, The National Teachers College; Strategic Planning Consultant for the Commission on Higher Education, The Philippines
- Mr Anthony GARTNER, Manager, Equity and Diversity, La Trobe University, Australia
- Prof Dr Chanita RUKSPOLLMUANG, Vice President for Academic Development, Siam University; Chairman, Committee of National Education Council, Office of the Education Council, Thailand
COST
There is no registration or participation fee.
Share on
Self Funded
World Access to Higher Education Day (WAHED) 2020 Asia Conference

Share on
Opportunity Type
Conferences
Full Time
Description
The World Access to Higher Education Day (WAHED) will be celebrated on 17 November 2020. This year, WAHED will take the form of a global conference series – WAHED24 – based around ‘Access and Success in the Post Pandemic world’ and will feature a series of six events, each led by an organisation active in promoting equity in higher education within their own continent. Last year the ASEF Capacity Building Training on Equitable Access to Higher Education 2019 took place in conjunction with WAHED, and this year ASEF takes the lead in organising the Asia edition of the WAHED24 global conference series
Eligibilities
The event is accessible to all participants. Should you require any special assistance, kindly email E: reka.tozsa@asef.org, we will do our best to accommodate you.
Benefits
The conference will introduce perspectives from Asia (covering South, Southeast, East Asia) on current (during COVID-19) and emerging (post- COVID 19) challenges related to access and success for marginalised sectors in higher education.
Program Venue
Eligible Regions
All Regions
Eligible Countries
All Countries
Application Process
TARGET GROUP
We are looking forward hosting access and success advocators and practitioners in higher education (university managers, NGOs), engaged in social outreach, inclusion, learning design in Asia; and students, student organisation representatives engaged on the topic.
DRAFT PROGRAMME
11.00-11.05AM | Welcome by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), coordinator of the Asia edition
- Ms Leonie NAGARAJAN, Education Department, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
11.05-11.15AM | Opening Remarks
- Mr MORIKAWA Toru, Executive Director, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), Coordinator of the Asia Regional event
- HE Ms Kara OWEN CMG, British High Commissioner to Singapore, ASEF Governor for the United Kingdom
11.15-12.15PM | Keynote Panel Discussion: From Asia to the World: Lessons on Ensuring Access and Success in the Time of Pandemic
Panellists are invited to reflect on the impact of the pandemic on marginalised groups in higher education in Asia, from a regional and national perspective; share some lessons learnt, and their vision on how to build back better, more equitable higher education systems in Asia.
- HE J. Prospero DE VERA III, Chairperson, Philippine Commission on Higher Education (tbc)
- Dr Chantavit SUJATANOND, Director, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation, Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED) (tbc)
- Mr Parkhat YUSSUPJANOV, Activist & President of Zhiger, Youth Organization of People with Disabilities, Kazakhstan (confirmed)
Moderated by Prof Dr Chanita RUKSPOLLMUANG, Vice President for Academic Development, Siam University; Chairman, Committee of National Education Council, Office of the Education Council, Thailand.
12.15-12.30AM I Virtual Coffee Break
12.30-13.30PM | Breakout Sessions
Breakout Session 1 | Women Students and Students from Lower Socio-economic, Rural and Refugee Backgrounds in Higher Education in Asia
Description | Asian students from lower socioeconomic, rural, remote and indigenous backgrounds face a range of structural challenges in sustaining their engagement in higher education institutions. While women have experienced increased participation in tertiary education in Asia, they continue to face significant social and economic barriers. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated conditions for equitable access for these profiles of students. More importantly, the crisis has revealed hitherto unknown issues affecting higher education for students in marginalised groups. It is thus crucial to examine the quality, relevance, and sustainability of ongoing and emerging global, regional and national responses to meet the needs of these marginalised students at the levels of policy and practice.
- Dr Tiffany CONE, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programmes, Asian University for Women, Bangladesh
- Ms Lilianne FAN, Thematic Working Group Chair, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN); Founder of Geutanyoe Foundation, Malaysia
- Student representative from Asia
Moderated by Ms Cynthia C CHANG, Head, Office of Service-Learning & Community Engagement, Centre for Experiential Learning, College of Lifelong & Experiential Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Singapore.
Breakout Session 2 | Pathways and Opportunities for Non-traditional Students in COVID-19 and Beyond
Description: While current and traditional groups of higher education students are coping rapidly given the shifts in learning design and delivery, technical and vocational students, adult learners, out-of-school youth, and other non-traditional students are gradually realising the impact of the pandemic on their employability and social mobility. As such, there is a need to understand how their reskilling, upskilling, and cross-skilling needs should be jointly addressed by education, industry, and labour market specialists.
- Mr Michael FUNG, President, Higher Education Planning Association; Deputy Chief Executive (Industry); Chief Human Resource Officer; Chief Data Officer; Skills Future Singapore (tbc)
- Mr A M Naik, Chairman, National Skills Development Corporation, India (tbc)
- Student representative from Asia
Moderated by Dr Edizon FERMIN, Vice President for Academic Affairs, The National Teachers College; Strategic Planning Consultant for the Commission on Higher Education, The Philippines.
Breakout Session 3 | Students with Special Needs in Higher Education in Asia
Description: Over the last decade, there had been significant achievements in furthering inclusion in higher education systems in the Asia-Pacific region. Students with special needs, learning difficulties, and disabilities, albeit still limited in number have been granted access to education provisions at the tertiary level. However, the momentum of engaging them has been affected dramatically by the pandemic. Aside from adaptations in terms of distance learning, other issues will need to be examined and anticipated in order to ensure that these students will succeed in the time of COVID-19 and beyond.
- Professor Sarah O’SHEA, Director, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, Australia
- Associate Professor Tim PITMAN, Faculty Dean of Research for the Humanities, Curtin University; Equity Fellow, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE), Australia
- Mr James CHAN, Student of Psychology, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and Inclusion Advisor, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
Moderated by Mr Anthony GARTNER, Manager, Equity and Diversity, La Trobe University, Australia.
13.30-13.45PM | Closing Keynote Session
The closing keynote message is providing food for thought on what will be the future of access and success in Asian higher education; what can the public and private sectors realistically do in order to address the constraints that COVID-19 has generated or has aggravated. In what ways can each nation state meaningfully recover and work together for a more inclusive higher education. At this closing plenary, we raise more questions so that the conversations in equitable access may be sustained.
- Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dzulkifli bin ABDUL RAZAK, Rector, International Islamic University Malaysia, immediate past president of the International Association of Universities (IAU) (confirmed)
Moderated by Ms Leonie NAGARAJAN, Education Department, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
13.45-14.00PM | Hand over to WAHED Europe Conference
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
STEERING COMMITTEE
The concept and programme of the WAHED2020 Asia Conference is designed by the Steering Committee. Our heartfelt thank goes to members of the Steering Committee for making this event possible:
- Ms Cynthia C CHANG, Head, Office of Service-Learning & Community Engagement, Centre for Experiential Learning, College of Lifelong & Experiential Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Singapore
- Dr Edizon FERMIN, Vice President for Academic Affairs, The National Teachers College; Strategic Planning Consultant for the Commission on Higher Education, The Philippines
- Mr Anthony GARTNER, Manager, Equity and Diversity, La Trobe University, Australia
- Prof Dr Chanita RUKSPOLLMUANG, Vice President for Academic Development, Siam University; Chairman, Committee of National Education Council, Office of the Education Council, Thailand
COST
There is no registration or participation fee.
Share on
Self Funded
World Access to Higher Education Day (WAHED) 2020 Asia Conference

Share on
Opportunity Type
Conferences
Select Type
Description
The World Access to Higher Education Day (WAHED) will be celebrated on 17 November 2020. This year, WAHED will take the form of a global conference series – WAHED24 – based around ‘Access and Success in the Post Pandemic world’ and will feature a series of six events, each led by an organisation active in promoting equity in higher education within their own continent. Last year the ASEF Capacity Building Training on Equitable Access to Higher Education 2019 took place in conjunction with WAHED, and this year ASEF takes the lead in organising the Asia edition of the WAHED24 global conference series
Eligibilities
The event is accessible to all participants. Should you require any special assistance, kindly email E: reka.tozsa@asef.org, we will do our best to accommodate you.
Benefits
The conference will introduce perspectives from Asia (covering South, Southeast, East Asia) on current (during COVID-19) and emerging (post- COVID 19) challenges related to access and success for marginalised sectors in higher education.
Program Venue
Eligible Regions
All Regions
Eligible Countries
All Countries
Application Process
TARGET GROUP
We are looking forward hosting access and success advocators and practitioners in higher education (university managers, NGOs), engaged in social outreach, inclusion, learning design in Asia; and students, student organisation representatives engaged on the topic.
DRAFT PROGRAMME
11.00-11.05AM | Welcome by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), coordinator of the Asia edition
- Ms Leonie NAGARAJAN, Education Department, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
11.05-11.15AM | Opening Remarks
- Mr MORIKAWA Toru, Executive Director, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), Coordinator of the Asia Regional event
- HE Ms Kara OWEN CMG, British High Commissioner to Singapore, ASEF Governor for the United Kingdom
11.15-12.15PM | Keynote Panel Discussion: From Asia to the World: Lessons on Ensuring Access and Success in the Time of Pandemic
Panellists are invited to reflect on the impact of the pandemic on marginalised groups in higher education in Asia, from a regional and national perspective; share some lessons learnt, and their vision on how to build back better, more equitable higher education systems in Asia.
- HE J. Prospero DE VERA III, Chairperson, Philippine Commission on Higher Education (tbc)
- Dr Chantavit SUJATANOND, Director, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation, Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED) (tbc)
- Mr Parkhat YUSSUPJANOV, Activist & President of Zhiger, Youth Organization of People with Disabilities, Kazakhstan (confirmed)
Moderated by Prof Dr Chanita RUKSPOLLMUANG, Vice President for Academic Development, Siam University; Chairman, Committee of National Education Council, Office of the Education Council, Thailand.
12.15-12.30AM I Virtual Coffee Break
12.30-13.30PM | Breakout Sessions
Breakout Session 1 | Women Students and Students from Lower Socio-economic, Rural and Refugee Backgrounds in Higher Education in Asia
Description | Asian students from lower socioeconomic, rural, remote and indigenous backgrounds face a range of structural challenges in sustaining their engagement in higher education institutions. While women have experienced increased participation in tertiary education in Asia, they continue to face significant social and economic barriers. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated conditions for equitable access for these profiles of students. More importantly, the crisis has revealed hitherto unknown issues affecting higher education for students in marginalised groups. It is thus crucial to examine the quality, relevance, and sustainability of ongoing and emerging global, regional and national responses to meet the needs of these marginalised students at the levels of policy and practice.
- Dr Tiffany CONE, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programmes, Asian University for Women, Bangladesh
- Ms Lilianne FAN, Thematic Working Group Chair, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN); Founder of Geutanyoe Foundation, Malaysia
- Student representative from Asia
Moderated by Ms Cynthia C CHANG, Head, Office of Service-Learning & Community Engagement, Centre for Experiential Learning, College of Lifelong & Experiential Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Singapore.
Breakout Session 2 | Pathways and Opportunities for Non-traditional Students in COVID-19 and Beyond
Description: While current and traditional groups of higher education students are coping rapidly given the shifts in learning design and delivery, technical and vocational students, adult learners, out-of-school youth, and other non-traditional students are gradually realising the impact of the pandemic on their employability and social mobility. As such, there is a need to understand how their reskilling, upskilling, and cross-skilling needs should be jointly addressed by education, industry, and labour market specialists.
- Mr Michael FUNG, President, Higher Education Planning Association; Deputy Chief Executive (Industry); Chief Human Resource Officer; Chief Data Officer; Skills Future Singapore (tbc)
- Mr A M Naik, Chairman, National Skills Development Corporation, India (tbc)
- Student representative from Asia
Moderated by Dr Edizon FERMIN, Vice President for Academic Affairs, The National Teachers College; Strategic Planning Consultant for the Commission on Higher Education, The Philippines.
Breakout Session 3 | Students with Special Needs in Higher Education in Asia
Description: Over the last decade, there had been significant achievements in furthering inclusion in higher education systems in the Asia-Pacific region. Students with special needs, learning difficulties, and disabilities, albeit still limited in number have been granted access to education provisions at the tertiary level. However, the momentum of engaging them has been affected dramatically by the pandemic. Aside from adaptations in terms of distance learning, other issues will need to be examined and anticipated in order to ensure that these students will succeed in the time of COVID-19 and beyond.
- Professor Sarah O’SHEA, Director, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, Australia
- Associate Professor Tim PITMAN, Faculty Dean of Research for the Humanities, Curtin University; Equity Fellow, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE), Australia
- Mr James CHAN, Student of Psychology, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and Inclusion Advisor, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
Moderated by Mr Anthony GARTNER, Manager, Equity and Diversity, La Trobe University, Australia.
13.30-13.45PM | Closing Keynote Session
The closing keynote message is providing food for thought on what will be the future of access and success in Asian higher education; what can the public and private sectors realistically do in order to address the constraints that COVID-19 has generated or has aggravated. In what ways can each nation state meaningfully recover and work together for a more inclusive higher education. At this closing plenary, we raise more questions so that the conversations in equitable access may be sustained.
- Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dzulkifli bin ABDUL RAZAK, Rector, International Islamic University Malaysia, immediate past president of the International Association of Universities (IAU) (confirmed)
Moderated by Ms Leonie NAGARAJAN, Education Department, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
13.45-14.00PM | Hand over to WAHED Europe Conference
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
STEERING COMMITTEE
The concept and programme of the WAHED2020 Asia Conference is designed by the Steering Committee. Our heartfelt thank goes to members of the Steering Committee for making this event possible:
- Ms Cynthia C CHANG, Head, Office of Service-Learning & Community Engagement, Centre for Experiential Learning, College of Lifelong & Experiential Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Singapore
- Dr Edizon FERMIN, Vice President for Academic Affairs, The National Teachers College; Strategic Planning Consultant for the Commission on Higher Education, The Philippines
- Mr Anthony GARTNER, Manager, Equity and Diversity, La Trobe University, Australia
- Prof Dr Chanita RUKSPOLLMUANG, Vice President for Academic Development, Siam University; Chairman, Committee of National Education Council, Office of the Education Council, Thailand
COST
There is no registration or participation fee.
Share on
Self Funded
Opening Date
World Access to Higher Education Day (WAHED) 2020 Asia Conference

FUNDING TYPE
Description
The World Access to Higher Education Day (WAHED) will be celebrated on 17 November 2020. This year, WAHED will take the form of a global conference series – WAHED24 – based around ‘Access and Success in the Post Pandemic world’ and will feature a series of six events, each led by an organisation active in promoting equity in higher education within their own continent. Last year the ASEF Capacity Building Training on Equitable Access to Higher Education 2019 took place in conjunction with WAHED, and this year ASEF takes the lead in organising the Asia edition of the WAHED24 global conference series
BENIFITS
The conference will introduce perspectives from Asia (covering South, Southeast, East Asia) on current (during COVID-19) and emerging (post- COVID 19) challenges related to access and success for marginalised sectors in higher education.
Eligibilities
The event is accessible to all participants. Should you require any special assistance, kindly email E: reka.tozsa@asef.org, we will do our best to accommodate you.
For Further Queries:
https://asef.org/about/contact
Eligible Regions:
Program Venue:
APPLICATION PROCESS
TARGET GROUP
We are looking forward hosting access and success advocators and practitioners in higher education (university managers, NGOs), engaged in social outreach, inclusion, learning design in Asia; and students, student organisation representatives engaged on the topic.
DRAFT PROGRAMME
11.00-11.05AM | Welcome by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), coordinator of the Asia edition
- Ms Leonie NAGARAJAN, Education Department, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
11.05-11.15AM | Opening Remarks
- Mr MORIKAWA Toru, Executive Director, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), Coordinator of the Asia Regional event
- HE Ms Kara OWEN CMG, British High Commissioner to Singapore, ASEF Governor for the United Kingdom
11.15-12.15PM | Keynote Panel Discussion: From Asia to the World: Lessons on Ensuring Access and Success in the Time of Pandemic
Panellists are invited to reflect on the impact of the pandemic on marginalised groups in higher education in Asia, from a regional and national perspective; share some lessons learnt, and their vision on how to build back better, more equitable higher education systems in Asia.
- HE J. Prospero DE VERA III, Chairperson, Philippine Commission on Higher Education (tbc)
- Dr Chantavit SUJATANOND, Director, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation, Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED) (tbc)
- Mr Parkhat YUSSUPJANOV, Activist & President of Zhiger, Youth Organization of People with Disabilities, Kazakhstan (confirmed)
Moderated by Prof Dr Chanita RUKSPOLLMUANG, Vice President for Academic Development, Siam University; Chairman, Committee of National Education Council, Office of the Education Council, Thailand.
12.15-12.30AM I Virtual Coffee Break
12.30-13.30PM | Breakout Sessions
Breakout Session 1 | Women Students and Students from Lower Socio-economic, Rural and Refugee Backgrounds in Higher Education in Asia
Description | Asian students from lower socioeconomic, rural, remote and indigenous backgrounds face a range of structural challenges in sustaining their engagement in higher education institutions. While women have experienced increased participation in tertiary education in Asia, they continue to face significant social and economic barriers. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated conditions for equitable access for these profiles of students. More importantly, the crisis has revealed hitherto unknown issues affecting higher education for students in marginalised groups. It is thus crucial to examine the quality, relevance, and sustainability of ongoing and emerging global, regional and national responses to meet the needs of these marginalised students at the levels of policy and practice.
- Dr Tiffany CONE, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programmes, Asian University for Women, Bangladesh
- Ms Lilianne FAN, Thematic Working Group Chair, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN); Founder of Geutanyoe Foundation, Malaysia
- Student representative from Asia
Moderated by Ms Cynthia C CHANG, Head, Office of Service-Learning & Community Engagement, Centre for Experiential Learning, College of Lifelong & Experiential Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Singapore.
Breakout Session 2 | Pathways and Opportunities for Non-traditional Students in COVID-19 and Beyond
Description: While current and traditional groups of higher education students are coping rapidly given the shifts in learning design and delivery, technical and vocational students, adult learners, out-of-school youth, and other non-traditional students are gradually realising the impact of the pandemic on their employability and social mobility. As such, there is a need to understand how their reskilling, upskilling, and cross-skilling needs should be jointly addressed by education, industry, and labour market specialists.
- Mr Michael FUNG, President, Higher Education Planning Association; Deputy Chief Executive (Industry); Chief Human Resource Officer; Chief Data Officer; Skills Future Singapore (tbc)
- Mr A M Naik, Chairman, National Skills Development Corporation, India (tbc)
- Student representative from Asia
Moderated by Dr Edizon FERMIN, Vice President for Academic Affairs, The National Teachers College; Strategic Planning Consultant for the Commission on Higher Education, The Philippines.
Breakout Session 3 | Students with Special Needs in Higher Education in Asia
Description: Over the last decade, there had been significant achievements in furthering inclusion in higher education systems in the Asia-Pacific region. Students with special needs, learning difficulties, and disabilities, albeit still limited in number have been granted access to education provisions at the tertiary level. However, the momentum of engaging them has been affected dramatically by the pandemic. Aside from adaptations in terms of distance learning, other issues will need to be examined and anticipated in order to ensure that these students will succeed in the time of COVID-19 and beyond.
- Professor Sarah O’SHEA, Director, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, Australia
- Associate Professor Tim PITMAN, Faculty Dean of Research for the Humanities, Curtin University; Equity Fellow, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE), Australia
- Mr James CHAN, Student of Psychology, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and Inclusion Advisor, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
Moderated by Mr Anthony GARTNER, Manager, Equity and Diversity, La Trobe University, Australia.
13.30-13.45PM | Closing Keynote Session
The closing keynote message is providing food for thought on what will be the future of access and success in Asian higher education; what can the public and private sectors realistically do in order to address the constraints that COVID-19 has generated or has aggravated. In what ways can each nation state meaningfully recover and work together for a more inclusive higher education. At this closing plenary, we raise more questions so that the conversations in equitable access may be sustained.
- Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dzulkifli bin ABDUL RAZAK, Rector, International Islamic University Malaysia, immediate past president of the International Association of Universities (IAU) (confirmed)
Moderated by Ms Leonie NAGARAJAN, Education Department, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
13.45-14.00PM | Hand over to WAHED Europe Conference
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