18 December 2018  Issue No: 533

Higher education has a key role to play in countering the spread of populism and nationalism and tackling global challenges such as poverty and climate change, by reasserting universal values of human dignity and the value of science and research, UNESCO’s education chief, Stefania Giannini said.

China provides some lessons for Africa when it comes to managing the apparent contradiction between massification and differentiation in higher education, one of which is that creating research universities that contribute to development requires policy that connects with both politics and culture.

Since coming to power in Ontario, Doug Ford has cancelled funding for four new campuses, including a new university that will provide French-language degrees on global issues. Buoyed by a public outcry, the latter’s advocates are pushing for federal funding to save the initiative.

The United States is still dominating the number of top-cited world scientists, with 2,639. But its relative proportion decreased from 55% in 2014 to 43% in 2018 and China now has the second-largest share, and, although modest by comparison, it is steadily rising.

The need for attention to new topics and new perspectives in relation to internationalisation of higher education is acute and the next generation of researchers will need to move the field forward, making it more international.

Transformative leadership is taking place in diverse contexts where university teaching and research is being embedded in local community objectives. Most of this innovation is taking place away from the metropolitan capitals and academic centres and universities are starting to link up to share knowledge.

To achieve truly transformative change, South Africa needs to develop a world-class higher education system that supports differentiated forms of education, with institutions linked to an overall developmental goal. That requires adequate incentives for different types of institutions to excel in different missions.

Student expression has more impact and legitimacy when organised through democratic, inclusive and accountable bodies that foster debate and cooperation across political differences before conflicts arise. University leaders can help to strengthen student expression by creating opportunities for constructive dialogue.