The COVID-19 global pandemic outbreak has presented higher education institutions with the impediment of transforming to a new curriculum, pedagogy, and educational management. Inevitable transformation in higher education triggered by COVID-19 is still ongoing, albeit most countries are now at the endemic stage. However, transformation should not just be about simply changing instructional delivery. The COVID-19 pandemic is a unique opportunity for educators and policymakers to rethink education systems and reimagine what is important, necessary, and desirable for future generations. Hence, this study focuses on identifying strategies for higher education institutions to deal with unknown uncertainties during and after the pandemic. Expert Opinion Method was conducted involving five professors who are senior management in their respective universities and have been directly involved in formulating strategies and policies during the pandemic. Four major dimensions were developed from the findings: (1) Resilience and Change Management, (2) Digital Transformation and Online Learning, (3) Curriculum Change, and (4) Sustainability. Flexibility is also the most common issue discussed by experts. Based on thematic analysis, post COVID-19 strategic framework for higher education institution sustainability is proposed. In addition, this study can be a roadmap for educators, policymakers, and all relevant stakeholders to prepare for future disruptions in the education sector.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the education sector. Rather than the impact of COVID-19, many higher education institutions (HEIs) are on the verge of insolvency due to a lack of digital transformation readiness and poor business models. The bleak financial future many HEIs will face while others may be forced to close their doors completely will erode HEIs’ ability to fulfil their societal responsibilities. However, HEIs that have survived and maintained their operations anticipate the transition to online learning or the effects of any economic crisis, including university closures in the short, medium, or long term. The entire educational ecosystem was forced to transform its operations quickly and entirely to an online teaching-learning scenario in just a few weeks. Notably, HEIs that have long offered online courses worldwide can easily transition to digital teaching and learning when necessary. The second roundtable session’s result of the International Higher Education Conference, organized by INTI International University on March 31 2022, was used to organize a Delphi method to identify further factors that positively impact HEIs by COVID-19. The importance of these factors was then determined using Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. Recommendations on how HEIs should move towards institutional sustainability during the endemic phase are presented accordingly.

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