SMU Provost Professor Lily Kong noted that the growth in the number of graduates in Asia is going to be phenomenal in the decades ahead, which will result in a higher share of knowledge-based work coming from the region. She pointed out that “the value of Asian universities to the global education landscape is highest when they are not homogenous”, adding that the rise of Asia’s universities has “contributed to a certain amount of homogenisation throughout the world”. Discussing the challenges facing Asia universities today, Prof Kong highlighted that “pushing our universities to perform to a certain set of metrics defined in other parts of the world” brings potential benefits to Asian higher education systems, but was quick to stress that it should also “give us pause for thought”. Prof Kong was speaking at a conference organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Singapore government last week.