Staff development pilot empowers academics to rethink the curriculum

By Karen MacGregor – Africa Editor. In Africa Analysis, Eilis Ferran argues that if all of the world’s leading research universities partnered with African institutions to boost research capacity, there could be a transformative impact on the continent’s capacity to produce knowledge. Elizabeth de Kadt, Brenda Leibowitz and Precious Sipuka report on a pilot staff development initiative that aims to empower senior academics to rethink approaches to the curriculum.
In Africa Features, Sharon Dell reports on the centenary celebrations of the University of Fort Hare in South Africa – the alma mater of numerous African leaders including Nelson Mandela – which were marred by violent student protests. We interview Michael Faborode, secretary general of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, and find institutions uniting in their efforts to develop higher education in Africa’s biggest economy.
In a series on ‘Transformative Leadership’, published in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, University World News looks at barriers to social equity and social justice and ways to overcome them through education. Suellen Shay suggests South African higher education leaders look beyond widening access to a vision of equity that is about re-landscaping the terrain to ensure a more appropriate higher education for all, and Rebecca Farnum looks at the growing movement of scholactivists, scholars who are keen to ensure their work has social impact.
In World Blog, Hans de Wit warns of the consequences of internationalisation indicators in global rankings, which influence the way universities and governments internationalise and the way internationalisation is measured. And in Commentary, Pratik Gandhi sets out the benefits to India of attracting more international students, and suggests how this can be done. Read more...