The Academic Citizen

Parliamentary Liaison Officer for Equal Education, Andile Cele, joins The Academic Citizen to highlight the importance of primary and secondary education in the transformation of the higher education sector.

Problems stemming from access and resources, to racial and socio-economic differences define the space of education and the experience of the learner. Cele explains how this creates academic challenges, financial difficulties or total barriers to entry in higher learning.

We also chat to some students about their opinions of the biggest challenges faced by young people pursuing an education in South Africa and why basic education is important.

Dr Lubna Nadvi shares some insight into the #FeesMustFall student protests at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (UKZN). Speaking from Howard College campus, where she is based, Nadvi expands on some of the grievances of students, the recent surges in violence and clashes with campus and private security, and the university shutdown.

Nadvi places emphasis on the importance of university communities coming together and communicating in order to find sustainable solutions to the fees crisis in South Africa's higher education sector.

We also chat some students about their opinion of the recent protest action at UKZN.

In our special episode for this week, the incoming President of the Student Representative Council, Kefentse Mkhari, joins the podcast to discuss the wave of national protests against the current fee system. Mkhari explains the demand of the #FeesMustFall movement: free, quality and decolonised education.

We also address the recent violence during protest, the referendum called by Vice-Chancellor Adam Habib and the way forward for the Wits University community.

Prof Serdar Değirmencioğlu joins The Academic Citizen to provide some insight into the state of higher education in Turkey. This conversation follows from systematic and recurring dismissals and suspensions of thousands of academics and other government workers, including Değirmencioğlu, since July 2016.

Restrictions on academics' work and international travel have weakened Turkey's higher education system while the Turkish government, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, further entrenches its authoritarian regime.

We also get some student perspectives on academic freedom and the current situation in Turkey.

Photo Credit: Trevor Pritchard

Professor Hlonipha Mokoena joins The Academic Citizen to discuss the fees and funding debates regarding higher education in South Africa. Mokoena explains the work of eight-member Wits Panel that delivered a report titled 'Funding Model(s) for Higher Education in South Africa' to the Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education chaired by Justice Heher. Some of the the proposed solutions include re-defining the concept of 'fees' and drawing on corporate, government and university revenues in order to fund higher education.

The panel included Professors Roger Gibson, Laetitia Rispel, Christopher Malikane, David Hornsby, Mtendeweka Mhango, Cathi Albertyn and Dr Nthatisi Khatleli.

We also chat to the some students about the work of the panel and the funding crisis in South Africa’s higher education sector.

Professor Deirdre Carabine joins the podcast to introduce the Virtual University of Uganda (VUU), Africa's first fully-functional online education platform for postgraduate studies. Carabine discusses the online learning tools, fee structure and how technological advances can create new opportunities for the future of learning in Africa.

We also chat to some students about their experiences with online learning and their opinions of VUU.

Photo credit: Olu Eletu

n this week's episode, Goldsmiths College Professor Natalie Fenton joins The Academic Citizen to discuss the state of higher education in the United Kingdom. Fenton explains the student protests against fees that emerged in 2010, as well as rent strikes that happened this year. She also discusses ongoing industrial action by academic staff and the impact of marketisation and Brexit on the higher education sector.

We chat to some students about their knowledge of higher education in the UK and get their opinions of recent events.

Dr Sadhna Mathura and Dr Jacobus Diener join The Academic Citizen to discuss concerns of postdoctoral researchers in South Africa. They are representatives of the newly established South African National Postdoc Network, which is working to promote the interests of postdocs. Diener and Mathura shed light on postdocs' numerous contributions to higher education in South Africa, including teaching and research, and their many concerns relating to remuneration, conditions of employment, grievance procedures and relationships with host institutions.  

We also chat to some students about their understanding of postdocs and how postdocs can be better supported by universities.

As of 2016, Postdoctoral Fellows hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand are permitted to join the Academic Staff Association of Wits University (ASAWU) as full members. Visit asawu.org.za for more information.

The Editor of Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Phil Baty, joins The Academic Citizen to discuss the importance of global university rankings and how they work. Baty says that rankings bodies use different criteria and methodologies to "rate" higher education institutions. Therefore, it is important to look beyond face value and deeper into the details of the data.

We also chat to some students about their experiences with and understanding of global university rankings.

Professor Sioux McKenna joins the podcast to explain the importance of doctoral degrees in solving social and economic issues in developing societies. We also explore the challenges faced by PhD researchers, including funding, work/study balance and completion rates, and share some tips to follow for making it through your doctoral degree.

We also chat to students about their opinion of PhDs and whether they would pursue a doctoral studies.