Ibero-American higher education: its development in XX century and new challenges in the third decade of XXI century

This article present the results of scientific-pedagogical research, which consisted in identifying the main characteristics of the process of Ibero-American higher education´s development in XX century and new challenges that stand before it in the third decade of XXIcentury, studying the documents that support it. Authors found that in XX century – beginning of the XXI century the Ibero-American higher education was characterized by high demands of modern knowledge society; creating conditions in which a large number of people can take advantage of all the values and achievements of the national professional training; promoting mobility and cooperation of students and academics; introduction of a unified system of credits; cooperation of national bodies governing higher education with international educational organizations. Its new challenges in the third decade of XXI century are: the recognition of each educational level as an organic part of the system of continuing public education; the diversification and flexibility of the higher education offer, its functional character with micro-certifications; the humanization of teaching, its differentiation, democratization and individualization; the interdisciplinary integration and industrialization of education, promotion of the ICT´s use; increase of intellectual activity in the knowledge society.