10 August 2023  Issue No: 415

Russia’s plan to establish branch campuses of top Russian universities in Africa and increase the quotas for African students in Russian universities signals an interest in expanding Russian influence. However, there are concerns that Russian overtures may be driven largely by geopolitical interests.

Higher education leaders in Niger have raised concerns about how the military coup on 26 July may harm an already fragile higher education system in this francophone Sahel country. Amid efforts to restore President Mohamed Bazoum to power, students and academics have warned of potential disorder in the country’s universities.

An academic from the University of KwaZulu-Natal has become the first black woman in South Africa to obtain a full professorship in the discipline of town and regional planning. Perseverance and resilience have helped her to develop a deeper understanding of the significance of representation and equity in education, says Hangwelani Hope Magidimisha-Chipungu.

The role of higher education institutions in urban renewal – which has the potential to facilitate new approaches to a more sustainable future – is important because they are key actors in scientific discoveries, technological innovations and the nurturing of future leaders and knowledge workers.

Universities are “the architects of their own demise” when it comes to developing their academic talent because most do not make it an institutional priority, says Jonathan Jansen, distinguished professor of education at Stellenbosch University and president of the Academy of Science of South Africa.

The South African system of paying public universities for academic publications has arguably been highly successful in driving increases in knowledge production, but it also had the unintended consequence of positioning research in instrumentalist and performative ways, which are at odds with the ideals of knowledge creation.

Kenya has unveiled a new Higher Education Financing portal for students seeking scholarships, loans and bursaries under a new funding system that kicks off next month. Students from public universities and technical and vocational education and training colleges must apply through the portal.

The picture of internationalisation in North America that emerges from the 6th IAU Global Survey is one in which internationalisation is still very much defined by an economic rationale in which talent attraction still plays an important role and competition dominates over collaboration.

India has emerged as the second largest education ecosystem in the world after China. The country’s ability to deliver good quality education at a reasonable cost puts it in a unique position to become a destination country for internationalisation in the near future.

All students at India’s universities will have to study subjects such as environmental education, climate change and the national obligation to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals from this year, under new guidelines issued by the country’s apex higher education body.