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In South Asia, this transformation brings significant promise, but also raises urgent questions about policy readiness, faculty capacities, digital inclusion, ethical governance, and the relevance of higher education systems to changing labour markets. Advancing AI in higher education therefore requires not only technological innovation, but also clear policy direction, institutional preparedness, and strong collaboration across sectors.
Across the region, higher education institutions are increasingly exploring how AI can support more flexible, inclusive, and effective learning. However, this transformation must also address the existing gender divide in AI, as one of the most significant forms of AI bias in South Asia affects girls and women. Ensuring the full participation of girls and women in AI-related education and workplaces is therefore essential for building an inclusive and equitable AI ecosystem. As highlighted during the keynote speech by Shafika Isaacs, achieving this goal requires more than powerful models; it requires strong and sustained commitment. UNESCO stands ready to support this commitment towards a gender-equitable AI transformation in higher education.
At the same time, many systems continue to face challenges such as uneven digital infrastructure, limited AI-related competencies among educators, fragmented policy frameworks, and insufficient collaboration between academia and industry. These gaps risk widening existing inequalities unless AI integration is approached in ways that are ethical, inclusive, and aligned with national development priorities.
A regional policy dialogue held in Kathmandu on 20 May 2026, jointly organized by UNESCO Kathmandu, Tribhuvan University (TU), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI), helped bring these issues into sharper focus. The discussions highlighted the need to strengthen policies and strategies for AI integration, invest in teacher professional development, foster closer industry-academia partnerships, and better understand the implications of generative AI for higher education and technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
Particular attention was given to the importance of preparing the higher education workforce for an AI-enabled future. This includes not only strengthening digital competencies and AI literacies, but also ensuring that educators and institutions can apply AI in ways that uphold ethics, quality, and inclusion. The launch of the IIOE Nepal National Centre at TU reflects this growing need for sustained national capacity-building mechanisms that can support higher education institutions in adapting to digital transformation.
The dialogue also reinforced the value of evidence-based policymaking. The launch of the Report on Digital Transformation in Higher Education in South Asia contributed timely regional insights to inform institutional and policy responses. Such knowledge is critical to helping governments and universities move beyond experimentation and towards more coherent and future-oriented strategies for AI integration.
As South Asia continues to navigate digital transformation, the central challenge is not whether AI will influence higher education, but how that influence can be shaped to serve public good. Responsible and innovative AI integration requires a shared commitment among governments, universities, development partners, and the private sector to ensure that technology strengthens learning, expands opportunity, and supports more resilient and equitable higher education systems.
UNESCO promotes the responsible use of artificial intelligence and other digital innovations to strengthen teaching and learning, build institutional resilience, and prepare learners and educators for the future. In doing so, UNESCO seeks to ensure that technological change contributes to quality education and sustainable development for all.
This article is related to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
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