Further Democratizing Latin America: Broadening Access to Higher Education and Promoting Science Policies Focused on the Advanced Training of Human Resources
| Páginas | 64-82 |
| Fecha | 17 Noviembre 2014 |
| Fecha de publicación | 17 Noviembre 2014 |
| Autor | Manuel Heitor,Hugo Horta |
| Materia | Ciencias sociales |
ISSN: 0718-2724. (http://www.jotmi.org)
Journal of Technology Management & Innovation © Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Facultad de Economía y Negocios.
November 2014 Edition / Special Issue
Technical Change and Innovation Policy in Latin America: Lessons learned.
J. Technol. Manag. Innov. 2014, Volume 9, Issue 4
Further Democratizing Latin America:
Broadening Access to Higher Education and Promoting Science Policies
Focused on the Advanced Training of Human Resources
Manuel Heitor1, Hugo Horta2
Abstract
We focus this paper on the conditions to build reliable science , technology and higher education systems in Latin America,
based on international comparative studies, eldwork and interviews conducted over the last three years. The analysis
shows that science can have a major role in furthering the democratization of society through public policies that foster
opportunities to access k nowledge and the advanced tr aining of human resources. Broadening the social basis for higher
education promotes the qualication of the labour force and contributes decisively to social and economic development.
The need to guarantee higher education diversity, strengthening scientic institutions and investing in a strong science base,
is deemed as critical, but goes far beyond policies centred on innovation and industry-science relationships. It requires
adequate training and attraction of skilled people, as well as promot ing scienti c and technological cul ture among society.
Keyword s: open access to science and higher education; higher education diversit y; education equality; strengthening the
science base; science and democracy; latin america
1,2 Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research, IN+. Instituto Superior Tecnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal, e-mail: mheitor@ist.utl.pt.
2The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China, e-mail: hugo.horta@ist.utl.pt
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ISSN: 0718-2724. (http://www.jotmi.org)
Journal of Technology Management & Innovation © Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Facultad de Economía y Negocios.
J. Technol. Mana g. Innov. 2014, Volume 9, Issue 4
Introduction
This paper contributes to reflect on the role science and
higher education policies, if adequately integrated, may play
in Latin America by underlining their relevance in further
democratizing and promoting social-economic development
through two complementary goals in association with:
i) opening access to the knowledge base through higher
education; and ii) promoting advanced qualification of
skilled people and strengthening research institutions
through adequate consideration of human resources and
institutional issues in technical change.This requires a better
understanding of diversity in higher education, as well as of
the effective role played by science-university relationships,
beyond the most“common places” and currently dominating
policies of thinking science through short-term, demand-
driven economic development issues (Heitor, 2008; Heitor
and Bravo, 2010). The rational for our approach is related
to the need of promoting a sufficient y stable environment
to train and supply talented people, including researchers
for knowledge intensive, fast-paced, and uncertain labour
markets.This gains particular relevance vis a vis the growing
demand of higher education by populations perceiving
private and social returns of education (Altbach et al., 2009).
In responding to the explosive social demand for higher
education and to vast social and political transformations
already induced by new waves of educated youth, countries
face the need and the opportunity for large investments
in science, technology and higher education (Rober ts
and Hite, 2007). This is a fundamental matter for Latin
America since unbalances in educational level, and in the
enlargement of the highly qualified human pool have been
a long identified issue for their sustained social-economic
development (Carlson, 2002).
For most Latin American countries and regions the main
challenges are threefold.First,to broaden the access to higher
education;second, to make this access more socially balanced
(see, for example, Kohli, 2009); and, third, to recover from a
long gap in investing in the knowledge base, as quantified
by the level of investment in R&D and its gap in relation
to current levels of industrialized countries. For example,
Brazil’s gross enrolment ratio in higher education was 29%
in 2012 and the percentage of the population aged 25-64
years old that has attained tertiary education was below
12% in 2011,Figure 1. Although the country is far away from
a “massified” higher education system, the current figu es
are well above the level of gross enrolment ratio defined
by Martin Trow (2007) for typical “elitists” higher education
systems (i.e., about 15%). A similar trend is observed in
other Latin American countries, including El Salvador (25%)
or Mexico (29%), and to a lesser extent in Paraguay (35%)
and Peru (43%). On the other hand, Puerto Rico (86%),
Argentina (79%), and Chile (74%) [data from UNESCO for
2012 or the last available year;Data from Brazil refers to the
National higher education census of 2013] have tackled this
issue and are evolving towards “universal” higher education
system, with enrolment rates well above 60%. Nevertheless,
the percentage of the population aged 25-64 years old that
has attained tertiary education in 2011 was below 14% in
Argentina, Figure 1. With the notable exception of Chile
(as it is characterized by relative qualification levels similar
to France and Germany), all other Latin America countries
still rely in low-skilled active populations, sharing with the
Mediterranean basin countries the challenge to further
qualify their population (Giordano and Pagano, 2013).
Regarding the challenge of making access to education more
socially balanced,Figure 2 shows that the majority of students
enrolled in higher education in Latin American countries are
still mostly from those families with the highest income. In
Chile – a countr y with a universal higher education system
- 62% of the highest income quartile population in tertiar y
education age are enrolled in higher education against only
21% of those from the lowest income quartile. In Brazil,
about 47% of the highest income quartile population in
tertiary education age are enrolled in higher education,
while only 5% of the lowest income quartile population is
enrolled in tertiary education. The data clearly shows that
social unbalance in higher education access is affecting Latin
America in different stages of higher education development
and maturity. This needs to be tackled in order to meet
globally accepted equity standards towards sustainable
societies, where broad access to education potentiates
the formation of highly trained labour forces and their
contribution to social and economic development.
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