National University of Rwanda

“Excellence in Education and Service to the People”

ROLE OF HEd IN ACHIEVING MDGsby Prof. Silas LWAKABAMBA

Rector, NUR

• For a long time the thinking that was HEd does not influence welfare and poverty reduction as much as primary and secondary education.

• World Bank support to HEd world wide declined from 17 per cent in the 1980 to 7 per cent in 1990s because of the distorted logic.

A CHANGE IN THINKING ON HEd

• Directly contributes to education development,

• Produce skilled manpower through graduate and post graduate training.

• Trains primary and post primary teachers, nurses, doctors, technicians, engineers etc…

• Influence policy and decision making.• Etc

Role of HEd

Role of HEd Cont …• A recent study by NUFFIC 2006 on “Achieving MDGs

in Sub Saharan Africa. The role of international capacity building in HEd and Research (HEd&R)” has shown further that HEd&R:

• Provides skilled manpower for economic growth and poverty reduction.

• Improves the quality of education system.• Creates capacity for absorption of aid.• Contributes among other things, in life expectancy

and crop yield.

These include:• Private: better pay, higher employment prospects,

greater ability to save and invest thus better health and improved quality of life.

• Public: assists technological catch up, decrease knowledge gap, raise tax revenue base,enhannce saving and investment.

Private and Public benefits from HEd

A statement by Mamphela Ramphele, former Vice Chancellor and World Bank Managing Director for Human Development cited in the NUFFIC

study 2006:“There is no way we can succeed in theeradication of poverty if the developing

world is not part of knowledge creation, itsdissemination and utilization to promoteinnovation. Higher education is a critical

factor in making this possible and must bepart of any development strategy.”

The wisdom is changing

The wisdom is changing cont …

And Koffi Annan (former UN Secretary General) during the 2003, Africa Regional Training Conference on Tertiary Education:“The university must become a primary tool for Africa’s

development in the new century. Universities can help develop African expertise; they can enhance the analysis

of African problems; strengthen domestic institutions; serve as a model environment for the practice of good governance, conflict resolution and respect for human

rights, and enable African academics to play an active part in the global community of scholars”

Some data on HEd and growth

• 1 % increase in HEd qualification led to annual growth of output between 0.42 and 0.62 (Jenkins using UK time series).

• 1% rise HEd stock led to 0.35 rise in industrial output while 1% rise in number of graduates led to 0.55 rise in agricultural output in Taiwan.

• Higher numbers of scientists and engineers is significantly associated with economic growth.

• Empirical evidence have shown that growth in Japan, UK, France and Sweden is associated with investment in HEd.

• HEd enrolment rates are linked to good governance indicators (Bloom).

If the argument on HEd link to economic growth is taken the link to MDGs should be understandable.

1. End Hunger and poverty;2. Universal Education;3. Gender Equity;4. Child Health;5. Maternal Health;6. Combat HIV/AIDS;7. Environmental Sustainability;8. Global Partnership;

The MDGs

Common sense

• Imagine trying to achieve the Millennium Development Goals without higher education; Combating HIV/AIDS without AIDS research or cultural understanding.

• Providing primary education without training teachers to develop and deliver curriculum; Strengthening governance without qualified policy-makers, judiciary and business leaders.

Role of HEd in achieving MDGs

MDG1. Eradicate hunger and poverty

2. Universal primary education

3. Gender equity

4. And 5. Reduce child mortality and Improve mother health

Indicative role of HEd1. Teaching, research and

outreach in agricultural development.

2. HEd train and retrain teachers.

3. Mainstream gender, in activities and creating gender institutes.

4. And 5. HEd trains doctors, nurses and midwives.

Role of HEd in achieving MDGs cont ...

MDG6.Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria

and other diseases

7. Ensure environmental sustainability

8.Develop a global partnership for development

Indicative role of HEd6. HEd assists in assessments,

policy in the institutions, integration of HIV/AIDS in curriculum, research and outreach.

7. Training, research and multidisciplinary interventions in Sustainable Development.

8. Collaborations and networks with HEd in the north.

• Between two Rwanda MDGs Report of 2003 and 2008 respectively tremendous strides have been made.

• Real GDP average growth per annum has grown at 6.4 %.

• The per capita income has shot up from $250 to $ 520.

• Export growth has been on average 12.5 per year.• Subsequently Rwanda is progressing well towards

achieving MDGs.

Rwanda has registered tremendous growth since 1994

RWANDA and MDGs

MDGs1. Extreme hunger and

eradication of poverty

2. UPE

3. Gender equity

Summary prediction by UN via MDG Report 2007

1. Rwanda will most likely meet the eradication of extreme hunger.

• Not likely to reduce poverty whose rates were raised by genocide.

2. Likely to be achieved. Rwanda has made remarkable achievements in education since genocide.

3. Achieved.

RWANDA and MDGs Cont ...

MDGs

• 4. Child mortality likely to be achieved

• 5. Maternal health• 6. HIV and other

diseases • 7. Environmental

sustainability• 8. Global partnership

Summary prediction by UN via MDG Report 2007• 4. MDGs goals likely to be

achieved .• 5. For a time off course but

now on course.• 6. Goals for TB and Malaria

likely to be achieved HIV/Aids not sure.

• 7. Goals likely to be achieved.• 8. Goals not likely to be

achieved.

• NUR is the only broadly based University in the public and private sector.

• Represents more than half of the total public sector enrolment in higher education.

• Represents about a quarter of all degree students in Rwanda.

• NUR plays a pivotal role in Rwanda development agenda and in other HEd Institutions in Rwanda.

NUR has a special position in the economy of Rwanda

• Founded in 1963 and re-established after the Genocide of 1994, now has more than 12,000 students, about a third of them women, has 536 academic/research staff

• Number of NUR graduates increased 6 times more in 15 years after the genocide (11491) than in 30 years after independence (1926),

• NUR most comprehensive university with 38 undergraduates courses, 23 Masters & a PhD programme.

• NUR is central to the idea of creating a knowledge economy in relation to ICT and Human Resource development.

NUR at a glance

Students Enrolment since 1994 by gender

1994-1995

1995-1996

1996-1997

1997-1998

1999-2000

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20100

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

24722860 3018

3349 34753705

4640

53475638 5497

5876

5258

5795

6862

7952

7891098 1177 1203 1060 1135 1282

1893 1971 20192196

1790

2555

29843334

Male

Female

Graduates from 1963 -1993

1963 - 1972 1973 - 1979 1980 - 1986 1987 - 1993

18

194

786

964Total 1,962

Graduates from 1995 until 2010

Year 1995

Year 1996

Year 1997

Year 1998

Year 2000

Year 2001

Year 2002

Year 2004

Year 2005

Year 2006

Year 2008

Year 2009

Year 2010

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

103 130 175

394541

614502 461 511

2073

3243

14521297

Num

ber o

f gra

duat

es

Total 11,491

NUR and MDGsNo MDG NUR contribution1 Reduction of hunger and

poverty Several faculties contribute to learning and researching

on food security Faculty of Agriculture (FACAGRO), Economics and Management.

Partnership with cooperatives and USAID through SPREAD has led to improvement of rural coffee growers.

NUR participated in assessments of Poverty reduction for drawing strategies - Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2007 and Human Development Report 2007.

2 Universal Education

NUR is the principal HEI in Rwanda and participates in the curriculum development and policy formulation of the Education sector.

It provides the supply chain end of education facilities to primary education pupils . Soon Rwanda may offer free secondary education and expansion of NUR will augment the rationale of UPE.

NUR and MDGs cont …No MDG NUR contribution3 Gender Equity NUR through policy analysis has contributed in explaining through

research activities the role and magnitude of gender equity in Rwanda 2008,2009,2010

NUR experts have carried out gender mainstreaming short courses in Rwanda 2009

NUR has a gender equity in its strategic plan 2008-2012 NUR has formed a Gender committee that participates in dialogue

and advocacy of the Rwanda gender equity policy and is train NUR through support by donors has started a Women PhD

programme

4 Child Health and maternal health

NUR has a Faculty of Medicine that carries out comprehensive academic and research programme on health

The faculty has been running an e health project NUR has been in charge of University teaching hospitals of Butare

and Kigali where higher clinical services, teaching and research are carried out

NUR and MDGs cont … No MDG NUR CONTRIBUTION6 Combat HIV and

other diseases NUR -School of Public Health has developed a niche in research and outputs on

health, HIV and other diseases LUCS is an NUR project run from the Faculty of Medicine on sensitization on HIV University teaching hospital supports research on HIV and other diseases.. Testing, counseling, ARVs and treatment are services NUR teaching hospital is

offering NUR has supported a purposive AIDS awareness campaign in the student

community

7 Environmental sustainability

NUR has several research centres and activities whose primary mission is environmental sustainability

Center for Environment, Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development(CEESD); Centre for Geographic Information Services(CGIS)

Water Resources Management training at Masters level in Faculty of Applied Science; Nile Basin research functions in Faculty of Economics and Management, and Faculty of Agriculture on Irrigation and Agroforestry are directed to environmental sustainability

NUR has continued through individual researchers and NUR Consultancy Bureau contributed to the work of Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (REMA ) and government on assessment of environmental and other aspects of the proposed new settlement schemes (Umududgudu)

NUR and MDGs cont … NO MD NUR CONTRIBUTION8 Global Partnership NUR has linked with many organizations and

networks from the North and the South with the aim of promoting teaching and research at NUR. The most notable has been SIDA Sweden and NUFFIC Netherlands, MacArthur US and Rockfeller US to mention but a few.

A link with KOICA of South Korea is leading to the establishment of a premier ICT School in sub Saharan Africa

NUR has provided post graduate level training in ICT through an MSC and Post Graduate training in ICT Policy and regulation

• In conclusion NUR growth and performance has been consistent with the recovery of Rwandan economy.

• The growth in enrolment and graduates has been invaluable in the recovery of Rwanda and ability to eradicate extreme hunger.

• The increase in graduates has provided Doctors, Teachers, Engineers, Economists, etc, to the economy of Rwanda important to the MDGs.

• Training of girls and policy reform has catered for gender equality .

CONCLUSION

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