Mainstreaming Environment and Sustainability into African Universities

1. Mainstreaming Environment and Sustainability into African Universities Institutional Change in Context By Richard Kerich Kenyatta University rkerich@yahoo.com

2. Recap!! • Innovation calls for new strategies and modes of service delivery and in the case of African Universities involves: • Collaboration across departments • Re-purposing of existing materials • Refinement of existing collaborations • Re-orienting management strategies to allow optimal delivery of service • Selection of relevant content into the existing programmes • Introduction of relevant curricula

3. Considering the Topic: • Institutional Change in Context:- • The question is . . . • Why the Change?

4. Reasons Necessitating Change in Africa Universities • Change in the societal needs and preferences as well as changing environment • Change in university population • Change in knowledge base • Change in the available technology • Management skills change over time • Change in modes of communication • Change in available infrastructure within universities • In some institutions, change in the type of students being attended • Above all because of the need to introduce new programmes e.g. ESD With the above reasons, change is inevitable in African Universities

5. A Fully Functional University would have the following: • Administrative structures • Functional University Council • Functional Senate • Functional Faculty/ School Board • Functional Departmental Board or their functional students affairs equivalents • Rules and Regulation governing operations of the various divisions • Quality of service or output of a university will depend on the effectiveness for the various divisions as well as their interrelationship

6. To Enhance Service Delivery Improvement must be exhibited in the following aspects: • Communication • Provision of teaching materials • Provision of other place of work materials e.g. office plans • Research strategies • Approach to community outreach programmes as well as their mode of evaluation

7. Anticipated Changes (i) • Management review of rules and regulations to ease • Communication and smooth operation of various divisions • Management should assess the availability and appropriateness of materials to accommodate new programmes e.g. ESD. Hence number would be increased and quality improved

8. Anticipated Changes (ii) • Change in teaching approaches through workshops or seminars to cater for needs for new programme • Methods of evaluation of field attachment programmes • Research methodologies and modes of information dissemination especially targeting the user group • Level of collaboration with other faculties within the university and external universities

9. Sharing Responsibility • University Management: • Provision of Infrastructure and teaching materials • Faculty Members: • Innovations and actual teaching

10. Likely Challenges • Lack of cooperation among staff • Doubt in possible success • Demand for immediate tangible results • Territoriality • etc. . . .

11. Personal Advise • Be patient and be tolerant when sensitizing your clients or colleagues • Be cautious as ESD is introduced to the university • Be ready to nurture it once mainstreamed into existing programmes