A typology of higher education development in the Asia-Pacific region: Reforms and education hub

In response to the challenges from globalization, international competition, technological advance, and transformation towards knowledge economy, there have been numerous higher education reforms in the past two decades particularly in the Asia-Pacific Region. The role of higher education in creation and transfer of new knowledge as well as development of high-quality human resources has become much more crucial than ever to building up human capital for the future of the society and individuals in such competitive regional and global contexts. As appearing to be part of globalization and international trends, paradigm shift is evident and needed in higher education reform and human capital management in the Region. This presentation aims to (1) illustrate the trend of fast growing higher education in the Region and highlight the related challenges to human capital management in the Region in general and Hong Kong in particular; (2) present a typology (with four scenarios) of higher education development to demonstrate the key directions and features in pursuit of paradigm shift in reform, world class education and education hub in the Region; and finally (3) discuss the rationales, functions and dynamics of developing education hub as an important system to groom and manage high value-added human capital in the Region and particularly in Hong Kong as a world city.