Intra Africa Student Mobility In Higher Education

This book examines student mobility within Africa. International student mobility is among the central activities of higher education internationalization. As the number of international students increase, so do the destinations, in both number and geographic diversity. Historically, international student mobility has followed South-North and North-North patterns. However, recent literature show the growth in North-South and South-South patterns of student mobility. There has also been a rise in regional mobility. In what is referred to in the book as intra-Africa mobility, the books explores and analyzes the patterns of intra-Africa mobility based on seven African countries: South Africa, Kenya,Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Egypt. The editors and contributors addressthree central research questions: Why did the students choose the country they are studying in? Why did they choose the institution they are studying in? What are their academic and social experiences in these countries and their respective institutions? This book is the first comprehensive exploration of intra-Africa student mobility in a field that traditionally centers on the Global North.

The first of its kind, this book documents and analyzes the international dimension of higher education in Africa based on country case-studies and a consideration of relevant historical and contemporary themes. It identifies trends, developments, and challenges related to the international dimension of higher educational at the institutional, national, and regional levels. It explores the institutional the opportunities and probes the risks while it responds to the growing need for information and analysis of internationalization of higher education in Africa. On the basis of this book project, an effort is underway to establish the African Network for Internationalization of Education (ANIE). This network aims to develop research capacity and expertise to meet the professional and practical needs of individuals, institutions and organizations interested in the international dimension of higher education in Africa.

This book explores emerging populations of mobile international students in order to consider innovative and inclusive approaches for a more equitable and socially just higher education for new generations of international students. It offers critical reflections on the intersections of race, place, and space at universities hosting international students across multiple geographic and cultural contexts. The volume is designed to catalyze debate on how international student learning and exchange needs to be reimagined for new generations of students in a world of increasing complexity and virtual mobility. International student mobility in higher education is intended to serve as an educational experience that speaks to the need for more interculturally sensitive and globally competent learners. However, internationalization practices like study abroad have increasingly been influenced by neoliberalism, and dynamics of commodification and consumerism, emphasizing the private benefits of such experiences in terms of the social and economic benefits to individual participants. This raises the question of inequality in such internationalization practices; who is benefitting from it? As post-secondary institutions around the world become more and more internationalized, what are the undesirable effects of these developments? Given the rapid expansion of research on both internationalization and inequality in higher education, it is foreseeable that this book will become a much-referenced text within the field and profession.

This book examines current trends in global student mobility patterns in several key host and destination countries, including the United States, China, India, South Africa, Mexico, Australia, and Germany, among others, and will explore the national and global-level factors that contribute to these trends.

Growth in the scope, scale and importance of higher education regionalization should not be underestimated or ignored. Africa – like Asia, Europe and Latin America – is promoting deeper cooperation among higher education bodies and institutions across the continent and focusing more attention on Pan-African and sub-regional harmonization of policies and programmes. This is the first book which brings together diverse scholars and policy experts to examine key aspects and challenges of African higher education regionalization. Chapters examine the progress and prospects of core regionalization issues and strategies such as academic mobility, quality assurance, recognition of qualifications, research centres and networks, curriculum and competencies, and regional academic programmes. Other chapters discuss important themes such as the relationship between regionalization, internationalization and Africanization; historical antecedents and perspectives; an analytical model to understand functional, organizational and political approaches to Africa’s higher education regionalization; and the influence of the Bologna process on the African Union’s Strategy for the Harmonization of Higher Education Programmes. Together these chapters provide a comprehensive overview of efforts by the African Union; sub-regional higher education associations such as IUCEA, SARUA and CAMES; Pan-African organizations and actors; key research networks and centres of excellence; and the involvement – or dependence – on external actors and funders, especially from Europe. Fundamentally, the book asks the question whether higher education regionalization in Africa is more rhetoric than reality. It discusses the progress to date on specific themes; identifies historical, political, sustainability and funding challenges; and concludes that while the impacts of regionalization efforts have not been fully realized there is cautious optimism for the future.

The idea that developing all sectors of the educational palette is influential for socio-economic development was adopted later in Sub-Saharan Africa than in other world regions. Most efforts went primarily into developing the first stages of education, and rightly so, for many children could not access education at all. Today, all African governments recognize the importance of higher education and increasingly invest in it. They are facing two major, interlinked challenges: rapid population growth and decline in the quality of education. Indeed, despite fertility decline, the region has been confronted with substantial population growth, which will continue for many decades; as such, there is a necessity to increase investment in education. This, in a situation of limited resources, has been at the expense of the quality and the burgeoning of private institutions of higher education. The contributions here discuss the development, quality, and outcomes of higher education in Africa, with a specific focus on relations between Africa and Europe. Issues related to the mobility of African students and scholars are discussed in several national and international case studies.