12 March 2020  Issue No: 261

Beyond the traditional focus of higher education internationalisation – student, faculty and programme mobility – internationalisation is deeply rooted in all aspects of the work of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, which serves as a model for African higher education sectors looking for their own strategies to take ownership of internationalisation.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Higher Education’s directive regarding the promotion of academics in the university system is a timely attempt to standardise procedures across the sector, but there are some new promotion criteria that may cause problems and deserve a second look.

English has been the medium of instruction in Rwandan universities for over 10 years, but despite attempts to promote English in higher education, proficiency remains an ongoing challenge for both learners and lecturers.

In what could herald a new era in its engagements with foreign universities and scholars, the German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD says it is exploring opportunities to make more use of virtual and digital technologies in its programme delivery. However, it has no plans to scale back its exchange and cooperation activities – or its longstanding commitment to the internationalisation of higher education.

Tsinghua University’s new global online education programme marks an important phase in the transformation of elite university education in response to growing disruption, such as the coronavirus. Now is the time for bold education experiments, informed by major useful research, that will trigger enduring change.

Higher education is at a turning point and needs to re-examine its position in society as a knowledge producer and re-imagine its role on the planet as a contributor to the common good, addressing the contemporary needs, concerns and problems of humanity.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued guidance in response to the global outbreak of novel coronavirus advising all higher education institutions to “consider postponing or cancelling” upcoming foreign exchange programmes and asking current programme participants to return home.