Moshtari Mohammad, Safarpour Alireza
Faculty of Management and Business, Industrial Engineering and Management, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
Sharif Policy Research Institute, Tehran, Iran.
High Educ (Dordr). 2023 Jan 23:1-21. doi: 10.1007/s10734-023-00994-1.
As it becomes more crucial to push the boundaries of science to develop new technologies and important global initiatives, internationalization can be instrumental in helping underdeveloped countries overcome challenges such as poverty, climate change, and educational inequalities. Higher education institutions have always faced challenges in the process of internationalization, which have occupied scholarly attention in recent decades, but little research has been conducted on the internationalization of higher education in less developed African countries. This qualitative study aims to shed light on the challenges of internationalization of higher education in low-income countries in East Africa. After reviewing the literature and interviewing academics, the obtained data were thematically analyzed. The results suggested 12 main challenges, which were classified into four major categories. The challenges include a lack of clear policies and guidelines; the inefficiency of the organizational structure of internationalization; financial, infrastructure, and equipment problems; weaknesses in scientific, skill, and language competences; cultural differences; non-reciprocal relationships; and a brain drain. Finally, strategies for responding to these challenges with regard to the internal and external environments of higher education institutions were proposed. Among the internal strategies of higher education institutions are the development of clear policies and visions, planning for the development of human resources, and sustainable budgeting for internationalization programs. External strategies emphasize the development of national policies and laws based on contextual and environmental conditions, as well as interaction and participation in international meetings to expand communication and use the scientific and economic capacities of international agencies and institutions.
随着推动科学边界以开发新技术和开展重要全球倡议变得愈发关键，国际化有助于欠发达国家应对贫困、气候变化和教育不平等之类的挑战。高等教育机构在国际化进程中一直面临挑战，近几十年来这些挑战备受学界关注，但针对非洲欠发达国家高等教育国际化的研究却很少。这项定性研究旨在揭示东非低收入国家高等教育国际化面临的挑战。在查阅文献并采访学者后，对所获数据进行了主题分析。结果显示了12个主要挑战，这些挑战分为四大类。挑战包括缺乏明确的政策和指导方针；国际化组织结构效率低下；资金、基础设施和设备问题；科学、技能和语言能力薄弱；文化差异；非对等关系；以及人才外流。最后，针对高等教育机构的内部和外部环境，提出了应对这些挑战的策略。高等教育机构的内部策略包括制定明确的政策和愿景、规划人力资源发展以及为国际化项目进行可持续预算编制。外部策略强调根据具体情况和环境条件制定国家政策和法律，以及参与国际会议并进行互动，以扩大交流并利用国际机构和组织的科学和经济能力。
