The 8th Global Higher Education Forum 2023 (GHEF2023), taking place from 15 to 17 November 2023 at Mövenpick Hotel and Convention Centre KLIA, Malaysia, adopted the theme ‘Equity Recovery – Higher Education in the Post-Pandemic Era’. This theme focuses on advancing and preserving equity in the higher education sector, especially in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.

The theme was chosen in light of the COVID-19 pandemic’s domino effect on the national and global higher education ecosystem, which has widened the gap in access, resources, and learning opportunities, especially for students from marginalised groups, such as the disabled, indigenous people, and low incomes family background. Moreover, as the higher education sector and institutions worldwide move towards post-pandemic recovery, ensuring that the new normal nurtures social equity and leverages a more diverse and inclusive talent pool, especially from marginalised groups, is crucial.

The Honourable Minister of Higher Education, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, officiates the GHEF2023, and this two-day programme successfully engages the presence of more than 600 delegates from multi-stakeholders in the higher education sector, both domestically and internationally. The delegates consist of academics, researchers, young scholars (post graduate students), government officials, policymakers, NGOs, and industry players from local and international institutions from 16 countries: Australia, Chile, China, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Sub-Saharan Africa, Oman, Uzbekistan and Malaysia.

GHEF aims to serve as a platform for multi-stakeholders to discuss issues confronting the higher education ecosystem, promote discourse on higher education, address related challenges, develop potential solutions and policy recommendations. The forum provides an avenue to consider concepts, experiences, practices, knowledge exchange and research findings on diverse issues in higher education from various countries, contexts, and perspectives.

GHEF2023 featured 15 local and international expert speakers. Two prominent figures delivered keynote addresses. Professor Penny Jane Burke, UNESCO Chair in Equity, Social Justice and Higher Education, presented a topic titled ‘Equitable Higher Education Recovery: A Roadmap for Higher Education in the Post-Pandemic.’ Professor Burke is an expert in equity in higher education and also holds the position as the Director of the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Higher Education at the University of Newcastle and the honorary position as Global Chair of Social Innovation at the University of Bath. In addition, the Honourable Dato’ Ramli Dato’ Mohd Nor, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, was invited to deliver an insightful keynote on ‘Building a Malaysia MADANI through equitable higher education.’ The Honourable Dato’ Ramli is the first indigenous people (Orang Asli) candidate to be elected to the Dewan Rakyat as a Member of Parliament. Therefore, his engagement in GHEF2023 to represent the voice of indigenous groups would enhance the diversity, richness, and inclusivity of perspectives in addressing higher education equity in the post-pandemic era.

Four expert panel discussion sessions focused on sub-themes surrounding the forum’s theme: the digital divide, employment and talent development, and socio-economic and higher education policy advancement. The forum also provided a platform for academics, researchers, and young scholars (Doctoral and Master’s students) to share ideas and research findings through paper presentation sessions (oral and poster) with more than 100 presentation topics have been presented. The full papers from these presentations will be published in the MyCite and Scopus Indexed journals under Malaysian higher education publishers.

A Symposium on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) themed ‘Pandemic Aftermath: Disability Inclusion and Equitable Quality Education in TVET Ecosystem’ was also held on 17 November in conjunction with GHEF2023. The symposium aims to explore the current landscape of the TVET sector for the students from ‘People with Disabilities’ and the path ahead for disability inclusion and equitable quality education. The TVET symposium engages in roundtable discussions with 20 invited experts with the presence of more than 200 delegates local and international.

During GHEF2023, a landmark Joint Action Roadmap (JAR) agreement was signed between Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and the Center for Higher Education Development Research (CHEDR) under Uzbekistan's Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovations. The agreement outlines the collaborations activities and milestones of the partnership in achieving the shared goals in higher education development, research, and capability building between both parties. Other than that, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was established between USM and the Department of Polytechnic and Community College, Ministry of Higher Education involving the cooperation in education, research training, innovation and commercialisation between both parties.

Since its inception in 2007, the GHEF has been organised by the Ministry of Higher Education biannually in collaboration with Universiti Sains Malaysia. The National Higher Education Research Institute (IPPTN) plays a pivotal role as the secretariat for GHEF.

GHEF2023 marks a significant expansion in its network, engaging Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) as a strategic partner. Additionally, it collaborates with a wide array of esteemed institutions, including UCSI University, Kolej Universiti Islam Johor Sultan Ibrahim, Multimedia University, Commonwealth Tertiary Education Facility, Malaysian Society for Higher Education Policy and Research Development, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, and Universiti Teknologi MARA. Furthermore, GHEF2023 receives generous support from Waqaf An-Nur Corporation, which sponsors the participation of numerous students from groups with disabilities, indigenous communities, and low-income family backgrounds, underscoring its commitment to support inclusivity and diversity in higher education.