Title: Diversifying income streams in public higher education institutions in Botswana

Authors: Emmanuel Botlhale

Addresses: Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB 0705, Gaborone, Botswana

Abstract: Higher education (HE) is highly valued because it is believed to have a positive impact on economic growth and development. HE in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is mostly publicly funded, with very little contribution from both learners and parents. Governments extract money from public resources to fund HE. Post-2007 and COVID-19 financial strictures mean HE funding gaps. These gaps necessitate the diversification of income streams to fund HE. Botswana is facing chronic HE funding gaps, thus, the purpose of this paper was to argue the case for the diversification of income streams to fund HE in Botswana. It heavily relied on the University of Botswana to make its case. It concluded that HE funding gaps necessitate the diversification of income streams. The diversification includes rebranding of courses; town-gown collaboration; university bonds; PPPs in education and entrepreneurial universities. Finally, this finding has implications for HE funding problems in SSA countries.

Keywords: diversification; global financial crisis; COVID-19; fiscal stress; Botswana.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHES.2022.128673

International Journal of Higher Education and Sustainability, 2022 Vol.4 No.2, pp.97 - 114

Received: 16 May 2022
Accepted: 01 Aug 2022
Published online: 01 Feb 2023 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article