1. INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES<br />2006 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE<br />Internationalization of Higher Education: New Directions, New Challenges<br />AFRICA AND THE INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION<br />By<br />Akilagpa Sawyerr<br />Secretary-General<br />Association of African Universities<br /><asawyerr@aau.org><br />[NOTES FOR A PRESENTATION]<br />MAIN FOCUS: Contemporary context of internationalisation and its special challenges for Africa higher education.<br />A. Introduction: Context of Internationalisation<br />1Higher learning historically rooted in transnationalism – in Africa (Al Aqsa Mosque, Library of Alexandria, Timbuktu) + Medieval Europe<br />a) Characterised by movement of<br />oOf people – students, teachers oOf ideas/knowledge<br />2Clear continuities in contemporary situation of internationalisation:<br />oMobility - of scholars, students, now “campuses”<br />oCurriculum – content, sharing, etc.<br />oCollaboration of institutions/Depts/labs/scholars<br />3Equally clear discontinuities<br />Contemporary context of internationalisation characterised by:<br />1. Global imbalances and asymmetries<br />a. Of power relations - political/economic/military<br />•e.g., differential lobbying capacity of states in support of national institutions/interests<br />b. Of differential access to knowledge generation capacity/use, i.e., basis for equal participation<br />2. “Hegemony”<br />a. Paradigms, sources and canons of “knowledge”<br />b. The politics of knowledge production and use:<br />•selective privileging of different categories of knowledge (modern/Western vs. folk/traditional - e.g., “what kind of knowledge is patentable?”)<br />•geographic concentrations of high-level knowledge generation<br />& dissemination -> international division of labour: tracking global inequalities<br />3. “Commodification” of knowledge: implication of knowledge in national (as distinct from institutional) competitiveness<br />4. Commercialisation of education -> changing the nature of the relationship of<br />•individuals<br />•institutions<br />•countries<br />to each other? to knowledge and science?<br />-> What “internationalism”?<br />B. Contemporary Challenges for African HE<br />1.“Dependent” economies ↔ dependent internationalisation,<br />2.Issues of resources shortfalls; poor ICT capacity & connectivity; enrolment explosion, but low participation rates<br />3.Initiatives of African countries & institutions for self-development and international participation<br />a. Internationalisation of curricula<br />b. International exchange programmes c. International research collaboration<br />¾ Relations mostly North/South, not enough South/South<br />¾ Because invariably dependent on Northern financial support<br />(govt/foundation, etc.)<br />4.Responses from the “North”<br />a. Rhetorical solidarity?<br />b. Instances of genuine (balanced) partnerships & collaboration with developed country institutions<br />c. Pronounced tendency to treat Africa as HE “export market”:<br />i. source of fee-paying students &<br />ii. revenue from licensed courses,<br />iii. provision of educational services, iv. venue for satellite campuses, etc.?<br />d. GATS<br />5.Africa Commission Report/Gleneagles Declaration, 2005; G8 Moscow meeting (2006) declaration on education: emphasis on international solidarity: contradictory domestic policies in some G8 and other developed countries, driving local institutions to commercialise internationalisation<br />– Rhetoric? Reality?<br />C. Conclusion<br />6.Important task for academics and their associations to resist national/international policies driving towards commercialisation of internationalisation<br />2<br />