Internationalization Disrupted: Advancing STEM Training in Africa Beyond COVID-19

Abstract

The evolving COVID-19 pandemic has made multidimensional impacts on tertiary education, research, and skills development. Yet, no area of academic activity has been more disrupted than the international dimension. These effects are even more pronounced in Africa considering pre-existing challenges, dependence on Northern expertise and resource asymmetries. The scale of the pandemic demands global action, further highlighting the importance of internationalization and “third mission” activities to advance training, research, and innovation to address major STEM challenges. This chapter focuses on the internationalization experiences of the Skills for Employability program, a five-year (2016–2021), $8.5 million project supported by Global Affairs Canada and Mastercard Foundation to advance STEM education and skills development across Francophone Africa. By using the SFE program as a case study, the authors apply an international and comparative lens to critically examine the programmatic shifts which have taken place since the closure of in-person academic activities and suspension of international travel. A key element of this inquiry will be to unpack the institutional shifts which took place as a result of the network-wide lockdown, specific responses and strategies employed, as well as adaptive internationalization measures taken in response to COVID-19.

Citation

Szyszlo, P. and Kimpolo, C.L.M. (2023), "Internationalization Disrupted: Advancing STEM Training in Africa Beyond COVID-19", Wiseman, A.W., Matherly, C. and Crumley-Effinger, M. (Ed.) Internationalization and Imprints of the Pandemic on Higher Education Worldwide (International Perspectives on Education and Society, Vol. 44), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 175-183. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-367920230000044011