It’s not often that I agree (broadly) with Professor Ellen Hazelkorn, but I think that on the topic of the tertiary education data gap she makes good sense. In a recent article in University World News, she and Philip Altbach argue that we need far more comprehensive global data on higher education.
I remember looking at the UNESCO Higher Education Global Data Report in 2022 and being shocked that even something as basic as information on teaching funding models wasn’t available for more than half of Africa.
The article is a good start, but I would add three critical questions.
What is the purpose of data collection?
This is a really critical decision that needs to be made, as it affects the way that data is collected and the definitions that will be used. Broad phrases such as “understanding the world of tertiary education and for effective policy” will result in poor definitions and missed opportunities.
Who will do the collecting?
Institutions bring their own biases to data collection, and these biases are reflected in the data they collect. The UN is not in a good place to entertain any new activities on this scale, and national or regional actors will inevitably focus on their own concerns.
Who will pay for it?
This would be an expensive project. Would it be a better use of resources than reinvesting that money directly into education, primary or tertiary? There is a reason that the for-profit rankings agencies are amongst the few organisations to try: their financial model incentivises it.
We all want more and better data in tertiary education. How we get there is a good question to ask.
First published on LinkedIn.
