HIGHER EDUCATION IN AFRICA HIGHER EDUCATION IN AFRICA FROM MGDs TO SDGsFROM MGDs TO SDGs

 Juma SHABANIJuma SHABANI

9th October 20159th October 2015

BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND

• Successfully sustained till mid 1980s

• From mid 1980s quality of higher education declined for several reasons including implementation of structural adjustment policies

• 1995 World Bank/IMF and African Ministers of finance

BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND  

• To strengthen African institutional and human resource capacities in key areas.

• One of the rationales for organization of the 1998 World Conference on Higher education (WCHE)

• 1996 Partnership for Capacity Building in Higher Education Africa

1998 WCHE- MAJOR CHALLENGES1998 WCHE- MAJOR CHALLENGES

• Organized by UNESCO and its partners

• More than 4000 participants

• Challenges: Access/Quality/Relevance/Gender/Equity in all its forms

• Relevance: Align training programmes to the needs of the world of work and employability

1998 WCHE- OPPORTUNITIES1998 WCHE- OPPORTUNITIES

• Partnerships/International cooperation Cooperation should be conceived as an integral part of the institutional missions of higher education institutions and systems

• Use of ICTs

EXEMPLES OF PARTNERSHIPSEXEMPLES OF PARTNERSHIPS

• Partnership in Higher Education in Africa supported by American Foundations

• G8 support to higher education and research networks in Africa in particular NEPAD networks of centres of excellence in science and technology: USD 8 Billion

• 2007 Joint Africa-EU Strategy with 8 strategic partnerships in several areas including Capacity building in Higher Education and S&T

EXAMPLES OF ACHIEVEMENTS (1)EXAMPLES OF ACHIEVEMENTS (1)

Access and Quality

•New public/private institutions; E-learning programmes; Quality assurance agencies; Pedagogy; Research outputs

ICTs

•Virtual libraries/institutes/laboratories

•University portals

•1 laptop per student programmes

EXAMPLES OF ACHIEVEMENTS (2)EXAMPLES OF ACHIEVEMENTS (2)

• The second Decade of Education for Africa (2006-2015)

• Harmonization of Higher Education Strategy

• Alignment of the Francophone higher education system to BMD

EXAMPLES OF ACHIEVEMENTS (3)EXAMPLES OF ACHIEVEMENTS (3)

• African quality assurance rating (AQRM)

• Pan African Quality assurance and accreditation framework (PAQAF)

• Revised Arusha Convention

• Pan African University

RECOGNITION OF THE ROLE HIGHER RECOGNITION OF THE ROLE HIGHER EDUCATION IN DEVELOPMENT IN 2009EDUCATION IN DEVELOPMENT IN 2009

WORLD BANK: Accelerating Catch-up Tertiary Education for Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa;

WCHE: At no time in history has it been more important to invest in higher education as a major force in building an inclusive and diverse knowledge society and to advance research, innovation and creativity’

CHALLENGES OF HIGHER EDUCATION CHALLENGES OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN AFRICAIN AFRICA

2009 WCHE

Dakar Summit: March 2015 (Deadline 2063)

•Achieve participation rate of 50%

•Train all academic staff at the PhD level

•Establish at least 200 Research universities

Need for a new paradigm

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MDGs IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MDGs IN AFRICA (1) AFRICA (1)

Several instruments and Frameworks at national levels:

•Poverty Reduction Paper Strategies

•Strategic Frameworks for Poverty Reduction and Growth

•Paris Declaration on Effectiveness of aid

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MDGs IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MDGs IN AFRICA (2) AFRICA (2)

• New funding mechanisms:

General/Sectoral budget support

• MDG 8: Partnerships

• HEIs were not formally involved in the implmentation of the MDGs

• THEY COULD CONTRIBUTE

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MDGs IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MDGs IN AFRICA (3) AFRICA (3)

•  To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

• To achieve universal primary education

• To promote gender equality

• To reduce child mortality

• To improve maternal health

• To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

ERADICATION OF EXTREME POVERTY ERADICATION OF EXTREME POVERTY AND HUNGERAND HUNGER

EXAMPLES: TRAINING AND RESEARCH

• Extractive industries; and

• Agriculture

• HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis

EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIESEXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES

• Exports of mineral products and fuels account for up to 38% of total exports in Sub-Saharan Africa

• Sub-Saharan Africa is hosting 30% of the world’s total hydrocarbons and mineral reserves; 12% of its crude oil reserves; over a third of its bauxite, gold, uranium and chromite; 88% of its diamonds; and 95% of its vanadium.

AGRICULTUREAGRICULTURE

• In Sub-Saharan Africa agriculture contributes 32% of GDP and 65% of employment.

• The low level of human capital in the agricultural sector is a major constraint to growth, poverty reduction, and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa

CHALLENGES FOR MDG 1CHALLENGES FOR MDG 1

• For at least a decade Sub-Saharan Africa has achieved an average annual economic growth of 4.5% BUT no impact on poverty reduction

• Limited economic benefits from extractive industries, agriculture and other STEM related activities

• Need to build/strengthen capacity in STEM

HIV/AIDS, MALARIA AND TUBERCULOSISHIV/AIDS, MALARIA AND TUBERCULOSIS

The Global Fund

LESSONS LEARNED AND THE WAY LESSONS LEARNED AND THE WAY FORWARDFORWARD

• HEIs should be proactive and suggest partnerships with Government and the world of work

• SDGs were adopted on 25th September 2015. HEIs should plan, now for their implementation at national level

• Planning should include revision of curricula, capacity building and new paradigm on internationalization of research and supervision of PhD theses

POSSIBLE AREAS OF COLLABORATIONPOSSIBLE AREAS OF COLLABORATION

WITH WORLD OF WORK

South Africa: 2012. More than 800,000 private sector vacancies and at the same time, 600,000 university graduates were unemployed

Curriculum development

Apprenticeship and internship schemes

POSSIBLE AREAS OF COLLABORATIONPOSSIBLE AREAS OF COLLABORATION

WITH GOVERNMENT

South Africa: Vision 2030

•Increase the number of PhD graduates per year from 1,421 in 2010 to 5,000 in 2030

•Increase the number of academic staff with a PhD from 36% of the total number of academics in higher education in 2010 to 75% by 2030

OPPORTUNITIESOPPORTUNITIES

• Political support at all levels

• ICTs

• Partrnerhips

• SDG Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

RECOMMENDATION FOR ANIERECOMMENDATION FOR ANIE

• Develop and disseminate a concept note on involvement of of HEIs in implementation of SDGs

• Follow up

THANK YOU jushabani@yahoo.fr