15 April 2021  Issue No: 309

More than 80% of tertiary education students in Sub-Saharan Africa who participated in a UNESCO survey, as a platform to share views on the world’s most pressing challenges, were strongly concerned about higher education systems not teaching enough skills that are needed now, or in the future.

Development studies, a subject field in which Uganda’s Makerere University has just been ranked 45th globally, will cease to exist as a single undergraduate degree course from the 2021-22 academic year as part of a rationalisation process that will lead to the phasing out of 18 programmes.

The development of a formal postgraduate qualification in African philanthropy and resource mobilisation represents a milestone in efforts to grow and professionalise advancement as an approach that higher education institutions can use to attract investment. This comes at an opportune time as a recent survey has shown that donors are generously contributing to South African institutions.

The University of Rwanda, the only and largest public higher learning institution in Rwanda, is committed to improving the quality of education and building stronger links with employers. Professor Alexandre Lyambabaje, the newly appointed vice-chancellor, speaks about his plans to take the university forward.

China’s recent imposition of sanctions on European academics dramatically illustrates how procedures for protecting academic freedom are no longer fit for purpose. Universities must include their academics who are involved in internationalisation in discussions about how best to manage future academic freedom risks.

As the Myanmar military continues killing civilians daily, including children and students, younger people including university students are choosing to take up arms, believing that the only way to defend themselves and fight the military is to join Myanmar’s ethnic armed groups.