Globalisation of education in South African tertiary institutions: The case of the University of Fort Hare, South Africa

Abstract

South African tertiary education institutions are subject to global trends. This is due to the fact that despite the accountability they owe to the governments of their countries, the academic profession has increasingly become internationalized. These institutions are more than ever impacted upon by global research networks and new communication technologies. Western policies and ideologies have linked the academic institutions and systems globally. In addition, the use of English as a medium of instruction for scientific communication and teaching, in particular when combined with the internet makes communication easier and more rapid. It is in this regard that the current project aimed at assessing the role played by three variables in the globalization of education. These variables are the pedagogical process, the linguistic issue and the curriculum content. The study utilized a deductive research methodology, quantitative in nature, to investigate the globalization of education phenomenon in South African tertiary institutions as manifested in the curriculum, the teaching and learning process and the language issue. The results of the study have indicated that there is Western domination in the curriculum and reading materials, in the extensive use of the English language in all educational practices and in the free market ideology driven curriculum.