Because the QS Greater Ed Summit: Asia Pacific 2025 opens in Seoul, the town stands as a logo of upper training’s new frontier — a spot the place expertise, creativity and tradition converge to outline the way forward for studying.
“Seoul embodies the ambition and confidence that outline trendy greater training — one of many world’s most dynamic innovation hubs the place custom and transformation coexist,” Jessica Turner, chief government of QS, mentioned in a current written interview with The Korea Occasions.
“Korea’s international cultural attain, powered by Ok-pop and the broader hallyu wave, has redefined how younger individuals world wide think about alternative — and that very same confidence now runs via its universities.”
The theme of this 12 months’s summit, “Advancing Generational Potential: Expertise and Partnerships within the Asia Pacific,” underscores the defining mission of recent greater training.
“Collaboration is not non-obligatory — it’s the forex of resilience,” Turner mentioned. “To remain related, universities should bridge generations, strengthen abilities and work collectively throughout borders.”
Turner pointed to Asia’s sharply diverging demographics as a key problem shaping the area’s instructional priorities.
International locations reminiscent of Korea, Japan and China now have median ages within the 40s, underscoring the necessity to counter shrinking workforces via better productiveness, innovation and worldwide partnerships.
In distinction, youthful nations like India, Indonesia and Vietnam, the place the median age stays within the late 20s to early 30s, should flip their demographic benefit into employability and inclusive progress.
Reflecting these dynamics, QS just lately launched the Worldwide Analysis Community indicator in its rankings to focus on universities that excel via various and collaborative international partnerships.
Worldwide college students take part in a lecture at Korea College in Seongbuk District, Seoul, on this undated picture. Courtesy of Korea College
Turner famous that whereas Korea’s greater training system has gained outstanding international visibility, it now stands at a pivotal stage of progress.
“Korea leads all OECD nations in tertiary training, with greater than 70 % of younger adults aged 25 to 34 holding a college diploma, and its establishments rank among the many most revered in Asia,” she mentioned.
One of many nation’s biggest strengths lies in its deep university-industry collaboration.
Partnerships reminiscent of Pohang College of Science and Know-how and POSCO in supplies analysis, Sungkyunkwan College and Samsung in expertise improvement and R&D, and Ulsan Nationwide Institute of Science and Know-how and Hyundai Heavy Industries in sustainable shipbuilding illustrate how academia and {industry} work hand in hand to drive innovation.
“These are real partnerships, not simply collaborations on paper,” Turner mentioned.
Nonetheless, she famous that many Korean universities are likely to collaborate inside acquainted networks, leaving untapped potential past their conventional companions. Increasing ties with establishments in Southeast Asia, Europe, the Center East and Africa would broaden Korea’s affect and foster extra inclusive international analysis ecosystems.
“The subsequent step for Korea isn’t about working tougher, however working wider — constructing partnerships that improve each international presence and shared goal,” she mentioned.
QS has just lately launched new indicators to its rating methodology to raised mirror the evolving priorities of worldwide greater training.
“What we measure ought to mirror what issues,” Turner mentioned. “At the moment’s college students — particularly Gen Z and Gen Alpha — worth sustainability, inclusion and employability. Our up to date indicators are designed to seize that broader social influence, not simply tutorial efficiency.”
She additionally famous that whereas synthetic intelligence (AI) is poised to rework analysis and information manufacturing, it will possibly by no means substitute human creativeness.
“The schools that may thrive are those who educate learners to assume critically, ethically and creatively — and to make use of AI responsibly,” she mentioned.
Trying forward, Turner emphasised that QS’ mission goes past compiling rankings, focusing as an alternative on fostering evidence-based collaboration.
“Rankings are a helpful language of fame, however our deeper mission is to make use of these insights to advertise constructive partnership,” she mentioned.
