Abstract:

Internationalization of higher education has been hailed as a way to enhance the quality of education and research. It’s thus understandable when universities in both the global north and south advertise their international linkages which also promotes their rankings. In 2014, Social Science staff from Education at the University of Bergen (now HVL), Norway visited Social Sciences staff (Geography and History) in the School of Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to explore common research interests and opportunities for academic engagement. A memorandum of understanding was crafted a year later, which included networking, research and staff-student exchange features when feasible. Unequal funding mechanisms across the hemispheres threatened to scupper initial attempts at exchange despite staff and institutional commitment, until the project leaders sought innovative strategies to facilitate initial mobility and to sustain staff-student exchanges until 2021. This paper reports on how staff commitment, institutional support and funding opportunities have become critical components in navigating the murky waters of global north- south student-teacher exchanges between HVL and UKZN, two higher education institutions committed to internationalizing their teacher education programmes. The paper is crafted through the lens of the project leader from the University of Kwa Zulu-Natal, South Africa in the global south.

Keywords:

Student-staff exchange, global north and south.