By Sharon Dell – Africa editor. In our lead Africa feature on
student engagement, we highlight some of the key features of a recent national survey of first-year students in South Africa coordinated by the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of the Free State, which challenges some of the prevailing perceptions around first-year students in the country and points to ways in which universities can use data to support contemporary students more effectively. A new
book on student engagement which speaks directly to the survey is also reviewed here.
In Africa Analysis,
Damtew Teferra says the Continental Education Strategy for Africa – unlike the Sustainable Development Goals – places higher education firmly at the centre of the continent’s development, where it belongs, while
Wondwosen Tamrat argues in favour of more meaningful student participation in university governance in Ethiopia.
Also in Africa Features,
Christabel Ligami illustrates the plight of students in Kenyan universities whose lives have been put on hold by repeated lecturer strikes, and
Wagdy Sawahel reports on some of the discussions at a recent pan-African meeting in Cairo to discuss the African Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.
In News from around the continent,
Ashraf Khaled reports on an inquiry into an Egyptian lecturer accused of defaming two prominent clerics in his book, while
Rodrigue Rwirahira reports on the growing demand for Chinese language courses in Rwanda.
In a Special Report on the recent Going Global 2018 conference in Malaysia,
Ahmed Bawa, chief executive officer of Universities South Africa, says there is a need for universities to deliver to both global and local publics to boost the sector’s weakened legitimacy and reshape the relationship between universities and society.
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