Castells in Africa – Inspiring fundamental change in higher education

By Sharon Dell – Africa Editor.  In a Special Report, global higher education expert Jamil Salmi reviews a new book, Castells in Africa: Universities and Development, which showcases the contribution of Spanish sociologist Manuel Castells to higher education research and thinking in Africa. In an afterword to the book Manuel Castells reflects on the complex economic, political and social terrain occupied by universities in Africa and beyond, and some concluding remarks on the significance of Castells’ work in Africa are offered by the book’s editors Johan Muller, Nico Cloete and François van Schalkwyk.
   Salmi himself has authored a new book, The Tertiary Education Imperative: Knowledge, Skills and Values for Development, which is reviewed here by Mark Paterson and Nico Cloete who describe it as an “immensely readable and practical volume that is informed by a deep understanding of both the theoretical and real-world challenges faced by policy agents seeking to transform their higher education systems”.
   In Africa Analysis, Damtew Teferra considers the progress being made towards a harmonised credit transfer system in Africa.
   In Africa Features, Tunde Fatunde canvasses the comments of West African academics and intellectuals on the recent detention of a Cameroonian academic, while Wagdy Sawahel reports that many students at universities throughout the African continent are going without food on a daily basis, which is affecting their academic performance.
   In our Academic Corruption column, Brendan O'Malley examines the drive to address academic corruption in Nigeria and other developing countries.
   As usual, we offer a selection of news stories from around the continent, including a report from Zimbabwe by Tonderayi Mukeredzi on a recent meeting between the new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and university vice-chancellors during which universities were implored to help find solutions to the country’s considerable economic challenges.
   You are invited to register for an upcoming international webinar looking at how higher education megatrends will shape the future of global higher education and international student mobility. University World News is the media partner for the webinar which is hosted by StudyPortals and will take place on Wednesday 24 January. More...