African universities asked to join global COVID survey

The International Association of Universities (IAU) invited 20,000 higher education institutions, including African universities, to participate in a second global survey aiming to determine the economic footprint of COVID-19 on higher education.

The second survey, expected to run until 15 April, is set to give more depth and analysis on how academic institutions have been staying financially afloat amid COVID-19’s impact.

According to the first report, The Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education around the World, the pandemic affected teaching and learning modalities and disrupted research collaborations, partnerships and student mobility.

The first survey was conducted online from 25 March to 17 April 2020. It received 576 replies from 424 universities and other higher education institutions based in 111 countries and territories.

For Sub-Saharan Africa, the second survey is expected to focus on the financial dynamics within academic institutions, in particular governments’ buy-in on budget recoveries and sustainability.

The second survey will also attempt to capture how African institutions in the region have positioned themselves to harness the benefits from the digital and science revolutions which are fundamental for post-pandemic recovery and development processes.

Data feeds into upcoming conference

In her remarks at the launch of the second survey, IAU Secretary General Hilligje van’t Land implored institutions across all regions to participate and provide data on the mid-term impact of the pandemic, which would be critical in informing stakeholders before the UNESCO higher education conference scheduled for Barcelona in October 2021.

The second questionnaire was prepared through the collaborative efforts of several organisations, including the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability.

The first survey demonstrated a high response from African institutions of higher learning.

Notably, three-quarters of universities had closed campuses as a measure to reduce the spread of the virus, despite the region having the lowest number of COVID-19 cases.

The report also outlined that academic institutions from the region were the most under-prepared in meeting challenges due to insufficient resources and limited government support in completing the academic year amid economic decline.

During the launch of the second global survey, Sizwe Mabizela, the vice-chancellor of Rhodes University, South Africa, highlighted that implementing remote teaching and relying on digital modes of instruction had been “unfamiliar territory” for both students and academics because contact learning had always been the primary mode of execution.

Moreover, socio-economic hardships faced by students such as lack of learning devices, internet accessibility and even electricity for those located in remote rural areas were major drawbacks towards the completion of the 2020 academic calendar.

“Digital modalities have a limited capacity to contribute to holistic development and growth of the student. The risk is that we will produce graduates who are highly skilled and technically competent but lacking in human and interpersonal skills,” Mabizela said during the virtual meeting.

Losses in research

According to the first report, research activities suffered the most during the onset of the pandemic. In the African region, 43% of institutions were reported to have completely stopped their projects due to COVID-19.

Additionally, due to inadequate financing, Africa was also lagging behind in terms of research centred on COVID-19, compared to other regions.

While the pandemic may have created new opportunities in science, feedback by African institutions revealed that existing partnerships and collaborations were weakened by the crisis.