Will the 2020s see Asia pull ahead in higher education?

By ITSA Education Asia

“In the 19th century, the world was Europeanised. In the 20th century, it was Americanised. Now, it is being Asianised – and much faster than you may think.” (Jonathan Woetzel and Jeongmin Seong, McKinsey Global Institute, 2019). This is the opening paragraph in a recent article from the University World news discussing Asia’s growing importance and rankings in higher education.

The article discusses five main indicators of this:

1. Asia to become a dominant education hub
2. China and others to provide a low-cost alternative for African students
3. Traditional English-speaking destinations will have to look to operating in Asia
4. Employability will become the most important differentiating factor for higher education
5. Asia will become a jobs hub for the West

So what do you think? Is Asia set to become the dominant force in tertiary education?