ABSTRACT
Marketisation is the application of economic theory to the practice of higher education. This is based on the fundamental notion of the primacy of the market as a tool for business and strategic decisions. The market is the primary unit of focus, as it determines supply and demand, while the ultimate goal is the maximisation of productivity and profit margins. However, there are persistent arguments against the marketisation of higher education. The commercialisation or commodification of education and its transactionalisation as a good to be sold by universities and purchased by students are probably the most prominent critics. The chapter theoretically explored the notion of marketisation and its growth on the African continent, as well as discussed the six conceptual ideas that had become well developed in the marketisation of higher education in order to provide a backdrop for the work covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The concluding section of the chapter provides an overview of the chapters in the book.
