14 May 2020  Issue No: 269

The fact that most of our Kenyan public universities seem to have been caught unawares by the COVID-19 pandemic can be forgiven. What cannot be forgiven is their inability to adapt quickly. After all, it is in universities where people study complex doctrines of agile risk management and change strategies.

A growing ecosystem of digitally focused higher education reflects the importance of a region-wide approach to equipping students with 21st century skills and an employability roadmap. It is also fundamental for sustainable growth across Africa in the coming decades.

African information and communications technology ministers have agreed to promote the zero rating of access to educational content to support university students confined at home during COVID-19 lockdowns on the continent.

As governments around the world redirect capital spending towards mitigating the socio-economic impact of the pandemic and health sector requirements, universities are bracing themselves against the financial impacts on their own operations.

Times Higher Education’s 2020 Impact Rankings show variability in the type of institutions ranking and in the goals that they focus on, and offer valuable information for benchmarking as well as a way for different universities to gain global visibility. The University of Auckland ranked first overall for the second consecutive year.

Monash University looms over Australian higher education like a tertiary behemoth. With nearly 80,000 students on campuses around the world, Monash is by far the largest and most complex university of the 43 on the Australian continent. Yet it is facing serious financial problems, including a staggering revenue shortfall this year of AU$350 million (US$226 million).