Critical Issues Influencing Higher Education Systems in Emerging Countries

Globally, higher education systems are changing due to costs, technology, opportunities, etc. In addition, the pandemic has influenced how education is perceived and sought, as there is a need for new and different skills to meet the changed time. Adopting a grounded theory approach with a systematic literature review, this chapter identifies the critical issues influencing higher education systems in emerging economies, focusing on Namibia. Further, the chapter discusses the long-term issues. It provides “big ideas” to deal with these critical issues to ensure that the higher education systems become more robust in general, and in Namibia, in particular.