Chapter 1 - Policy and Practice Challenges and Opportunities for Developing Widening Participation in the Global South and North

Abstract

In this introductory chapter we provide a summary of the social, economic, and educational context for the rich and insightful research contributions that follow. We explore the recent global drive to widen participation to nontraditional students as governments around the world seek to strengthen their economic competitiveness through educating their citizens to graduate level. We highlight the rapid and extensive policy changes that have occurred to enable the massification of higher education systems in the global north and south, with a particular focus on the emerging nations. The aim of this chapter is to show that structural inequalities persist and widening participation initiatives aimed at providing access to marginalized groups, such as women, mature students, and those from minority ethnic backgrounds, tend to favor more privileged identities, e.g., those from a middle or upper class background. Yet despite the ongoing inequality in accessing higher education, we also acknowledge that policy initiatives to widen participation have provided more opportunities for marginalized groups and thus, the chapters in this book are a source of inspiration and hope to those students attempting to succeed in higher education against the odds.