CRES+5 will debate the role of higher education in social issues

Axis 4 of the CRES+5 – a meeting that seeks to follow up on the III Regional Conference on Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean – aims to analyze and promote the role of higher education in social transformation and the promotion of better conditions of a dignified, fair, equitable and supportive life. By covering various challenges and priorities in the social field, this axis is directly interconnected with the other topics discussed at the Conference. Its difference is to focus on the social responsibility that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) must assume and expand in the face of these social challenges, based on their classic missions of teaching, research and extension and as actors in the public space in dialogue with others sectors.

Axis 4 indicates that social inequality is still one of the main challenges for the region, with continuous repercussions on higher education. Therefore, one of its proposals is to evaluate the good practices promoted by HEIs in the last five years, to combat different forms of inequality and their intersectional effects, as well as the pending tasks and measures that must be taken at the institutional level, in public policies and international cooperation to make the region’s societies more just and equitable – starting with access to quality education.

In this sense, one of the most important topics in Axis 4 is the diversity of forms of connection and synergies between HEIs and other sectors of society and how it is possible to promote and strengthen them. It also highlights the role of HEIs in civic education, through a comprehensive vision of education, based on the promotion of ethical, humanistic and supportive values, related to social justice and sustainable development.

The Conference will be held between March 13th and 15th, in Brasilia (DF), at the Brazil International Convention Center, in the South Club Sector. 12 thematic areas in total will be debated during the three days event.

Participants

The activities of Axis 4 are led by: Angélica Buendía Espinosa, professor-researcher of the Department of Economic Production of the Xochimilco Unit of the Metropolitan Autonomous University of Mexico; Estela M. Miranda, NEIES-Mercosul/National University of Córdoba, Argentina; Rosana Heringer, general director of the Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE); and Álvaro Rico, executive secretary of the Association of Universities of the Montevideo Group (AUGM).

Base Documents

The drafts of the base documents resulting from the activities of the Working Groups responsible for each thematic axis of CRES+5 are now available. The fourth preparatory meeting of the Conference took place in Havana, Cuba, on February 7th and 8th, and the drafts of these documents were discussed.

New suggestions can be made until February 20th and will be reviewed by the experts responsible for each of the 12 thematic axes of the Conference, who will evaluate their relevance for their inclusion in the preparation of the base document corresponding to their respective thematic axis until March 6th.

CRES+5

The CRES 2018 follow-up meeting is being organized by the MEC, through the Secretariat of Higher Education (SESu) and Capes, together with UNESCO IESALC. The target audience of the Conference are rectors, directors, academics, workers, students, higher education networks, associations and professionals, research centers, unions, representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations and all those interested in higher education of the continent.

Registration for CRES+5 can be done until February 13th using the form available on the meeting website. More information about the Conference program can be obtained through the website or by email cres5@unesco.org.

CRES

The III Regional Conference on Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Córdoba (Argentina) in June 2018, adopted a Declaration and an Action Plan 2018-2028. In addition, there was a commitment to holding a follow-up meeting five years later- the CRES+5 – with the aim of promoting a participatory process to highlight the progress made, as well as pending challenges and emerging issues, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CRES+5 will be an opportunity to analyze the achievements of higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean. At the same time it will establish priorities for the next Regional Conference on Higher Education, which will happen in 2028.

MEC Social Communication Advisory, with information from SESu and UNESCO IESALC