Internationalisation of higher education: facilitating partnerships between universities

The higher education sector in South Africa has been characterised by a myriad of changes in recent years. One such a change is the expansion of private higher education which, in most cases, is a consequence of internationalisation. Internationalisation manifests itself in various ways, ranging from inter-institutional co-operation to agency agreements. This article strives to highlight the important role that internationalisation can play in facilitating partnerships between higher education institutions across continents. To achieve this objective, literature on partnerships in higher education was studied. An example of a partnership between a university in South Africa and a university in the United States of America will be provided as authentic evidence that, assuming the notion of "partnering", internationalisation could significantly contribute to the provision of university education. Although it has only been running for three years, the case study is provided to enable readers to critically determine the feasibility of forging partnerships at the intercontinental level. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol.16(1) 2002: 15-2