IHE policy that could be a model for developing countries

On 6 November, the South African Policy for Internationalisation of Higher Education was promulgated and became legally binding. This is a milestone for South African higher education.

There has been active lobbying for this policy since the beginning of the 21st century. In 2000 the South African Council on Higher Education posed a challenge to the system when it stated that: “An appropriate framework and infrastructure that draws in various relevant government departments should be created for this purpose and internationalisation should be promoted.”

It was only in 2015 that the Department of Higher Education and Training initiated the process for creating the policy when they commissioned a study on how the policy development should be framed.

The first draft of the policy was published in 2016 and allowed for extensive consultations with all stakeholders within South Africa and internationally. An intensive public participation process accompanied the development of the policy. National and international experts were engaged by the department to develop the first concept paper. This has resulted in a policy that is comprehensive, modern and innovative.

The aims of internationalisation

The policy commits South African higher education to comprehensive internationalisation. It requires academic leaders to embrace scientific diplomacy, which is described as the ‘art and skill of managing good relations with all international organisations and institutions’.

The rationale for internationalisation will be agreed and set at the national level.

It includes the positioning of the South African higher education system to be competitive in a globalised world as well as advancing the quality of education. Other stated aims are enhancing intellectual diversity in higher education, furthering the public good and contributing to resolving global challenges.

Institutions are required to develop internationalisation policies or strategies in which they define specific internationalisation targets. These are then integrated into universities’ three-year planning cycles.

All institutions must report annually on their achievements to the South African Department of Higher Education and Training. The role assigned to the government is enabling and facilitating rather than providing a direct steer.

While the policy affords higher education institutions considerable discretion when it comes to framing an internationalisation model which is relevant to the context and specific needs of the institutions, certain aspects are not negotiable:

• Curriculum internationalisation, which must be advanced in tandem with other curriculum transformation imperatives, becomes mandatory.

• Higher education institutions are obliged to safeguard the rights and interests of both incoming and outgoing international students.

• The sector must mitigate the risks associated with internationalisation. For example, it is obliged to ‘address brain drain and seek to offset its negative consequences’ through both a national strategy and institutional policy.

Collaborative qualifications are regulated and the existing practice of awarding joint degrees at some South African higher education institutions is generally confirmed. Besides, the new regulatory framework encourages the award of co-badged and consecutive qualifications, but confirms that double degrees remain prohibited in the country.

All collaborative programmes offered by South African higher education institutions must be approved by the South African Council on Higher Education and the Department of Higher Education and Training and are subject to detailed regulation.

A cutting-edge policy

Through the policy, the South African government commits itself to ensuring inter-governmental integration and cooperation for the benefit of internationalisation. This inter-governmental cooperation should, in the future, mean that challenges regarding internationalisation will be avoided.

The innovative policy is conceptually on the cutting edge of international discourse and integrates the thinking of several leading experts in the field. It has the potential to elevate South Africa’s higher education system to a leading position when it comes to advancing internationalisation in the developing world. Whether this capacity can be fully realised will largely depend on the implementation strategy for the framework.

Institutions, particularly those which are historically disadvantaged, need to be supported to develop implementation capacity. A spirit of inter-institutional collaboration for advancing internationalisation and embedding the principles of the policy framework is essential for success. Besides, it will be critically important to guide institutions as to the sequence in which they should tackle the new obligations arising in terms of the policy framework.

South African higher education institutions should immediately prepare themselves for the positive challenge which the policy sets them with regard to strengthening support and creating stable management structures for internationalisation. Collaboration is key and it is also of critical importance that a specific funding model is developed by each institution as internationalisation is required to be funded internally.

In conclusion, the South African system can heave a sigh of relief that the policy is now available. It should be used to assist the university sector to mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through the development of clear strategies.

The policy provides a space to innovate and integrate digital mobility and traditional mobility practices at all levels. It is an example to other similar higher education systems.

It does not only provide space for private and public institutions to internationalise, but it also addresses the negative impact of commercialisation on higher education which has been practised under the guise of internationalisation.

The success of the policy will, however, depend on the implementation and the capacity building that should happen at both institutional and national level.

Dr Nico Jooste is senior director of the African Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation and a research fellow of the University of the Free State, South Campus, and was involved in drafting the internationalisation policy. Cornelius Hagenmeier is director of the Office for International Affairs at the University of the Free State in South Africa and serves on the board of directors of the African Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation.