A Humanist perspective on Higher Learning collaboration between South-East Asia and Europe: the example of Health sector

ASAIHL Conference 2014, Montpellier 1

A Humanist perspective on Higher Learning

collaboration between South-East Asia and

Europe: the example of Health sector.

ASAIHL International Conference, Montpellier (France), 10 to 13 June 2014

Dr. Jean-Jacques BERNATAS, MD, MScPH


Introduction

The views exposed do not reflect in any way the official positions of any of the organizations or institutions cited in this presentation.

It is based on a personal experience alternatively as an actor and as on observer during 8 years spent in South-East Asia


Case studies (I): cooperation in Health sector in Vietnam

Post-graduate training for physicians: from non-graduating program to PG diplomas. FFI to “DU” and DFMS/DFMSA (1)

Hoa Sen Lotus Program (2): Hubert Curien Partnership (PHC) in Vietnam. To promote scientific partnerships in funding students mobility in both ways.


Case studies (II-1): an example of network: Institut Pasteur

InternationalNetwork (IPIN)

The IPIN (3): 32 partners around the world. Research/Training/Public Health.

Creation of the Pasteur Institute of Paris in 1888

In Asia: 1891: Pasteur Institute of Saigon - now Ho Chi Minh City – by Albert CALMETTE

(1863-1933); 1895: Laboratory created by Alexandre YERSIN (1863-1943), an became the

Institut Pasteur of Nha Trang in 1905; 1923: Pasteur Institute of Hanoi, now National Institute of Hygiene and

Epidemiology (NIHE), 1996: convention between IP and HKU, 2003: Pasteur Institute in Seoul, 2009/2010: Pasteur Institute of Laos.

All are independent and are national-owned institutions, under the direction of their respective MoH +/- MoEd.


Case studies (II-2): an example of network: Institut Pasteur

InternationalNetwork and SISEA Project (3)

Type of disbursement Amount (€) %

Equipment ### 12

Personnel & Training ### 38Goods and services ### 34

Monitoring and evaluation ### 3

Other ### 6

Management fees ### 7

ASAIHL Conference 2014, Montpellier6

International Short Course in Biostatistics - REDI centre - Singapore, November 9-13, 2009.

Capacity strengthening

• 24 trainees/12 from SISEA/Lao PDR, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, China.

• New ties with professionals coming from Indonesia, and Singapore.

• High quality of the collaboration with REDI and NUS, who are willing to develop further collaborations in training at the regional level.


Case studies (III-1): Higher education and development,

from MDGs to post-2015 agenda

MDGs: “Achieve universal primary education”. From 82% in 1999 to 90% in 2010. Still 57 millions children of primary school age are out-of-school (4)

Post-2015: Education and skills for inclusive and sustainable development (5); ↗ access to primary education → ↗ demand in secondary education → ↗

demand in HE Inadequate access to HE →knowledge divide, including “e-literacy” gap

→ ↗ inequality (esp. gender-wise) HE is to be included in post-2015 development agenda:

education as a continuum, from primary to HE.

The British Council’s Director of Education and Society, Jo Beall emphasizes on the key role played by higher education in the post 2015-agenda (http://bit.ly/1tVwuYt )

http://bit.ly/1tVwuYt




Case studies (III-2): ADB, a regional partner in Education

and DevelopmentThe Asian Development Bank (ADB, www.adb.org ) analysis

(6) about higher education states that: HE faces 4 challenges in Asia:

Maintaining/improving quality, Relevance of curriculum, to be aligned with local labor market, increasing and better utilizing the financial resourcesContinued expansion of access vs. equity and quality.

Need for:Enhanced capacity of university leadersmore effective national and institutional-level policiesgreater attention to partnerships, including those with the private

sector, to improve quality and ensure sustainable financing of higher education.

http://www.adb.org/


Case studies (III-3): ASEAN, a strategic regional support to

Higher Learning(7) Human Development/Advancing and prioritizing education:

To develop an exchange program for teaching staff to improve the quality and adaptability of education,

Education networking for teaching and research with the Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and the ASEAN University Network (AUN);

Courses on ASEAN studies, including at higher education levels;

Promote the options of university placements in an institution of higher learning in a second ASEAN Member State


Change of paradigm in cooperation (and) in Higher

EducationFrom vertical to flat management: paternalistic vs.

collaborative model.

From arborescence to network: the best comes out from teamwork and sharing – not distilling –knowledge. Feedback will guarantee continuous improvement.

From local to global: the world is our classroom, as well as our village and our laboratory.

From “for a few” to “for all”: Confucius vs. MOOC

From face-to-face to distance-based

From quality to quantity …? And back to quality again.


Conditionality for success

To accept the unavoidable changesHE can only grow on a solid secondary and

primary educationHE makes sense only if in line with the local and

the regional labor marketExchange of experience, knowledge sharing:

networking and cooperation (regional and global)Budget: funding must be secured first and

foremost.No place for corruption


What makes South-East Asia/Europe partnership in

HE so special?The long-lasting shared history, sometimes

conflicting, may be the ground of a bright shared future, fruitful for each partner.

We may face issues that the other partners faced already, and for which experience has been gained and could be shared (infectious/chronic diseases)

Different cultural backgrounds will bring different views on questions of research.


Expected outcomes of SEA/EU collaboration in HE

Sustainable development of LIC and MIC in SEA

New markets for both SEA and European countries

Mutual fostering in research and education

HE is aiming at fostering imagination, creativity, open-mindedness, citizenship

Strong options given to SEA university besides North America and Australia


Tracks for the future

Developing regional networks and connecting them at a “meta-network” level

Facilitating by all mean the mobility of the students and of the teachers:

legal framework for supporting visa requests and for facilitating travels for teachers and students;

Administrative support to manage mobility;

Sustainability funding

Public-Private Partnerships


Conclusion (I): “L’un vers l’Autre”

Victor Segalen and F. Cheng (8): Two poets, 60 years apart having had a journey one

from Europe to Asia, and one from Asia to Europe; A cross-view on the best of both traditions will enrich

our vision of the world. “exote”, the traveler who immerses himself in another

culture, while keeping his origin, to the best of both cultures.

Giáo sư Bác sĩ Tôn Thất Tùng, who developed an innovative technique of liver surgery (9) (10), in the 60’s, and taught it to the French surgeons.


Conclusion (II): Humanist vision of the goal of Education

F. Rabelais in his “Gargantua” (11):

“In all their rule and strictest tie of their order there was but this one clause to be observed,

Do What Thou Wilt

because men that are free, well-born, well-bred, and conversant in honest companies, have naturally an instinct and spur that prompteth them unto virtuous actions, and withdraws them from vice, which is called honour.”


It is also about investing in the future …


Acknowledgements

University of Montpellier 2, with a special mention to Dr. Roger Frutos;

Institut Pasteur International Network and its Asian members: NIHE, IPHCMC, IPNT, IPC, IPL;

The Embassy of France in Vietnam and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

All my colleagues in Vietnam, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines (ADB);

The ADB, especially the members of the Health Community of Practice.

To my Master, Pr. René Baylet


References (1) : Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche. Bulletin Officiel N° 48

DU 24 DÉCEMBRE 2009. Circulaire n° 2009-1035 du 30-11-2009.

(2): http://www.campusfrance.org/fr/lotus, accessed on 04 June 2014.

(3): J.-J. Bernatas: "Surveillance and capacity building in South-East Asia: SISEA project and the International Pasteur Institutes Network“. International Congress of the Société de Pathologie Exotique, Vientiane, Lao PDR, 25-28 janvier 2010.

(4): http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/education.shtml accessed on 04 June 2014.

(5): UNESCO: Education and skills for inclusive and sustainable development beyond 2015. Thematic Think Piece, May 2012.

(6) Higher education across Asia: an overview of issues and strategies. Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Asian Development Bank, 2011.

(7) ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint. Jakarta: ASEAN Secretariat, June 2009

(8): F. Cheng: L’un Vers l’Autre. Albin Michel, 2008. ISBN 978-2-226-18853-3

(9) Ton That Tung, Nguyen Duong Quang. A new technique for operating the liver. Lancet Jan 26, 1963; 281:192-193

(10) Tung TT, Les résections majeures du foie, Paris : Masson, 1979

(11): F. Rabelais: Gargantua and Pantagruel, Book I. Five Books Of The Lives, Heroic Deeds And Sayings Of Gargantua And His Son Pantagruel. Chap. 57. Gutenberg Project, accessible online at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8166/8166-h/8166-h.htm#2HCH0057

http://www.campusfrance.org/fr/lotus

http://www.campusfrance.org/fr/lotus

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/education.shtml

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/education.shtml

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8166/8166-h/8166-h.htm#2HCH0057

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8166/8166-h/8166-h.htm#2HCH0057

Presentations & Public Speaking

A Humanist perspective on Higher Learning collaboration between South-East Asia and Europe: the example of Health sector