Twentieth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

Within the context of globalization and internationalization of higher education, a need arises to pay particular attention to the prospects of high student mobility across the globe. This mobility has increased due to environmental catastrophes resulting from global warming, and also due to factors such as wars, famine and economic depression. In the context of South Africa, students emigrate to this country in search of educational opportunities and better quality education than the one available in their home countries. Over the years, African immigrants from other African states have not received the same treatment as their White immigrant counterparts. Instead, they have encountered xenophobia and discrimination meted out to them by their fellow Africans in South Africa. Because schools and universities are a microcosm of society, xenophobia and discrimination that take place in the communities trickles down to them. Consequently, African students from other African States are not spared from these attacks. Abundant literature attests to students’ xenophobic experiences in South African schools and universities. Drawing on existing literature, this paper explores and advocates Ubuntu philosophy as an approach that could be adopted in university classrooms to teach immigrant students who may have emigrated across cities, states, countries, and continents due to natural catastrophes in search of better quality education or educational opportunities. This paper seeks answers to the question of what Ubuntu philosophy entails, how it features in education settings, as well as how it can be implemented in university settings to create enabling environments for migrant students.