Internationalisation of Higher Education (IHE) policy development, implementation and review: The case of Zimbabwe
Between 2017 and 2020, the Chairholder, Professor Juliet Thondhlana and partner, Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE) embarked on an initiative to develop a national IHE Policy for Zimbabwe, working under the auspices of the University of Nottingham-ZIMCHE partnership supported through the university's ESRC IAA fund. The policy provides targets/milestones for key stakeholders and universities to attain by 2023.
The IHE policy was designed to harmonise the way Zimbabwean universities approach internationalisation. The policy guides universities to develop their institutional policies and strategies, aligning them with national priorities, institutional goals and SDGs 4 and 8. The process included:
- a baseline study and development of a theory of change (thus, allowing for longer-term impact evaluation)
- six stakeholder engagement and expert guided policy development workshops
- presentation and approval by the Higher Education Minister, representing the Zimbabwean Government
- implementation of the policy by universities between 2020-2022.
The team are now reviewing the extent to which Zimbabwean universities and key stakeholders (such as the Ministries of Higher Education; Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs) have met the targets, the challenges met and the necessary interventions. The review involves a survey and interviews (with stakeholders/policy implementors and beneficiaries) on the achievement of targets, best practices, gaps and possible solutions.
The project is being funded through the University of Nottingham’s Faculty of Social Sciences KE and Impact Acceleration Fund as well as the School of Education RKE funding. Findings of the policy review will be disseminated and discussed at a policy engagement workshop with key stakeholders including universities and policymakers.
Photos below show policy makers, vice chancellors, pro-vice chancellors, registrars, ZIMCHE and researchers at the workshop to present the national policy framework of the internationalisation of higher education in Zimbabwe in January 2020.