12 May 2022  Issue No: 359

How can the conditions be created to take the national Policy Framework for Internationalisation of Higher Education in South Africa forward, to ensure that the South African higher education system remains one of the most attractive to international students on the continent and that it stays engaged with the rest of the world?

African universities are reneging on important lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, going back to business as usual while disregarding innovations. They have also failed to harness opportunities in internationalisation. This emerged at a workshop hosted by the African Network for Internationalization of Education.

When Sodiq Yusuf was accepted at Osun State University in southwestern Nigeria, he only thought of pursuing a degree in linguistics and communication studies. Subsequently, he became an environmental activist, advocating that students across his homeland replicate what he and his fellow students have been doing: planting and taking care of trees.

Unless African universities address community needs through the kinds of knowledge and graduates they are producing, their sustainability will come under threat as important local sources of funding and popular support are withdrawn, according to participatory research pioneer Rajesh Tandon. The current disconnect is severe.

Every university claims excellence as its mantra and mission. The gap between rhetorical claims for excellence and the reality is determined by what I have come to distil as the three Cs, institutional commitments, capacities and culture, undergirded by the alignment of academic, operational and service excellence.

Benoit Ndagijimana believes that his contribution towards the improvement of society should start while he is still a student. As part of the University of Rwanda Public Health Student Association, Ndagijimana and his peers are fighting malnutrition, poor hygiene and are raising awareness about non-communicable diseases in the community.

Education statistics show that women are making gains in Zimbabwe’s higher education system. This has prompted questions about the affirmative action policy that has been in place since 1995 to advance women within the sector. Has it become an example of reverse discrimination? When should the policy be scrapped?

COVID-19 triggered rapid pedagogical adaptations pertaining to content, outcomes, assessments and modes of teaching, but a study in South Africa focusing on staff experiences reveals deep concerns about a lack of academic integrity and the quality of learning that has been taking place during the pandemic.

A recent survey of European universities tracks some of the profound changes that have occurred in the position of head of administration and shows a growing shift towards systems with fewer ‘generalists’. What are the implications for university governance structures and management models?

The Common University Entrance Test in India is intended to address disparities in mark allocations by different examination boards and provide a ‘level playing field’ for access, but it does nothing to slow down the pressure to get into a few highly sought-after universities and colleges.

It is vitally important for Ukraine’s future to find ways to retain as many academics as possible in those institutions still functioning in Ukraine, the 2022 conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators was told by an advisor to the Ukrainian president.