Universities as Development Levers: Constraints & Challenges - Focus Africa

1. VERACRUZ UNIVERSITY - 2007 AUTUMN SYMPOSIUM“The University in the 21st Century: a University for Sustainable Development”Veracruz, Mexico, 15-17 November 2007 “Universities as Development Levers: Constraints & Challenges – Focus Africa” By Goolam Mohamedbhai President, International Association of Universities

2. Contents • Introduction • HE In Africa: Constraints & Challenges • Access & Equity • Financing • Quality • Relevance • Research • Brain Drain • Governance, Autonomy & Accountability • Privatization & Globalization • Use of ICT in HE in Africa • Revitalization of HE in Africa • Conclusions

3. Introduction • Global sustainable development is only possible if all regions of the world achieve a reasonable level of development • There is huge disparity in levels of development between different regions of the world • This was what led world leaders in 2000 to set Millennium Development Goals • All economic, social & human development indicators show Africa, in particular Sub-Saharan Africa, to be the worst developed region in the world

4. Introduction (Cont’d) Development Indicators for Sub-Saharan Africa • 44% live on < $1 a day • 31% live with insufficient food • Lowest primary (64%), secondary (24%) and tertiary (5%) education enrolment. Female enrolment very low at all levels. • 44% of population have no access to improved water, 63% no adequate sanitation • World’s highest deaths of under-5 (168/1000 births) • World’s highest HIV/AIDS prevalence (6.1% of 15-49 yrs adults) • 4.6 m people affected by conflicts, mostly refugees

5. Introduction (Cont’d) Importance of HE for Development • Higher education essential for promoting economic growth & reducing poverty in developing countries • In Africa, 1960-1980, HE made significant contribution • 1980s: HE in crisis because of economic & political situation in African countries • 1990s: greater attention to primary & secondary education, HE being neglected because of poor economic returns • World Bank - 1985-1989: 17% of education spending to HE; 1995-1999: 7% • Views have now changed, importance of HE globally recognised

6. Introduction(Cont’d) Extract from Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s Speech, August 2000: “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.”

7. HE in Africa: Constraints & Challenges • Access and Equity • Financing • Quality • Relevance • Research • Governance, Autonomy & Accountability • Privatization & Globalization • Brain Drain

8. 1. Access & EquitySub-SaharanAfrica has lowest HE enrolment in the worldTertiary Enrolments Worldwide[Source: Bloom D, Canning D & Chan K (2006). HE & Economic Development in Africa. Harvard University]

9. 1. Access & Equity (Cont’d) • Yet, significant enrolment increase over past decades 1991: 1m, 1999: 2m, 2004: 3.3m • HE still less accessible in rural areas (where 70% of population live), to economically & socially disadvantaged groups & to women (38% in 2004) • In global knowledge economy, human capital is the most important resource • Africa needs to dramatically increase its enrolment rate, to at least 30% by 2015, otherwise it will be further marginalized – a huge challenge! • Such increases cannot be achieved only by traditional face-to-face delivery. Other approaches - DE, online learning, virtual universities – must be utilised

10. 2. Financing • Resources to public HEIs have not proportionately increased with enrolment. Proportion of education budget to HE considerably reduced • HEIs being asked to do more with same – or less! • 80% of HE budget for recurrent costs (staff salaries and student grants). Hardly any funds for infrastructure, research, staff development, etc. • Who should fund HE? State or individual? Is HE a private or public good? It is both: private good is short-term & visible; public good is long-term, less tangible. • Public HEI’s must consider cost-sharing & revenue-generating schemes, but HE provision must remain a state’s social responsibility

11. 3. Quality • Overcrowding of campuses – can no longer cope with increased enrolment • Student residences accommodating 5-10 times their capacity • Poor working environment: buildings not maintained, limited lab equipment, poor accessibility to ICT • No renewal of books & periodicals in libraries • Old curriculum, inadequate mode of delivery, poor teaching methods & techniques, rote learning • Lack of qualified faculty, very high student to faculty ratio, ageing faculty • In Francophone countries, very high failure rates and repeaters in initial years • Lack of institutional Quality Assurance systems • In many countries, no national External Quality Assurance mechanism

12. 4. Relevance • High unemployment among graduates • Poor linkages with industry & society, programs not market-driven • But HE should also produce job-creators, not just job-seekers • Insufficient attention to S & T, dominance of humanities and social sciences • Lack of differentiation in HEIs, too many university-type institutions; not enough polytechnics, technical colleges, professional institutes, etc. especially in rural areas

13. 4. Relevance (Cont’d) • Insufficient attention to promoting African culture and heritage • Little consideration to urgent & emerging African needs: - achieving Education For All (EFA) targets - achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - improving quality of life in rural communities - promoting sustainable development - dealing with human rights, peace and conflict resolution - introducing democracy & good governance • HE should inculcate critical & independent thinking, analytical skills & nation-building consciousness. In short, HE in Africa should produce an “enlightened citizenry”

14. 5. Research • Poor research output Region Published Academic Papers (1995) Africa 5,839 South Asia 15,995 Latin America & Caribbean 14,426 [Source: Bloom D, Canning D & Chan K (2006). HE & Economic Developmentin Africa. Harvard University] • Shortage of graduate programs • Limited number of research-strong (PhD) faculty • PhDs of faculty in almost all cases obtained from the north, in areas of no local relevance • Heavy teaching load of faculty • Poor research infrastructure, including ICT • Research not always relevant to national development, objective being to publish in international journals. Too few reputable national/regional research journals

15. 6. Governance, Autonomy & Management • Universities often controlled by state & politicized • University autonomy & academic freedom are prerequisites for HEIs to fulfil their mission, but they must be accountable to the state • Poor leadership – leaders appointed on political grounds, not academic or managerial merits • Poor institutional management : no strategic planning, no Management Information Systems, poor financial management & accountability, limited delegation & consultation within institution

16. 7. Privatization and Globalization • African states, being unable to increase public funding to HE, encourage private HE • Private HEIs, including corporate universities, mostly for-profit, have emerged. Large numbers but few enrolment • WTO/GATS has promoted free & liberalised trade in HE across borders – hence emergence of CBHE & globalization of HE • Private HE & CBHE, including DE and online learning, now as significant as local public HE provision in developing countries • Quality of CBHE a major concern. Hence OECD/UNESCO Guidelines on Quality in CBHE provision. Also Statement on CBHE by university associations (led by IAU) • Private HE & CBHE can have negative impact on local public HEIs – provision of only market-driven courses, unfair competition, use of their faculty, etc. • Most African countries have no regulatory framework for controlling private HE & CBHE

17. 8. Brain Drain Source: IOM & UNECA

18. 8. Brain Drain (Cont’d) • Emigrants mostly doctors, nurses, teachers, academics, engineers, accountants. Africa, at huge costs, trains for the north • In recent decades Africa lost 1/3 of its highly skilled people. 40,000 African PhD holders are outside Africa • Africa loses the very people it needs for its development • Faculty leave because: poor salaries, poor teaching & research facilities, lack of academic freedom, political persecution, conflicts, attractive conditions in the north, etc • Universities seriously affected by brain drain: depts close, expansion constrained, poor research output • Efforts currently being made to convert ‘brain drain’ into ‘brain gain’ by making use of Diaspora

19. Use of ICT in HE in Africa • Use of ICT crucial for HEIs to acquire, produce and disseminate knowledge • ICT can be effectively used in: • teaching & learning • research • institutional management • ICT can improve both access to & quality of HE • ICT is not exclusively computers and internet. It includes: telephones, cell phones, radio, TV, audio/video cassettes, CD-ROM, satellite broadcast, audio/video conferencing, etc.

20. Use of ICTin HE in Africa(Cont’d) • Training of large numbers of quality teachers to meet EFA targets - greatest challenge for African HE • 1.6m teachers required just to achieve universal primary education by 2015 • Use of ICT-enabled open and distance learning is the best solution: • for producing large numbers of pre-service quality teachers • upgrading in-service teachers in subject & pedagogy • training teachers in use of ICT • But many constraints & challenges in use of ICT in HE in Africa

21. Use of ICT in HE in Africa (Cont’d) Constraints & Challenges a) Poor National Information & Communication Infrastructure (NICI)

22. ICT Infrastructure: Global Fixed Lines Comparison

23. ICT Infrastructure: Fixed Line v/s Mobile Uptake in Africa

24. ICT Infrastructure: Global Internet Comparison • Global Internet Comparison

25. ICT Infrastructure: Digital Divide Within Africa

26. Use of ICT in HE in Africa (Cont’d) Constraints & Challenges (Cont’d) b) Interrupted electricity supply c) Lack of power supply in rural areas d) High telecommunications costs e) Low bandwidth & high cost for internet access f) State control over ICT operators, discouraging private investment g) Lack of skilled technical support & staff h) Lecturers have no training in use of e-teaching & learning in HEIs i) No enabling ICT policy at national & institutional levels j) Lack of funding

27. Revitalization of HE in Africa Revitalization of HE started about a decade ago. Two main triggering factors: World Bank’s attitude change, WCHE of 1998. Most initiatives were, however, uncoordinated Various initiatives catalogued “Inventory of major projects in/on HE & research in Africa” UNESCO, 2003. Lists 300 initiatives sponsored by a range of agencies & donors. But one-off, not updated. “African HE Activities in Development” (AHEAD) ACU 2004, as part of their ‘Renewing the African University’ project. Database of externally funded projects (349 at June 2005). Kept up to date. Source:Kubler, J. (2005). The AHEAD Database. ACU

28. Revitalization of HE in Africa (Cont’d) Major coordinated efforts at revitalizing African HE started around 2005, led by AU & AAU Overall Objective Make HE a motor for economic & social development Specific Objectives • Increase access through diversification of institutions • Reduce reliance on state funding, ensure accountability • Improve management & efficiency, ensure societal relevance of teaching & research • Modernise and improve quality, make HE attractive to faculty & students • Assist in finding African solutions to African problems: HIV/AIDS, EFA, MDGs, sustainable development, democracy & good governance, peace & conflict resolution • Promote & preserve African culture

29. Revitalization of HE in Africa (Cont’d) Recent Initiatives • ‘Partnership for HE in Africa’. Ford, Mac Arthur, Rockefeller, W F Hewett & Mellon Foundations plus Carnegie. $200m over 2005-10 • ‘Regional Capacity Mobilisation Initiative’’. $7m grant from DfID, UK, over 2006-2010. ‘Challenge Fund’ to be led & managed by AAU. • ‘Renewing the African University’ (2005-2015) – developed by AAU, ACU & SAUVCA, endorsed by Africa Commission. Estimated cost $5 billion. Funding from various sources, including G8 • AAU’s Core Programme. $20.4m over 2005-09 • West African Economic & Monetary Union. Support to HEIs in 8 West African Francophone countries. ADF funding over 2006-11 • SARUA. Support to HEIs in 14 SADC countries over 2007-12

30. Conclusions • Africa faces immense sustainable development problems and needs the support of its HEIs • To be able to contribute to the development of Africa, public HEIs must first be reformed. Weaknesses known, governments committed, international funding available. Quality must be driving factor in all reforms so as to attract students and limit brain drain. • Need for differentiated HEIs & diversified programmes to cater for different types of learners. HEIs to reach out to rural areas and address gender inequity. • HEIs should cater for all development needs of society, not just respond to market needs. Govts to acknowledge that HE is a public good. Private HEIs & CBHE should be welcomed but regulated

31. Conclusions(Cont’d) • Need for greater emphasis on research – pure & applied, especially in S&T. Need for differentiated institutions, some more research-active than others • HEIs have to address both local development problems & understand global challenges. They need to be relevant to both the local community and global society. Pooling resources, creating partnerships and using African Diaspora necessary. • For public HEIs to be effective, governments must ensure they are autonomous, they operate in a peaceful environment devoid of political interference, but they remain accountable.

32. THANK YOU