9 April 2020  Issue No: 264

Internationalisation as we know it is under review, if not under threat. The coronavirus pandemic provides us with an opportunity to think the world of higher education internationalisation afresh, casting a critical eye on the concepts, models and practices to which we have grown accustomed.

Egyptian students currently based in Northern Cyprus may soon be reunited with their families following an initiative by the government of Egypt to repatriate an estimated 10 million of its citizens who are either working or studying abroad.

COVID-19 has forced African universities and higher education institutions to fast-track their plans for the future, and while the challenges are considerable, a unified front – and sound strategic planning – is the best chance we have.

Diminished high-level research funding and fewer face-to-face conferences and collaboration – these are some of the potential consequences from the coronavirus pandemic as it affects higher education in Africa. But there may be a host of benefits too.

Even before the Botswana government announced the closure of universities from 23 March and the subsequent “extreme lockdown”, the Botswana International University of Science and Technology had taken steps to minimise the spread of the coronavirus.

It is impossible to predict the full extent of the short-, medium- or long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education, but the implications are becoming increasingly serious and mostly negative, and are likely to amplify gaps and inequalities between learners, institutions and countries.

Universities should take into account the current economic situation Lebanese students are facing and the capital controls imposed by the Central Bank of Lebanon and try to help them by providing generous financial aid programmes, increasing work-study opportunities and offering interest-free education loans.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the government is launching a new push to prevent brain drain out of the country, particularly from domestic universities and research institutions, with figures showing 50,000 scientists have left in the past five years. But experts are sceptical.