What alternatives can BRICS countries offer to the world of global higher education? A thematic policy analysis of the WCU policies of BRICS nations through the lens of multiple modernities

The formation of higher education policy in BRICS nations, particularly in recent decades, has been increasingly affected by the advent of global educational trends, particularly those which have been laid down by the leading nations of higher education in Europe and North America. These trends represent the latest form of Western modernity. It is, thus, reasonable to question whether this form of modernity is suited to a non-Western political, social, or economic context. In this regard, the example of BRICS nations is critical in terms of assessing whether Western standards of higher education can be implemented in non-Western, or post-Western nations. This thesis specifically explores the implementation of a new model of higher education institution in BRICS nations: the World-Class University, or WCU. Formulated as a strategy of European and American university excellence during the 1990s and 2000s, this initiative involves the implementation of university standards. The model especially advances the cause of autonomy in governance, excellence in research and development, the attraction of foreign scholars and academics, and collaboration between universities and the private sector. Success is measured through the status of institutions in the university rankings, nationally and globally. The process of WCU formation, according to leading experts of international higher education, has been shaped by three global educational trends : internationalization, commercialization and massification. A review of the key literature reveals that all three global trends are present in the Western policy agenda, and, moreover, that Western universities have passed through all three of these stages/trends in order to construct WCUs. However, for countries like the BRICS nations, it is a primary task to go through all three stages in order to build WCUs. This thesis explores the development and implementation of WCU policies in the five BRICS nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Analysis of the higher education policies of each country pays attention to the unique historical, political, social, and economic factors which have influenced the development of their respective higher education sectors. In examining the extent of the implementation of WCU initiatives in each BRICS nation, this thesis also assesses the success of these measures, per country. More crucially, as BRICS nations provide the researcher with an opportunity to explore the idea of an alternative to Western modernity, this thesis posits a conclusion on whether such an alternative has been produced by the BRICS in respect of the model of the WCU, one which is uniquely suited to the non-Western and post-colonial context of the BRICS cooperation