Neoliberalism Crisis and Fundamental Shifts in Africa’s Higher Education Provision in the 21st Century

Abstract

This chapter explores the circumstances in the global south that have been reshaping teaching and learning practices, with particular focus on the African context. Anchored on a literature review strategy, the chapter explores some of the key pressure points in the higher education context that have been the trigger of reforms in the core practice of teaching and learning in recent years. In particular, the chapter discusses the neoliberalism crisis associated with the coronavirus pandemic in higher education, drawing attention to the inequalities that it ignited: not all students were affected in the same way; not all universities or colleges were affected in the same way; and not all students had the learning technologies required to carry on their education in the same way. Alongside the COVID-19 concerns, the chapter reflects on other pressure points for change including developments in digital technologies and the internet and changing students and changing higher education markets in sub-Saharan Africa. It argues that these forces are among a wave of influences that higher education institutions across the African continent cannot ignore. They form a blend of neoliberal reforms that are pressurising academics to change pedagogical models and threatening certain core values of a university: academic freedom, autonomy, and truth. The chapter develops the argument that although multiple pressures – arising from the pervasive influences of technology and the COVID-19 pandemic – are mounting on the higher education sector to reform its pedagogical practices, it should not be at the expense of perpetuating injustices, particularly among students.

Citation

Brown, B.A. (2022), "Neoliberalism Crisis and Fundamental Shifts in Africa’s Higher Education Provision in the 21st Century", Brown, B.A. and Irons, A. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of Higher Education in a Post-Covid World: New Approaches and Technologies for Teaching and Learning, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 13-36. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80382-193-120221002