Going beyond mobility
MOVING beyond mobility was the theme of the International Conference on Internationalisation organised by the International Association of Universities (IAU) last week. It was hosted by the University of Siena, one of the oldest universities in the world (established in 1240). The conference was held to coincide with the inauguration of the 775th Academic Year of the University. It was attended by 300 participants robed in their unique academic gowns.
The ceremony was steeped in centuries old tradition and carried out with honour and pride where noble academic values shine true. It is here that the notion of moving beyond mobility comes to the fore as the University of Siena successfully navigates through to be the most internationalised university in Italy.
Arguably, “internationalisation” is not a new phenomenon, especially in the context of knowledge and mobility. Ever since humans have been on the move to survive, they have been acquiring knowledge to better their livelihood and increase their chances of survival.
Indeed, many civilisations evolved in this way, including the “cradle of civilisation”, near Mesopotamia. Early settlers formed small communities and maintained livelihood collectively. Eventually, these became villages, towns and cities. New social structures were invented including learning and administrative centres that began to characterise the first human civilisation.
Fast forward to the 14th century, the Renaissance of the West was born, resurrecting another civilisation that emulated the classics of ancient Greece and Rome, leading to what we now call the “modern” era. This was preceded by the Age of Enlightenment when “reason” became the new emphasis in creating the Renaissance Man endowed with knowledge emerging from the then Industrial and Scientific Era. But this falls short when it comes to delivering sustainable development and solutions underpinning the relevance of moving beyond mobility to sustainability.
The award of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine to a Chinese scientist for the first time, for the use of artemisinin, locally called qinghaosu, derived from the sweet wormwood plant (Artemisia annua) in the control of malaria has finally brought this point home. Collectively, the prize celebrates drug discoveries from “nature” since the other half is awarded for a novel therapy derived from soil bacteria to kill roundworms that cause river blindness and, to a lesser extent, elephantiasis – two of the most devastating parasitic diseases.
Needless to say, in sum, that knowledge collaboration that took place on an international, inter alia intercultural, if not intercivilisational, basis gives new dimensions to universities throughout the world. Indeed some of the earlier “universities” (though not known by the Latin root word, “universitas”) played vital roles towards this end as committed holistic knowledge centres predating the oldest in the West. It is therefore not surprising that internationalisation continues to be the driver of university development when “universities” began to sprout the world over. Some are truly international centres of learning and knowledge.
While the IAU 4th Global Survey on Internationalisation noted that internationalisation is well accepted generally, there are also worrying trends. One is the observation that commercialisation and commodification of higher education are considered as the most significant growing societal risk. This can be read along the need for “prestige” and “reputation” as reasons to be internationalised driven by pressure exerted through the recent trend in ranking and league tables. This trend tends to dampen the central issues of values, of access, equity, and success that are core to any university development acting as the leveller of society, both nationally and internationally.
This is already being noted namely international opportunities being available only to students with financial resources, as the most significant potential risk of internationalisation for institutions. More so recognising that the existing divides and crises continue to diminish the foundational purposes of education in ways that could hinder university development towards the creation of social justice and equitable society.
That universities, because of the pressure to compete internationally, have grown to be “unsustainable” leading a “newer” construct that tends to reduce universities to a homogenous model in the interest of commercialising higher education, and commodifying knowledge.
Added to this are demographic changes, increasing levels of demand and expectations, the changing structures of jobs and careers, to name a few, as new emerging factors that can deal a blow to university development if internationalisation is exposed to such societal risks. In short, internationalisation can be the cause of widening disparities instead. The larger goal of bridging understanding and enhancing deeper intercultural appreciation towards sustainable global peace and harmony will be in vain. The exercise to rank and stack over one another is an attempt to set the “price list” for each university in fulfilling the “commodification” agenda. Internationalisation must not fall into this foolhardy game. As the European Union of Students cynically remarked during the conference, “International students are not meant to be cash cows.”
The article is an excerpt of the writer’s address at the 775th Academic Year Inaugu
ral Ceremony on Oct 28 at the University of Sciena. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com