From 'crisis' to 'transformation'? Shifting orthodoxies of African higher education policy and research

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yann Lebeau ◽  
David Mills
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Policy Paradigm ◽  
Sub Saharan

After years of neglect, there is renewed international interest in higher education in sub-Saharan Africa. Comparative projects have been launched on a continental scale, looking at the socio-economic relevance of higher education, often with the aim of reviving failing institutions. A new 'transformation' policy paradigm has replaced a previously dominant rhetoric of 'crisis'. Promoted by the major funders, this discourse has been adopted by many within African governments and university administrations. We argue that such interventions are possible because of the particular post-colonial historical ties among African, European and American academies. They represent the latest stage of donor involvement in African universities, and are made possible by the outward-looking perspectives of many African scholars. Yet is this latest paradigm shift leading to real changes in research capacity and teaching quality within African institutions? Is it informed by specific institutional needs? We compare research and development projects led by donors with those led by academics themselves. Attempts by international donors to invigorate locally relevant research capacity are limiting the re-emergence of academic autonomy. Academic research 'collaborations', especially those led by European and American scholars, fare little better.'

scholarly journals International Lessons for African Higher Education and Economy

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pundy Pillay
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Education Planning ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Institutional Differentiation ◽  
Sub Saharan

This article distils some important lessons for Sub-Saharan Africa using case studies of three systems which have successfully linked their economic development and higher education policy and planning: namely Finland, South Korea, and North Carolina state in the USA. These lessons include the link between economic and education planning; the need for a high quality schooling system as the foundation for a productive higher education system; the importance of institutional differentiation, and the role of the state. Finally, it suggests reasons why policy makers should take note of the importance of higher education for development generally, and for economic development specifically.

Conflicts in Biafra, Katanga and Cabinda as a result of the geopolitical legacy of colonialism

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (10-3) ◽  
pp. 238-246
Author(s):  
Olga Dzhenchakova
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Economic Factor ◽  
Colonial Period ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact

The article considers the impact of the colonial past of some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and its effect on their development during the post-colonial period. The negative consequences of the geopolitical legacy of colonialism are shown on the example of three countries: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Angola, expressed in the emergence of conflicts in these countries based on ethno-cultural, religious and socio-economic contradictions. At the same time, the focus is made on the economic factor and the consequences of the consumer policy of the former metropolises pursuing their mercantile interests were mixed.

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 Hydrological education and training needs in Sub-Saharan Africa: requirements, constraints and progress

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 10565-10587
Author(s):  
D. A. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Hydrology And Water Resources ◽  
And Training

Abstract. This paper represents a perspective on the education and training needs related to hydrology and water resources science within the sub-Saharan Africa region and discusses the requirements of the region, some of the relatively recent developments and initiatives and some of the constraints that exist and remain difficult to surmount. The requirements include the development of academic research capacity and technical skill for both the private and public sector at a variety of levels. Some of the constraints that exist include a lack of adequate funding, lack of follow-up after short training courses, lack of institutional support to continue training, and competition for major water resources development projects from organizations outside the region. One of the main conclusions is that to sustain both educational and practical expertise in hydrology and water resources science within the region there is a need to build a "critical mass" of local expertise. Part of this could be achieved by increasing networking within the region and promoting the sharing of information, tools and expertise. There is also a need to promote institutional support.

scholarly journals Normative intersectionality in married women's property rights in southern Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony C Diala ◽  
Jane C Diala
Keyword(s):  
Property Rights ◽  
Legal Pluralism ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Socioeconomic Changes ◽  
Economic Forces ◽  
Southern Nigeria ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Nuanced Understanding

ABSTRACT The fate of marriage gifts during a customary law divorce is significant for the interaction of legal orders in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in the context of scholars' fixation with conflict of laws. In analysing this fatet, this article introduces normative intersectionality as a theoretical framework for a nuanced understanding of how laws and socio-economic forces interact in post-colonial settings. Normative intersectionality rejects a legal positivist view of rights, which neglects people's adaptation of indigenous norms to socioeconomic changes. In this sense, normative intersectionality is useful for addressing the traditional Igbo law of matrimonial property, which regards a married woman's property rights as subsumed in her husband's rights. Using the division of marriage gifts in Southern Nigeria as a case study, the article draws attention to how legal orders speak to, rather than against, each other, and in so doing, stresses the adaptive character of indigenous laws. It argues that normative intersectionality illumines the interplay of gender equality, property rights and legal pluralism. Accordingly, it urges judges to use the imitative nature of legal pluralism in post-colonial settings to remedy entrenched systems of injustice and inequality, which often hide under the banner of tradition. Keywords: Adaptive legal pluralism, marriage gifts, African customary law, matrimonial property rights.

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.

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.

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