15 July 2021  Issue No: 322

At the beginning of their careers, academics find the odds stacked against them. They lack a track record of success, most proven through research outputs like journal articles. So how do ambitious early-career academics get a foot in the door? The results of a study reveal some of their strategies to build academic ‘currency’.

Continuing professional development for higher education cannot be treated as an individual responsibility. Dedicated institutional support is essential, according to Tony Lelliott, a programme specialist at a non-profit educational trust in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was speaking at a colloquium of the Southern African Regional Universities Association.

As the 15th general conference of the Association of African Universities ended, it was clear that the continent’s higher education institutions are in distress. Academia is facing inadequate funding, decaying infrastructure, deficient human capital, low research output, slow and unreliable internet connectivity, and issues of leadership and governance in almost every country in Africa.

Higher education in Africa competes for funding with other sectors such as health, agriculture and energy. The realisation that “our education systems are often underfunded and outdated” inspired the Higherlife Foundation to focus on some of the most vulnerable students.

Conventional ways of addressing inequality in higher education do little to address bias. What is needed is not one-off tickbox exercises but a systemic approach, involving a focus on developing inclusive leadership and a commitment to driving innovation through harnessing diversity of thought.

Syrian refugee students in Lebanon are at particular risk from the country’s economic and social collapse. They were facing discrimination, insecurity, destitution and displacement even before the pandemic led to devaluation and hyper-inflation. International agencies need to understand the challenges they are experiencing.

Germany intends to boost funding of expertise on China and collaboration in higher education and research – but oriented on European values in line with commitments to maintaining academic freedom. The move is part of what the government calls “systems competition with the People’s Republic [of China]”.