The National Research Foundation (NRF) recently hosted an event to celebrate the publication of a book edited by Professor Chika Sehoole, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria (UP), and Prof Jenny J. Lee, a professor of educational policy studies and practice at the College of Education at the University of Arizona in the USA.

The book, titled Intra-Africa Student Mobility in Higher Education: Strength, Prospects and Challenges, was funded by the NRF. In a field that traditionally focuses on the Global North, the book analyses the patterns of student mobility in Africa, based on seven countries on the continent. ‘The story of this book can be traced back to my studies in the US,’ said Prof Sehoole, who conducted postdoctoral studies at the University of Illinois during 2003 and 2004. ‘I realised that I did not know my continent [Africa] as I had completed all my studies in South Africa. Throughout my studies, I was never exposed to African higher education studies. Therefore, when I returned from the USA, one of my goals was to learn more about my own continent and the higher education landscape in Africa.’

The book was the result of a process that began with Prof Sehoole and Prof Jenny J. Lee conducting a survey of seven South African universities. The study revealed interesting findings about, among other things, the quality of the education offered, the importance of the brand of a South African-acquired qualification when looking for a job abroad, relationships with professors and facilities available at local universities. These findings resulted in the rolling out of the project throughout Africa via the African Network for Internationalisation of Education (ANIE), which Prof Sehoole co-founded in 2008. ANIE aims to contribute to knowledge on the international dimension of higher education in Africa and recognises that, in terms of internationalisation, there is a lack of information about Africa. It aims to close this knowledge gap. ANIE also recognises that many scholars on the continent have obtained master’s and PhD degrees and could write about their own study journeys. The organisation set in motion a plan to record this knowledge and publish it in book form. To date, ANIE has produced four books.

This most recent project was rolled out in seven countries, with surveys conducted to record the experiences of international students. The selected countries were Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Uganda, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa. Intra- Africa Student Mobility in Higher Education: Strength, Prospects and Challenges contains case studies of 12 universities in seven countries, in addition to the seven South African universities of the initial study.

Given the limited funding, one way in which ANIE could ensure the success of the project was to recruit scholars in the selected countries of research to carry out the studies. The project was driven by the need to encourage people to write about their own experiences in higher education. Where there was a need for capacity building, ANIE ensured that it worked with the scholars. Speaking at the event, Dr Aldo Stroebel, Director: Executive Strategic Partnership Programmes at the NRF, said: ‘This book is a companion’s guide and excellent body of work that provides a strong framework of empirical reference informing mobility for knowledge.’

Among those who attended the function was Azwifariswi Justice Ratshilaya, a PhD student who completed his master’s degree under the supervision of Prof Sehoole. He was recruited to join the team for the student mobility project and contributed a chapter about the experiences of international students at South African universities. ‘Many more deliverables were achieved than those seen in the book,’ Prof Sehoole said. ‘Some include training workshops for the seven scholars from each country. One of the students completed his master’s studies under my supervision and is now doing his PhD studies in Nigeria. In Uganda, I produced another PhD student from the same study. The impact of the study was felt not only in South Africa, but also elsewhere on the African continent’, said Prof Sehoole as he concluded.