Higher Education as Global Public Goods: Liberal Education and General Education in Asia
摘要
Liberal and general education foster cross-cultural understanding, critical thinking, and global leadership in an interconnected world, where higher education is increasingly recognized as an important global public good. This chapter explores the roles of liberal and general education in Asia’s higher education system from a global and regional perspective. While liberal education emphasizes knowledge for holistic human development, general education addresses the need for broad and interdisciplinary learning in responding to contemporary societal needs. Both education models face challenges in Asia, including institutional constraints, vocational pressures, and cultural differences from Western pedagogical traditions. By aligning these educational paradigms with sustainable development goals, such as quality education and transnational cooperation, Asian universities can contribute to a more inclusive and resilient educational and knowledge production system in providing high-quality global public goods. The chapter concludes with recommendations to integrate liberal and general education into regional and global frameworks to provide quality education for the global public good.