The Internationalist – Decolonising higher education: Who gets to learn and who gets to teach?

The first season of The Association of Commonwealth Universities (@The_ACU) podcast The Internationalist is now available to listen to in full.

Focusing on how higher education can be more equal, accessible and inclusive for everyone, this season consists of six episodes that explore the critical question of ‘Who gets to learn and who gets to teach?’

Host Natasha Lokhun is joined by academics, students and practitioners from across the Commonwealth to address the question – how have universities responded to calls to decolonise higher education?

The first episode focuses on whether decolonising higher education matters. It features Professor Adam Habib, incoming Director of SOAS, University of London, UK and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and Professor Jonathan Jansen, Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Stellenbosch and President of the Academy of Science of South Africa.

Topics for the following episodes include how the curriculum can be authentic to where it’s taught and creating a sense of belonging at university for those from diverse backgrounds.

Guests for the season include notable experts such as Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies and Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Committee, and Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

The final episode of the season looks to the future. It examines how to create fairer international collaborations, enabling universities in low- and middle-income countries to have a more equal footing with universities in developed nations. Kirsty Kaiser, Implementation Manager at the Research Fairness Initiative based in South Africa, and Professor Imran Rahman, Dean of the School of Business at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, feature as special guests.

Featuring lively discussions, in-depth analysis and new perspectives on some of the key debates within higher education, information about all of the guests and topics on this new podcast can now be found on The ACU website.