29. In keeping with Article 26.1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, admission to tertiary / higher education should be based on the merit, capacity, efforts, perseverance and devotion, showed by those seeking access to it, and can take place in a lifelong scheme, at any time, with due recognition of previously acquired skills. As a consequence, no discrimination can be accepted in granting access to tertiary / higher education on grounds of race, gender, language or religion, or economic, cultural or social distinctions, or physical disabilities.

30. Equity of access to tertiary / higher education should begin with the reinforcement and, if need be, the reordering of its links with all other levels of education, particularly with secondary education. Tertiary / Higher education institutions must be viewed as, and must also work within themselves to be a part of and encourage, a seamless system starting with early childhood and primary education and continuing through life. Tertiary / higher education institutions must work in active partnership with parents, schools, students, socio-economic groups and communities.

31. Secondary education should not only prepare qualified candidates for access to tertiary / higher education by developing the capacity to learn on a broad basis but also open the way to active life by providing training on a wide range of jobs. However, access to tertiary / higher education should remain open to those successfully completing secondary school, or its equivalent, or presenting entry qualifications, as far as possible, at any age and without any discrimination.

32. As a consequence, the rapid and wide-reaching demand for tertiary / higher education requires, where appropriate, all policies concerning access to tertiary / higher education to give priority in the future to the approach based on the merit of the individual.

33. Access to tertiary / higher education for members of some special target groups, such as indigenous peoples, cultural and linguistic minorities, disadvantaged groups, peoples living under occupation and those who suffer from disabilities, must be actively facilitated, since these groups as collectivities and as individuals may have both experience and talent that can be of great value for the development of societies and nations. Special material help and educational solutions can help overcome the obstacles that these groups face, both in accessing and in continuing tertiary / higher education.

34. Although significant progress has been achieved to enhance the access of women to tertiary / higher education, various socio-economic, cultural and political obstacles continue in many places in the world to impede their full access and effective integration. To overcome them remains an urgent priority in the renewal process for ensuring an equitable and non-discriminatory system of tertiary / higher education based on the principle of merit.

35. Further efforts are required to eliminate all gender stereotyping in tertiary / higher education, to consider gender aspects in different disciplines and to consolidate women’s participation at all levels and in all disciplines, in which they are under-represented and, in particular, to enhance their active involvement in decision-making.

36. Gender studies (women’s studies) should be promoted as a field of knowledge, strategic for the transformation of tertiary / higher education and society.

37. Efforts should be made to eliminate political and social barriers whereby women are under-represented and in particular to enhance their active involvement at policy and decision-making levels within tertiary / higher education and society.

38. The advancement of knowledge through research is an essential function of all systems of tertiary / higher education, which should promote postgraduate studies. Innovation, interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity should be promoted and reinforced in programmes with long-term orientations on social and cultural aims and needs. An appropriate balance should be established between basic and target-oriented research.

40. Institutions should ensure that all members of the academic community engaged in research are provided with appropriate training, resources and support. The intellectual and cultural rights on the results of research should be used to the benefit of humanity and should be protected so that they cannot be abused.

41. Research must be enhanced in all disciplines, including the social and human sciences, education (including tertiary / higher education), engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, informatics and the arts within the framework of national, regional and international research and development policies. Of special importance is the enhancement of research capacities in tertiary / higher education and research institutions, as mutual enhancement of quality takes place when tertiary / higher education and research are conducted at a high level within the same institution. These institutions should find the material and financial support required, from both public and private sources.

42. Relevance in tertiary / higher education should be assessed in terms of the fit between what society expects of institutions and what they do. This requires ethical standards, political impartiality, critical capacities and, at the same time, a better articulation with the problems of society and the world of work, basing long-term orientations on societal aims and needs, including respect for cultures and environmental protection. The concern is to provide access to both broad general education and targeted, career-specific education, often interdisciplinary, focusing on skills and aptitudes, both of which equip individuals to live in a variety of changing settings, and to be able to change occupations.

43. Tertiary / higher education should reinforce its role of service to society, especially its activities aimed at eliminating poverty, intolerance, violence, illiteracy, hunger, environmental degradation and disease, mainly through an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach in the analysis of problems and issues.

44. Tertiary / higher education should enhance its contribution to the development of the whole education system, notably through improved teacher education, curriculum development and educational research.

45. Ultimately, tertiary / higher education should aim at the creation of a new society - non-violent and non-exploitative - consisting of highly cultivated, motivated and integrated individuals, inspired by love for humanity and guided by wisdom.

46. In economies characterized by changes and the emergence of new production paradigms based on knowledge and its application, and on the handling of information, the links between tertiary / higher education, the world of work and other parts of society should be strengthened and renewed.

47. Links with the world of work can be strengthened, through the participation of its representatives in the governance of institutions, the increased use of domestic and international apprenticeship/work-study opportunities for students and teachers, the exchange of personnel between the world of work and tertiary / higher education institutions and revised curricula more closely aligned with working practices.

48. As a lifelong source of professional training, updating and recycling, institutions of tertiary / higher education should systematically take into account trends in the world of work and in the scientific, technological and economic sectors. In order to respond to the work requirements, tertiary / higher education systems and the world of work should jointly develop and assess learning processes, bridging programmes and prior learning assessment and recognition programmes, which integrate theory and training on the job. Within the framework of their anticipatory function, tertiary / higher education institutions could contribute to the creation of new jobs, although that is not their only function.

49. Developing entrepreneurial skills and initiative should become major concerns of tertiary / higher education, in order to facilitate employability of graduates who will increasingly be called upon to be not only job seekers but also and above all to become job creators. Tertiary / higher education institutions should give the opportunity to students to fully develop their own abilities with a sense of social responsibility, educating them to become full participants in democratic society and promoters of changes that will foster equity and justice.

50. Diversifying tertiary / higher education models and recruitment methods and criteria is essential both to meet increasing international demand and to provide access to various delivery modes and to extend access to an ever-wider public, in a lifelong perspective, based on flexible entry and exit points to and from the system of tertiary / higher education.

51. More diversified systems of tertiary / higher education are characterized by new types of tertiary institutions: public, private and non-profit institutions, amongst others. Institutions should be able to offer a wide variety of education and training opportunities: traditional degrees, short courses, part-time study, flexible schedules, modularized courses, supported learning at a distance, etc.

52. In a world undergoing rapid changes, there is a perceived need for a new vision and paradigm of tertiary / higher education, which should be student-oriented, calling in most countries for in-depth reforms and an open access policy so as to cater to ever more diversified categories of people, and of its contents, methods, practices and means of delivery, based on new types of links and partnerships with the community and with the broadest sectors of society.

53. Tertiary / higher education institutions should educate students to become well informed and deeply motivated citizens, who can think critically, analyse problems of society, look for solutions to the problems of society, apply them and accept social responsibilities.

54. To achieve these goals, it may be necessary to recast curricula, using new and appropriate methods, so as to go beyond cognitive mastery of disciplines. New pedagogical and didactical approaches should be accessible and promoted in order to facilitate the acquisition of skills, competencies and abilities for communication, creative and critical analysis, independent thinking and team work in multicultural contexts, where creativity also involves combining traditional or local knowledge and know-how with advanced science and technology. These recast curricula should take into account the gender dimension and the specific cultural, historic and economic context of each country. The teaching of human rights standards and education on the needs of communities in all parts of the world should be reflected in the curricula of all disciplines, particularly those preparing for entrepreneurship. Academic personnel should play a significant role in determining the curriculum.

55. New methods of education will also imply new types of teaching-learning materials. These have to be coupled with new methods of testing that will promote not only powers of memory but also powers of comprehension, skills for practical work and creativity.

56. A vigorous policy of staff development is an essential element of tertiary / higher education institutions. Clear policies should be established concerning tertiary / higher education teachers, who nowadays need to focus on teaching students how to learn and how to take initiatives rather than being exclusively founts of knowledge. Adequate provision should be made for research and for updating and improving pedagogical skills, through appropriate staff development programmes, encouraging constant innovation in curricula, teaching and learning methods, and ensuring appropriate professional and financial status, and for excellence in research and teaching. Furthermore, in view of the role of tertiary / higher education for lifelong learning, experience outside the institutions ought to be considered as a relevant qualification for tertiary / higher educational staff.

57. Clear policies should be established by all tertiary / higher education institutions preparing teachers of early childhood education and for primary and secondary schools, providing stimulus for constant innovation in curricula, best practices in teaching methods and familiarity with diverse learning styles. It is vital to have appropriately trained administrative and technical personnel.

58. National and institutional decision-makers should place students and their needs at the centre of their concerns, and should consider them as major partners and responsible stakeholders in the renewal of tertiary / higher education. This should include student involvement in issues that affect that level of education, in evaluation, the renovation of teaching methods and curricula and, in the institutional framework in force, in policy-formulation and institutional management. As students have the right to organize and represent themselves, students’ involvement in these issues should be guaranteed.

59. Guidance and counselling services should be developed, in cooperation with student organizations, in order to assist students in the transition to tertiary / higher education at whatever age and to take account of the needs of ever more diversified categories of learners. Apart from those entering tertiary / higher education from schools or further education colleges, they should also take account of the needs of those leaving and returning in a lifelong process. Such support is important in ensuring a good match between student and course, reducing drop-out. Students who do drop out should have suitable opportunities to return to tertiary / higher education if and when appropriate.