Brain circuity: The case of South Africa as a hub for doctoral education

Abstract

The production and reproduction of knowledge are important components of national development. As student mobility increases, globally and within Africa, so does the national diversity of students as they seek to further their postgraduate studies at the limited number of research universities in Africa. Knowledge migration is inevitably a relationship between nation states because migration is driven by push factors (such as the socio-economic conditions and opportunities) in the country of origin as well as by pull factors (such as the rules and incentives for entry, participation in postgraduate education and post-study residency), which are prerogatives of the host nation. In other words, migration and development must be understood in comparative terms. The brain drain perspective on migration and development takes mainly the perspective of the origin country into consideration. Migration and the loss of high-level skills are seen as detrimental to the development prospects of the country of origin. The brain circulation perspective moves the discussion forward by suggesting that there are residual returns to the country of origin. However, relatively little attention has been given to the impact of knowledge migrants on the host nation when the host is facing its own post-colonial development challenges. This is the dilemma facing South Africa as a hub for doctoral students from the rest of Africa: attracting top doctoral students from the rest of the continent to contribute to the country’s knowledge capacity but at the expense of developing local talent, thereby setting up a complex tension between underdevelopment and development. Here we establish whether South Africa is maintaining its position as a PhD hub on the African continent and explore the extent to which the brain circulation argument holds up in the African context. We suggest that, given the current policy environment in South Africa, brain circuity is a more likely outcome, where brain circuity describes the flow of knowledge characterised by indirection and undesirable intricacy.

Exploring key themes and trends in international student mobility research —A systematic literature review

“…The review analysis shows that South African universities are an attractive destination for PhD candidates due to the quality of education they offer, as noted in a study by Van Schalkwyk et al. (2021).…”

“…The other factor regarding to motivation to study abroad is the hope to improve one's academic life or pursuing academic growth (Hung, 2021). A study conducted on PhD students in South Africa shows that students remained in the county to pursue for further education, such as post-doctoral study (Van Schalkwyk et al. , 2021).…”

“…Moreover, the work permit system in South Africa is based on the principle of not displacing South Africans. This implies that individuals may be denied a work permit if there are enough South Africans in the job position, they are seeking (Van Schalkwyk et al. , 2021).…”

“…Most PhD candidates cite family-related reasons as their primary reason for returning home (Van Schalkwyk et al. , 2021).…”

“…4.4.2 Family ties. Most PhD candidates cite family-related reasons as their primary reason for returning home (Van Schalkwyk et al, 2021). It is important to recognise that the decision to migrate is not made alone and families have a significant influence on this decision.…”