Page 183 - VC Message

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12. Our era is marked by intense geopolitical rivalry and power realignments. From
great-power competition to regional conflicts, global instability is on the rise.
13. One consequence is the diversion of resources away from education and research
towards immediate security needs. Global military spending hit a record high in
2024 at $2.7 trillion, expanding by over 9% from the previous year.
14. More than 100 countries ramped up their defense budgets in 2024 alone. The
share of government spending worldwide devoted to the military climbed to
7.1%, reflecting a widespread prioritization of arms and defense.
15. Education and research are among those foundations of stability that risk being
undercut.Indeed, we see worrying signs that education budgets are stagnating or
shrinking in many countries.
16. In the ASEAN region, public expenditure on education dropped from 3.5% of GDP
in 2013 to just 2.8% in 2022, indicating that education is losing ground in national
budget priorities.
17. This trend is not limited to our region. Globally, aid to education is projected to fall
by a staggering 25% between 2023 and 2027. In fact, new analyses show that aid
to education already fell by 12% in 2024.
18. To put it bluntly, the world’s investments in weapons far outstrip its investments in
classrooms – the entire annual international aid for education is equivalent to just
two and a half days of global military spending.
19. This imbalance should alarm us all. It means universities face tighter funding
and heightened competition for resources at the very moment we need more
innovation and knowledge to solve global problems.
20. Many governments, grappling with economic uncertainty and defense pressures,
have reduced research grants, university subsidies, and scholarship programs. 175
Our higher education institutions thus find themselves fighting for support, even
as expectations of them grow.
21. Yet, it is precisely in times of geopolitical uncertainty that education and research
are most critical. Investing in human knowledge and talent is investing in long-
term peace and resilience.
22. National security is not achieved by arms alone; it crucially depends on educated,
healthy societies and robust economies.If billions can be found for weapons,
surely we can find the will to fund laboratories, libraries, and learning.
23. As university leaders, we must also be proactive in diversifying our funding
sources – strengthening links with industry, fostering public-private partnerships,
and collaborating across borders – to ensure our important work continues.
24. In short, navigating geopolitical challenges requires that universities become
agile and resilient, finding creative ways to sustain our mission even amid fiscal
constraints.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
25. Equally transformative in this era is the digital revolution. Over the past decade,
digital technology has been prevalent in every aspect of life – from how we
communicate and work to how we teach and learn.
26. The COVID-19 pandemic greatly accelerated this transformation, pushing
education systems worldwide. This digital leap has opened exciting opportunities:
education can now reach across borders at the click of a button.
27. Yet alongside these opportunities, a stark digital divide persists. Millions of
students and citizens remain excluded due to lack of connectivity or skills.
According to the latest data, 2.6 billion people – roughly one third of humanity –
are still offline in 2024.