18 February 2021  Issue No: 301

During the past few years, Mauritius has increased its access to higher education more than any other country in Sub-Saharan Africa. The island’s success in broadening participation has been bolstered by massive state investment to enhance the effectiveness of school education, which feeds the tertiary system, and by implementing free higher education to citizens to obtain their first qualifications.

Kenyan universities are set for a tougher year ahead after the government slashed the higher education budget for the next financial year starting in July by US$120 million. The news comes amid an already gloomy financial outlook exacerbated by growing debt in the sector and parliament’s refusal to hike tuition fees.

Academic institutions should go beyond providing knowledge about science, technology and society, and also equip graduates with ethics and leadership skills to improve the conditions of the world. This dimension of human development was one of the topics discussed in a webinar series on partnerships to enable Africa to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities.

2020 will go down in history as a year when life, work and study came to a virtual standstill. Zimbabwean students will remember hastily moving online, the termination of internships and struggles with power, network and data challenges – problems brought about by the pandemic – but they will also remember how they struggled for academic freedom.

COVID-19 has brought new challenges and exacerbated long-standing ones. It shows the need for higher education to be better prepared to respond to crisis situations and promote social integration. Innovative policies on refugees suggest an inclusive, sustainable way forward, built on partnerships and global cooperation.

India’s rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and involvement in ‘vaccine diplomacy’ around the world has led to a significant boost in health spending and scientific research, announced in this year’s budget mid-pandemic, including support for a new National Research Foundation.