Flagships – Underrated in Africa; an alternative to world-class universities?

By Karen MacGregor – Acting Global Editor. In Africa Features, Ahmed Mohamoud Elmi takes us to the University of Hargeisa in Somaliland, where the education minister has just graduated with a masters in international relations and diplomacy and the new vice-chancellor has plans for improvement. In Africa Analysis, Simon Ngalomba reflects on the cost-cutting reforms of Tanzania’s new President John Pombe Magufuli, including their impacts on universities.
Damtew Teferra contends that Africa’s flagship universities need greater recognition for their contributions to development. Also on flagships, in Commentary Bekir S Gur asks whether the ‘new flagship university’ outlined in a new book by Berkeley’s John Douglass could provide an alternative model to the ‘world-class universities’ with which higher education is obsessed – this is the first in a series of articles on the topic. Francisco Marmolejo argues that university rankings have value but alternative benchmarking processes are needed.
David Newman slates the Israeli government for making political appointments to key jobs in the Council for Higher Education, thus endangering the country’s strong research performance.
Mark Ashwill looks at what is driving growing numbers of Vietnamese to study in America, while Tapas R Dash reports on the challenges Cambodia faces in improving higher education quality and how internationalisation can help. And in World Blog, Robin Matross Helms proposes engaging academics in internationalisation early in their careers so that global perspectives become embedded in their teaching and research. Read more...