The solution demands a holistic approach and a strategic vision of what can be achieved. We see the state s most important role as a guarantor of standards. If talented but poor individuals are denied access by the system, then the state must intervene. It must also fight to improve the current lamentable standards of governance in many countries and to boost capacity in the vital areas of science and technology. Institutions should specialize.
Research universities remain important in all but the smallest and poorest countries.
But other institutions should not be treated as poor cousins. Centers of excellence can be developed throughout the system not simply reserved for an educational elite. Distance learning provides the most exciting challenge to the status quo, especially as it becomes clear that many remote parts of the world will have Internet access long before they enjoy decent roads. The Task Force on Higher Education and Society brought together 14 educational experts from 13 countries with the intention to start an ongoing debate, not to answer all the questions. We firmly believe that rapid progress can be made, but only with political will, new resources, and people prepared to contemplate and develop imaginative solutions.