Professors without Borders: The Benefits of a Scholastic Mentoring Program

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Maul
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Mentoring Program ◽  
Mentorship Program ◽  
Postgraduate Study ◽  
Industrialized Nations ◽  
Similar Program ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Insight Into

Universities in sub-Saharan Africa currently struggle to maintain adequate faculty and resources to take on Ph.D. candidates. Expanding enrolment in recent decades has not been met with improvements in university facilities, and neglect from development agencies has made it difficult for the higher education sector to meet the demands of the knowledge economy. As a result African graduate students have few opportunities to pursue postgraduate study in the region and sub-Saharan Africa’s brain drain persists. In order to address the lack of opportunity for graduate study, the Professors without Borders program has been developed. Professors without Borders is a mentorship program, whereby graduate students in sub-Saharan Africa are partnered with professors and academics at universities in industrialized nations and the students are mentored during the course of their degree. The program aims to promote internationalization among universities as well as facilitate development. This report examines the motivation behind the program and its potential for success. The literature review on higher education in sub-Saharan African summarizes the problems facing the sector but indicates the potential for higher education to contribute to economic growth. In addition, the reception of the Professors without Borders idea among African universities indicates unanimously that such a mentorship program would be very much welcomed and beneficial to African Ph.D. students. The experience of a similar program known as BrainRetain by the Irish-Africa Partnership provides insight into the challenges and logistics of making such a mentorship program successful and sustainable.

Increasing the Visibility of Graduate Students' Employability Skills

2021 ◽  
pp. 253-275
Author(s):  
Lourdes Guàrdia ◽  
Marcelo Fabián Maina ◽  
Federica Mancini
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Employability Skills ◽  
Skills Gap ◽  
Learning Models ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

This chapter highlights the contributions of the EPICA project in reducing the skills gap of graduate students in sub-Saharan Africa. It presents the solution designed and implemented to improve the quality of employability skills development and visibility to prospective employers. The first part of this chapter provides an overview of the skills gap between higher education institutions and the workplace in sub-Saharan Africa. It includes the description of the specific eAssessment pedagogical framework and methodology supported by the EPICA ePortfolio as a transition tool designed to address this gap. The second part of the chapter outlines the challenges that could hinder the solution's implementation and the full exploitation of its benefits. Solutions and recommendations are also discussed with the aim to increase the impact in the EPICA stakeholder community and encourage the implementation of the proposed solution in other universities, especially those adopting blended and online learning models.

scholarly journals Unusual in Growth and Composition: Ethiopian Private Higher Education

2017 ◽  
pp. 19-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wondwosen Tamrat ◽  
Daniel Levy
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Private Higher Education ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Limited Role ◽  
The Future ◽  
Sub Saharan

Ethiopia’s private higher education (PHE) sector is the largest or second largest in sub-Saharan Africa, however a mix of enabling and restrictive policies have let PHE play a limited role in key respects. This article surveys the current landscape and asks important questions regarding the future of PHE.

scholarly journals Higher Education and Economic Growth in Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Bloom ◽  
David Canning ◽  
Kevin Chan ◽  
Dara Lee Luca
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
International Development ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Développement Économique ◽  
Education And Economic Growth

Enrollment rates for higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa are by far the lowest in the world at 6%. Yet because of conventional beliefs that tertiary education is less important for poverty reduction, the international development community has encouraged African governments’ relative neglect of higher education. This article challenges beliefs that tertiary education has little role in promoting economic growth and alleviating poverty. First, we review recent evidence that higher education can produce significant public and private benefits. Next, we analyze the relationship between tertiary education and economic growth. We find evidence that tertiary education improves technological catch-up and, in doing so, may help to maximize Africa’s potential to achieve more rapid economic growth given current constraints. Investing in tertiary education in Africa may accelerate technological diffusion, which would in turn decrease knowledge gaps and help reduce poverty in the region. We also review new developments and trends in the higher education scene in Africa. Le taux d’inscription dans l’enseignement supérieur en Afrique sub-saharienne est de loin le plus faible du monde, atteignant seulement 6%. Pourtant, parce que l’enseignement supérieur est perçu comme moins important que les enseignements primaire et secondaire pour lutter contre la pauvreté, la communauté internationale a encouragé les gouvernements africains à moins y prêter attention. Cet article conteste l’idée que l’enseignement supérieur joue un rôle peu important dans le développement économique et la lutte contre la pauvreté. Tout d’abord, nous nous intéressons à de récents résultats qui montrent que l’enseignement supérieur crée des bénéfices publics et privés. Ensuite, nous analysons la relation entre l’enseignement supérieur et la croissance économique. Nous montrons que l’enseignement supérieur permet de rattraper le retard technologique et, ce faisant, pourrait aider l’Afrique à maximiser sa capacité à accélérer sa croissance économique dans les conditions actuelles. Investir dans l’enseignement supérieur en Afrique pourrait permettre une diffusion plus rapide des avancées technologiques, qui pourrait à son tour réduire la disparité de savoir et participer à la réduction de la pauvreté dans la région. Nous passons aussi en revue les nouveautés et tendances dans l’enseignement supérieur africain.

The Moment I Realized I Had to Give Back by Teaching

2019 ◽  
pp. 171-185
Author(s):  
Deborah McPhee
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
Scholastic Achievement ◽  
Mentoring Program ◽  
Average Student ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The Right ◽  
Returning To School ◽  
Insight Into

The author provides insight into surviving a traumatic, life-altering experience and returning to school to finish attaining a degree later in life. Completing the process of gaining a higher education can be more than simply rewarding, for a survivor, for someone older than the average student, or for someone simply searching for their place in life. The journey can help people recover, overcome obstacles and fears, and not only put their lives back together, but improve their quality of life. Finding the right school and a mentoring program, one that helps guide a student through a higher education, can be more than a scholastic achievement; it can be a part of the process of rebuilding a life and moving on. In fact, it can be transforming and inspiring. This chapter examines the process and offers insight and advice on the importance of reaching goals, despite any obstacles.

A Systems Approach for Sustainably Reducing Childhood Diarrheal Deaths in Developing Countries

2016 ◽  
pp. 1208-1227
Author(s):  
Monica Gray
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Industrialized Nations ◽  
Sub Saharan

Diarrhea is the second leading cause of death and is the major cause of malnutrition in children under age 5 worldwide. More than 50 percent of the cases occur in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Open defecation, substandard fecal disposal systems, and contaminated water supplies are the typical causes of diarrheal diseases. This public health crisis in low income countries mirrors the experiences of today's industrialized nations two centuries ago. The lessons learned from their sanitary evolution can be instructive in charting a sustainable path towards saving the lives of almost 2 million children annually. In this chapter a case study of Cuba's sanitary reformation is also presented to showcase successes, similar to those of developed countries, within a developing country and economically challenging context.

AVU's Experience in Increasing Access to Quality Higher Education through e-Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa

2010 ◽  
pp. 165-179
Author(s):  
Bakary Diallo ◽  
Sidiki Traoré ◽  
Therrezinha Fernandes
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Governmental Organization ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Open Education Resources

Universities and other tertiary institutions in developing nations around the world are facing major challenges in meeting the demand for increasing access to higher education (HE): limitations imposed by inadequate funding, poor infrastructure and sometimes lack of political vision, added to the demographic explosion, make it almost impossible for some of these developing nations to ensure access to all to higher education solely through the conventional face-to-face mode. In this context, the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are providing an alternative to face-to-face education. Moreover, they have the potential to significantly increase access to quality higher education, improve management of tertiary institutions, increase access to educational resources through digital libraries and open education resources, foster collaboration and networking between universities, foster collaboration between the private sector and tertiary institutions, enhance sub-regional and regional integration and facilitate the mobility of teachers and graduates. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the African Virtual University (AVU), a Pan African Inter-Governmental Organization initially launched in Washington in 1997 as a World Bank project, works with a number of countries toward reaching the goal of increasing access to quality higher education and training programmes through the use of ICTs. The AVU has been the first-of-itskind in this regard to serve the Sub-Saharan African countries. In this chapter, the AVU’s twelve years experience in delivering and improving access to quality higher distance education throughout Africa will be discussed. The AVU has trained more than 40,000 students since its inception; this is the proof that it is possible to achieve democratization of tertiary education in Africa despite many challenges.

scholarly journals The gut microbiome in konzo

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Bramble ◽  
Neerja Vashist ◽  
Arthur Ko ◽  
Sambhawa Priya ◽  
Céleste Musasa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Metagenomic Sequencing ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractKonzo, a distinct upper motor neuron disease associated with a cyanogenic diet and chronic malnutrition, predominately affects children and women of childbearing age in sub-Saharan Africa. While the exact biological mechanisms that cause this disease have largely remained elusive, host-genetics and environmental components such as the gut microbiome have been implicated. Using a large study population of 180 individuals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where konzo is most frequent, we investigate how the structure of the gut microbiome varied across geographical contexts, as well as provide the first insight into the gut flora of children affected with this debilitating disease using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Our findings indicate that the gut microbiome structure is highly variable depending on region of sampling, but most interestingly, we identify unique enrichments of bacterial species and functional pathways that potentially modulate the susceptibility of konzo in prone regions of the Congo.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document