Abstract

This article examines the specific challenges that the higher education systems of South Asian countries have to address and analyzes the need for a new psychological paradigm for education at the tertiary level. As a result of various challenges raised by the global economy, the dramatic acceleration of global collaboration in the field of information and communication technology, many of the South Asian countries are facing “policy paralysis.” To meet the challenges confronted by the youth and adult learners of these countries and fulfill their expectations and enhance the quality of education, there must be a new paradigm in education beyond the multiple intelligences. Hence, higher education in South Asian countries should seek a new paradigm. This new paradigm, which is a step ahead of multiple intelligence, urges the development of contextualized multiple intelligence of tertiary students so that they become Contextualized Multiple Intelligent (CMI) leaders. A literature review has been carried out to identify the pedagogy needed to solve the key challenges related to quality education. An effort is also made to explore the possibilities, challenges, and practical ways of transforming educational research into a more sensitized one with social and contextual accountability. The exploration and the inputs derived from this will lay a new pathway to the higher education systems of South Asian countries.