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 c...

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...

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...

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 educati...

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...

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 o...

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 e...

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 an...

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...

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 w...

In this week's episode, Dr Oritsegbubemi Oyowe discusses the role of African Philosophy in advancing knowledge. He argues that African culture and intellectualism plays an important role in transformation in the post-colonial university. We also hear from students on their views about African Philosophy and whether it has shaped their own experiences in daily life.

Dr Nomalanga Mkhize joins The Academic Citizen to think through the role of multiple languages in higher education. We explore how language shapes meaning and how assimilation to Anglo-Saxon norms and culture have influenced attitudes towards indigenous languages. She suggests that a multi-idiomatic approach could assist the transformation project in higher education institutions in South Africa....

Misan Rewane, the Director of Lagos-based organisation, West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE), joins this week's episode. We reflect on higher education in Nigeria and explore the merits of 'vocational education' as a tool for unemployed youths to gain skills and improve their access to steady employment. We also get some student opinions on whether a vocational or academic education is more rel...

The President of the Student Representative Council (SRC) at the University of Cape Town, Rorisang Moseli, addresses the state of student politics in South Africa today and shares his views on protest, transformation and the student experience in South Africa's public universities. Photo by Schalk Van Zuydam

Explore the state of higher education in India. Professor Dilip Menon explains how the rise of Hindu nationalism and the adoption of neoliberal values have contributed to a climate of protest at higher education institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the University of Hyderabad.

In this week’s episode of The Academic Citizen, Dr Shose Kessi introduces the Black Academic Caucus, which is based at the University of Cape Town, and explains how its objectives relate to transformation and decolonisation within spaces of higher learning.

As discussed in previous episodes, fees have become a major issue for universities in South Africa and beyond. Gerald Wangenge-Ouma joins The Academic Citizen to argue that the call for fee-free education is unrealistic. In his view, fees form an important part of funding for the university in order to maintain access and quality for students. Photo by Charlie Foster

Gender-based violence is an issue on all university campuses, as multiple rape allegations at various universities and the #RUReferenceList have shown. Maria Wanyane and Charlene Beukes from the Gender Equity Office (GEO) at Wits University join The Academic Citizen to explore these issues and the importance of gender equity in spaces of higher learning.

In this week's episode, The Academic Citizen explores the topic of transformation in South Africa. The show's guest, Nazeema Mohamed, outlines the necessity and challenges of bringing change to the higher education sector within a growing and evolving democracy.

Academic Staff play an important role in universities. They teach students, research phenomena and help develop the status quo within the institutions that they work. As part of the labour force, they are entitled to liberties and protections enshrined in the Constitution. Professor David Hornsby joins The Academic Citizen to explain what academic staff unions are and why it is important to be uni...

Dr Prishani Naidoo joins The Academic Citizen to discuss the politics of protest action within the context of university campuses in South Africa. The conversation centres around the university as a microcosm of society and the legitimacy of violent and non-violent forms of protest. We also gain insight into students' perspectives on protest action and how it impacts their experiences at universit...

Resources, competition, quality: these are some of the concerns behind the increasing capitalisation within societies, not only in South Africa, but throughout the world. Join Professor Salim Vally and The Academic Citizen as we delve into the problems of the marketisation of higher education. For more on Salim's views, visit: http://theacademiccitizen.org/2016/05/11/5-the-marketisation-of-higher-...

Professor Shireen Hassim joins The Academic Citizen to discuss various issues relating to university governance - including accountability, resource allocation and quality assurance - within the context of South Africa. The Academic Citizen also gains some insight into the perception of university management from the perspective of students.  Photo: Life in General

The #FeesMustFall movement has ushered calls for transformation within higher education in South Africa, with fee-free education at the forefront. Dick Forslund explains why and how fee-free education can be made possible. The Academic Citizen also gathers some student voices on how they are impacted by fees. For more on Dick's views, visit: https://theacademiccitizen.org/2016/04/27/3-is-fee-free-...

The #FeesMustFall movement that emerged in October 2015 has changed the face of student participation within spaces of higher education, with protests breaking out at major universities all over South Africa. Join The Academic Citizen as we explore Shibu Motimele's view on why Fees Must Fall. Photo: Paul Saad