Challenges and strategies for the internationalization of higher education in low-income East African countries [Scholarly Article - Higher Education, January 2023]

Title:

Challenges and strategies for the internationalization of higher education in low-income East African countries

 

Authors:

Mohammad Moshtari & Alireza Safarpour 

 

Published:

Higher Education, 23 January 2023

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-023-00994-1

Abstract:

As it becomes more crucial to push the boundaries of science to develop new technologies and important global initiatives, internationalization can be instrumental in helping underdeveloped countries overcome challenges such as poverty, climate change, and educational inequalities. Higher education institutions have always faced challenges in the process of internationalization, which have occupied scholarly attention in recent decades, but little research has been conducted on the internationalization of higher education in less developed African countries. This qualitative study aims to shed light on the challenges of internationalization of higher education in low-income countries in East Africa. After reviewing the literature and interviewing academics, the obtained data were thematically analyzed. The results suggested 12 main challenges, which were classified into four major categories. The challenges include a lack of clear policies and guidelines; the inefficiency of the organizational structure of internationalization; financial, infrastructure, and equipment problems; weaknesses in scientific, skill, and language competences; cultural differences; non-reciprocal relationships; and a brain drain. Finally, strategies for responding to these challenges with regard to the internal and external environments of higher education institutions were proposed. Among the internal strategies of higher education institutions are the development of clear policies and visions, planning for the development of human resources, and sustainable budgeting for internationalization programs. External strategies emphasize the development of national policies and laws based on contextual and environmental conditions, as well as interaction and participation in international meetings to expand communication and use the scientific and economic capacities of international agencies and institutions.

 

Challenges and strategies for the internationalization of higher education in low-income East African countries [Scholarly Article - Higher education, January 2023]

Title:

Challenges and strategies for the internationalization of higher education in low-income East African countries

 

Authors:

Mohammad Moshtari

Faculty of Management and Business, Industrial Engineering and Management, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland

& 

Alireza Safarpour

Sharif Policy Research Institute, Tehran, Iran

 

Published:

Higher Education, 23 January 2023 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-023-00994-1

 

Abstract:

As it becomes more crucial to push the boundaries of science to develop new technologies and important global initiatives, internationalization can be instrumental in helping underdeveloped countries overcome challenges such as poverty, climate change, and educational inequalities. Higher education institutions have always faced challenges in the process of internationalization, which have occupied scholarly attention in recent decades, but little research has been conducted on the internationalization of higher education in less developed African countries. This qualitative study aims to shed light on the challenges of internationalization of higher education in low-income countries in East Africa. After reviewing the literature and interviewing academics, the obtained data were thematically analyzed. The results suggested 12 main challenges, which were classified into four major categories. The challenges include a lack of clear policies and guidelines; the inefficiency of the organizational structure of internationalization; financial, infrastructure, and equipment problems; weaknesses in scientific, skill, and language competences; cultural differences; non-reciprocal relationships; and a brain drain. Finally, strategies for responding to these challenges with regard to the internal and external environments of higher education institutions were proposed. Among the internal strategies of higher education institutions are the development of clear policies and visions, planning for the development of human resources, and sustainable budgeting for internationalization programs. External strategies emphasize the development of national policies and laws based on contextual and environmental conditions, as well as interaction and participation in international meetings to expand communication and use the scientific and economic capacities of international agencies and institutions.

 

Do you know about FEWS NET, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network?

Organisation:

FEWS NET, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network

 

From the About Us webpage:

FEWS NET, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, is a leading provider of early warning and analysis on acute food insecurity around the world.  

 

Created in 1985 by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in response to devastating famines in East and West Africa, FEWS NET provides unbiased, evidence-based analysis to governments and relief agencies who plan for and respond to humanitarian crises. FEWS NET analyses support resilience and development programming as well. FEWS NET analysts and specialists work with scientists, government ministries, international agencies, and NGOs to track and publicly report on conditions in the world’s most food-insecure countries.

 

This organisation reports on:

* Monthly reports and maps detailing current and projected food insecurity 

 

* Alerts on emerging or likely crises 

 

* Special reports on factors that contribute to or mitigate food insecurity, including weather and climate, markets and trade, agricultural production, conflict, livelihoods, nutrition, and humanitarian assistance 

 

* Access to data, learning, and analysis of the underlying dynamics of recurrent and chronic food insecurity and poor nutritional outcomes, to improve early warning and better inform response and program design 

Click here for the FEWS NET website

 

Banana paper could save East Africa’s potatoes from devastating worms [The Conversation, May 2022]

Title:

Banana paper could save East Africa’s potatoes from devastating worms 

 

Authors:

Danny Coyne 

Soil Health Scientist, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)  

&

Solveig Haukeland 

General nematologist, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology

 

Published:

The Conversation, 19 May 2022

https://theconversation.com/banana-paper-could-save-east-africas-potatoes-from-devastating-worms-182524

 

From the article:

Due to the magnitude of the damage that the nematodes cause to potato production, strict quarantine regulations have been implemented across many parts of the world to contain and restrict their further spread.  But we may have found a solution: banana paper.

BBC News Video, 25 June 2020 - Preventing a plague: Fighting Kenya's locusts

Title of video:
Preventing a plague: Fighting Kenya's locusts

Published:
BBC News, 25 June 2020
[Video 7:30]
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-53170894/preventing-a-plague-fighting-kenya-s-locusts

Description:
There are increasing fears for food security in East Africa, with mounting evidence of a new wave of desert locusts.

Earlier in the year, billions of the insects destroyed crops across the region – with the UN warning a second generation would be even more destructive.

Now, despite international efforts, those fears appear to be coming to pass.

When the first wave hit, Albert Lemasulani gave up his life to fight the swarms - leaving his family, his goats and his newborn son behind to try and prevent a plague.

Phys.org, 15 May 2020 - How a 1,000‑year‑old tsunami in the Indian Ocean points to greater risk than originally thought

Title:
How a 1,000‑year‑old tsunami in the Indian Ocean points to greater risk than originally thought

Author:
Caitlyn MacQueen, Dalhouse University

Published:
Phys.org, 15 May 2020
https://phys.org/news/2020-05-1000yearold-tsunami-indian-ocean-greater.html

From the article:
"A recent study led by Vittorio Maselli, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the Faculty of Science, has identified a deadly tsunami about 1,000 years ago in Tanzania, suggesting that the tsunami risk in East Africa could be higher than previously thought. The research was published in the journal Geology."