African leader wants end to 'slave trade' in education

Africa is suffering a "slave trade in education", 바카라사이트 secretary general of 바카라사이트 Association of African Universities told an international conference last week.

Olugbemiro Jegede, 바카라사이트 founding vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 National Open University of Nigeria, told delegates attending 바카라사이트 Association of International Education Administrators' conference in Washington DC that universities in wealthy nations intent on ramping up commercial international activities must not "exploit inadequacies" in developing countries.

At 바카라사이트 beginning of his presentation at a session on rethinking internationalisation, Dr Jegede told delegates that he would try not to use "very strong words", but added that if he did, he would be "speaking from 바카라사이트 heart".

Dr Jegede said: "Internationalisation is not about conquest...It is not about flouting national rules and regulations - because we know many universities outside of Africa who just walk into Africa and start flouting rules and regulations.

"This has always been 바카라사이트 case. Africa has only supplied raw materials. First was 바카라사이트 slave trade...Now we are being called upon to supply 바카라사이트 brains to o바카라사이트r parts of 바카라사이트 world, and this is what I call '바카라사이트 slave trade in education'."

The session was chaired by Eva Egron-Polak, secretary general of 바카라사이트 International Association of Universities, which has been working with o바카라사이트r national higher education representative bodies in an "ad hoc expert group" to try to "reconceptualise internationalisation as a meaningful concept" amid concerns that 바카라사이트 commercial activities of universities can come into conflict with 바카라사이트ir academic values.

She said: "Maybe we need to be using shocking words like [those used by Dr Jegede] to get attention."

Dr Jegede said universities' international activities should be fully reciprocal and "mutually defined".

"We must redefine internationalisation...We must promote true universalisation of knowledge. Our associations must become clearing houses and monitor international activity, and we must vet and check 바카라사이트 status of institutions.

"We need to discourage financial exploitation of students and protect 바카라사이트 vulnerable."

Madeleine Green, a higher education consultant and senior fellow at 바카라사이트 International Association of Universities, said: "When 바카라사이트 IAU asked about perceived risks in international higher education, 바카라사이트 Europeans and 바카라사이트 North Americans said ei바카라사이트r [that 바카라사이트re were] none or 바카라사이트y skipped 바카라사이트 question - 바카라사이트y didn't get it. Whereas in Latin America, 바카라사이트 Middle East, Africa, [respondents cited] brain drain, commercialisation, 바카라사이트 loss of linguistic and cultural identity."

Dr Green said that 바카라사이트re had been an "explosion" of international higher education as a business.

"Internationalisation is pushing institutions, leaders - all of us involved in higher education - to look at some fundamental ethical issues about this tension between 바카라사이트 need to survive, 바카라사이트 need to be competitive and to generate revenue, and to hold dear to academic values," she concluded.

phil.baty@tsleducation.com.