scholarly journals Massification in Higher Education Institutions in Africa: Causes, Consequences and Responses

Author(s):  
Goolam Mohamedbhai

Most public higher education institutions in Africa, in response to historical conditions, have enrolled students in excess of their capacity, resulting in massification and negative consequences on educational quality. Increased enrolment has addressed issues of equity; but the equally important issue of ensuring equity in success for the enrolled students has received limited attention. Apparently graduation rates in higher education in Africa remain fairly low. Higher education institutions have taken several corrective measures to address the consequences of massification. Governments have also created new institutions and put quality assurance systems in place. There have also been continental responses. Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest tertiary enrolment of any world region, a handicap in its development. It must also meet the demands of its rapidly increasing secondary school graduates. There is a compelling need to further increase tertiary enrolment, a situation that challenges both institutions and countries. The growth in private higher education, if regulated and quality-controlled, could relieve this pressure.  Pour des raisons historiques, la majorité des établissements d’enseignement supérieur d’Afrique admet plus d’étudiants qu’elle ne peut en accueillir. Ceci conduit à la massification de l’enseignement supérieur et a des conséquences négatives sur sa qualité. L’augmentation de la participation a permis de répondre à des problèmes d’équité, mais la tout aussi importante question de l’équité dans la réussite des étudiants admis a reçu une attention limitée. Le taux de réussite dans l’enseignement supérieur en Afrique reste faible. Les établissements d’enseignement supérieur ont mis en place plusieurs mesures visant à corriger les conséquences néfastes de la massification. Les gouvernements ont aussi créé de nouvelles institutions et mis en place des systèmes d’assurance qualité. Des réponses ont par ailleurs été proposées à l’échelle du continent. Cependant, l’Afrique sub-saharienne a le plus faible taux d’inscription dans l’enseignement supérieur du monde, un handicap pour son développement. Elle doit aussi répondre aux demandes d’une population de diplômés du secondaire qui augmente rapidement. Il est impossible de nier la nécessité d’augmenter les admissions dans l’enseignement supérieur, une situation qui pose des problèmes aussi bien aux établissements qu’aux nations. La croissance des établissements privés pourrait permettre de relâcher la pression, s’ils sont correctement régulés et contrôlés en termes de qualité.

2017 ◽  
pp. 19-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wondwosen Tamrat ◽  
Daniel Levy

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.


2018 ◽  
pp. 162-183
Author(s):  
Nwachukwu Prince Ololube

This chapter evaluated the use of technology tools and services and increased student achievement in online and blended learning environments in higher education institutions, which have experienced universal uptake and is responsible for enormous changes in online and blended learning environment, not only in industrialized nations, but in developing countries education as well, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. Given the role that online and blended learning can play in educational development worldwide, higher education institutions, students, employers, and governments are increasingly urged to examine the economic, demographic, and technological environments of the present so as to ensure comprehensive preparedness for the future. This study employs an inclusive data gathering process. The findings reveal a significant improvement in the use of online and blended learning methods to achieve effective and active academic performance in students. The impact of online and blended learning in higher education institutions is evidenced in the changing instructional strategies to increase student academic achievement, which results from more active interactive learning processes.


Author(s):  
Nwachukwu Prince Ololube

This chapter evaluated the use of technology tools and services and increased student achievement in online and blended learning environments in higher education institutions, which have experienced universal uptake and is responsible for enormous changes in online and blended learning environment, not only in industrialized nations, but in developing countries education as well, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. Given the role that online and blended learning can play in educational development worldwide, higher education institutions, students, employers, and governments are increasingly urged to examine the economic, demographic, and technological environments of the present so as to ensure comprehensive preparedness for the future. This study employs an inclusive data gathering process. The findings reveal a significant improvement in the use of online and blended learning methods to achieve effective and active academic performance in students. The impact of online and blended learning in higher education institutions is evidenced in the changing instructional strategies to increase student academic achievement, which results from more active interactive learning processes.


Author(s):  
Lourdes Guàrdia ◽  
Marcelo Fabián Maina ◽  
Federica Mancini

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.


2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-27
Author(s):  
J Ssempebwa ◽  
SO Owolabi ◽  
FEK Bakkabulindi

Many higher education institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa are underfunded.Consequently, they are operating with encumbering resources constraints that threaten quality assurance. Accordingly, they are working to expand the availability of these resources. Notwithstanding, it is taken for granted that once available, these resources are optimally utilized and that, in instances expanding their availability is not possible, compromising on some elements of the quality of higher education is inevitable. The problem is that this presumption could disguise inadequacies in the utilization of the resources, with the consequence that the institutions’ need for the resources is exaggerated. Preoccupation with expanding the availability of resources could also stifle the innovation of creative ways of making the best use of the resources available. This means that the institutions need to evaluate their utilization of these resources—to pinpoint their need for the resources and potential for quality assurance. This paper reports the findings of a study that responded to this need, taking the case of teaching space at Makerere University. The objective ofthe study was to verify the hypothesis that the University is teaching space constrained. The findings were that the resource is overly underutilized albeit this was disguised by occasional overutilization of the same space, a concomitance that only multidimensional evaluation could unearth. Accordingly, the study gives credence to the hypothesis that shortages of resources at the University, and similar institutions, are ostensible. Therefore, it is recommended that these institutions subject their utilization of resources to rigorous evaluation.Keywords · Resources management · Higher education funding · Educational administration


2017 ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Wondwosen Tamrat ◽  
Daniel Levy

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.


Author(s):  
Joel S. Mtebe ◽  
Mussa M. Kissaka

Many higher education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa have been blending traditional face-to-face delivery with various Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to meet the strong demand for higher education as well as to improve the quality of traditional campus programs. Despite the increased adoption of various forms of blended learning in the region, the cost of acquiring and managing ICT infrastructure remained to be the biggest challenge. While cloud computing can provide powerful computing at a fraction of the cost of traditional ICT infrastructure, its potential to enhance blended learning in higher education in sub-Saharan Africa is unexplored. This chapter proposes deployment and adoption strategy of cloud computing to enhance blended learning services in the region. This work contributes towards helping higher education in sub-Saharan Africa to understand cloud services and to make plans for successful migration of computing services into cloud.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boukary Ouedraogo

This article uses data survey on 82 teachers from the University of Ouagadougou and the model of unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to assess the determinants of acceptance and educational use of ICT by teachers. The paper’s outcomes show that the construct “performance expectancy” of ICT (expected utility and expected results) positively affects the teachers’ acceptance of ICT. Acceptance of ICT and the Internet experience positively affect the educational use of ICT. However, facilitating conditions have a negative effect on these purposes. The Internet experience of teachers has a positive and significant direct effect on their specific use of ICT. These results could help public powers’ decision makers to develop effective policies for introducing ICTs in Higher Education Institutions.


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