Internationalization of higher education in Africa: a critical review of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)

Abstract

Present discourses on globalization and its effects on higher education are couched in relation to internationalization efforts, and give the impression that internationalization is a necessary response to 21st century globalization. Due to large scale internationalization efforts by industrialized nations, it seems compelling to discuss internationalization from a revenue-generating rationale, which alters the focal point of education, from concerns about social transformation, to concerns about rates of capital gains. I reflect upon these neoliberal beliefs and it's accomplishment in classify ing education as a tradable commodity under the General Agreement on Trade in Services henceforth referenced as GA TS and the implications it has for Africa.