High-level Expert Group Meeting on Online University or Equivalent Platform for STEM Education for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

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星期二, 03 June 2025 - 9:30am to 星期三, 04 June 2025 - 5:30pm

Background

The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) face significant challenges in providing quality inclusive education, particularly at the higher education level. With only five years remaining to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on quality education, LDCs are falling behind its targets. With a rapidly growing working-age population expected to double from 610 million in 2020 to 1.2 billion by 2050, LDCs urgently need to expand access to affordable technical, vocational, and higher education to leverage their demographic dividend and accelerate sustainable development.

Higher education, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), is crucial for LDCs to drive socioeconomic development and catch up with more advanced economies. However, LDCs are falling behind in this area. The gross tertiary enrollment rate in LDCs is just 11%, far below the global average of 40%. Only 21.7% of LDC graduates were in STEM fields in 2022, compared to 41% in China and 36% in Germany.

These statistics underscore the urgent need for LDCs to invest in and expand their higher education systems, particularly in STEM fields, to foster innovation, boost economic growth, and improve their global competitiveness.

The Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (DPOA), A/Res/76/279, committed to undertaking actions to leverage the power of science, technology and innovation, as well as the opportunities o7ered by the millions of the young people in the LDCs to accelerate structural transformation and graduation out of LDC status. The Programme of Action also sets a target to undertake feasibility studies to explore the possibility of establishing an online university or other equivalent platforms for least developed countries.

To address the urgent need for expanded higher education access in LDCs, particularly in STEM fields, a robust virtual network of educational institutions within and beyond LDCs is crucial. This network should aim to serve the rapidly growing working-age population in LDCs. An integrated online platform could help overcome structural barriers to higher education access in STEM and assist universities and higher education institutions in LDCs in several keyways.

Meeting Objectives

With a view to implementing paragraph 52 of the DPOA, this two-day Meeting will explore the possibility of establishing an online university or an equivalent platform to support online graduate and post-graduate university-level STEM education in LDCs.

This important initiative is organized through the generous financial support of the Government of Qatar.