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24: Wits SRC Speaks
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.
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23: Academic Freedom in Turkey
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…
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22: The Commission of Inquiry into HE
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 and Training, chaired by Justice Heher. Some of the the proposed solutions…
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21: Virtual Learning in Uganda
This week, Prof 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.
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20: Tensions at British Universities
In 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…
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19: Precarious Postdocs
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…
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18: Global University Rankings
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…
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17: Doctoral Degrees and Developing Economies
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…
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16: On African Philosophy
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.
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15: The Politics of Language in HE
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…
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