UNIVERSITY LEADERS FORUM: NEXT GENERATION OF ACADEMICS Accra, Ghana 23-25 November 2008

1. UNIVERSITY LEADERS FORUM: NEXT GENERATION OF ACADEMICS Accra, Ghana 23-25 November 2008 “Understanding the Problem in Africa: The Global Context” By Goolam Mohamedbhai Secretary-General Association of African Universities

2. Outline of Presentation • Historical Background – the North • Forces Driving HE in the North • Historical Background - Africa • African Universities Today • Staffing of African Universities • Challenges Ahead for African HE • Consequences of Challenges Not Met

3. Historical Background - the North • Over several centuries, North developed an excellent HE system, strong in teaching & research, well-funded by the state, but mainly for elite • Latter part of 20th century, importance of HE to development appreciated, HE moves from elite to mass system • Pressure on universities to be less dependent on government funding, to diversify income, to be more transparent & accountable • Income more dependent on: tuition fees (mainly foreign students), industry, business, contract research, etc. • HE adopts business-oriented and managerial approach – clients, stakeholders, quality assurance, etc.

4. Forces Driving HE in the North • Advent of Knowledge Society: • - knowledge generation, dissemination & utilisation become key drivers to economic development • - research & innovation become increasingly important • - highly-killed people needed for such a society • - universities start to play an even greater role • Knowledge institutions outside academia appear – R&D labs, consulting firms, think-tanks, corporate training, etc; they attract academic staff from universities • Severe shortage of academics in some key areas: medical, physical & biological sciences; engineering; ICT • Dramatic improvement in transportation, communication & ICT facilitates globalisation - global movement of goods, people, services, knowledge & technology

5. Forces Driving HE in the North (Cont’d) • Universities recruit best brains globally e.g. US attracts from Europe, Europe from developing countries. Large number of PhD students in Europe from South • Creation of ‘European Research Area’ to drive knowledge economy – Europe relaxes immigration laws to facilitate foreign (mainly from South) PhD students to stay on in Europe • Competition and search for ‘market’ (best staff & students, wherever they are) drive universities. • Creation of powerful networks of the best universities to improve their competitive edge • Concept of ranking – to be among the world’s best – fuels more competition

6. Historical Background of HE in Africa • Universities in Africa created after independence in 1960’s • All patterned on universities in North – structure, mode of operation, etc. Mostly set up in main cities • Initially, all academics from North, or Africans trained in North • Until 1980’s African universities flourished, well-funded by states & supported by the North • From 1980’s severe deterioration of African economies, preventing investment in higher education. Budget cuts as a result of structural adjustment, affecting financing of HE • Major national & inter-state conflicts, very poor governance, dictatorship, political repression

7. Historical Background of HE in Africa (Cont’d) • Social unrest reaches university campuses • Universities threatened, regarded as bastions of free-thinking people & democracy • Persecution, even murder, of academics in several countries. Hence flight of academics to other countries, mainly North • At the same time, huge increase in output from primary & secondary sectors, putting huge pressures on African universities to increase enrolment • Mid-1990’s, funding/donor agencies decide funding of HE provides less economic returns than basic education – this policy dictates their support to governments • UNESCO 1998 WCHE becomes turning point in the fate of African universities

8. African Universities Today • Despite many hurdles, African universities survived & learnt to do more with same – or even less! • Enrolment in most universities doubled or trebled – campuses designed for less than 10,000 students accommodate 25-40,000 students • Paradox - yet Africa has lowest HE enrolment (about 6%) than any other world region, and greatest outflow of students to foreign universities – fuelling brain drain • HIV/AIDS in universities seriously hampers efforts • Academic staff sent to the North for postgraduate training do not return

9. Staffing of African Universities • Poor salaries, institutional infrastructure & facilities make it difficult to attract or retain academics • Academics have heavy teaching loads – no time for research • Poor facilities for research – hence limited possibility to train future academics • Ageing academics – serious problem in many countries • Because of unmet demand for HE, cross-border education from the North moves in – compete with local HEIs for academics

10. Staffing of African Universities (Cont’d) • Private institutions also set up – mostly for-profit, commercial, poor quality; also compete with public HEIs for staff • Growing tendency to create more & more universities – yet no qualified academics for them, or deplete existing ones • Most countries have no national quality control mechanisms for private or CBHE but also for public institutions • Private business & industry in Africa get well-established – they attract academics away from universities

11. Challenges Ahead For African HE • How to provide quality HE in Africa to meet the ever-increasing demand for HE, thus limiting the outflow of students to foreign countries? • How to mobilise the huge amount of funds required to: • - improve the teaching & research facilities, especially infrastructure • - improve salaries & conditions of service • to attract and retain academics in Africa? • How to encourage academics to do more research rather than just teach, and how to create a research environment? • How to train the large numbers of academics required for expanding HE in Africa, and replacing the ageing academics, considering the limited research & postgraduate capacity of African universities?

12. Challenges Ahead For African HE (Cont’d) • Should all academics be trained through PhD research? • Should not Africa create differentiated institutions, some very strong in research, others excelling in teaching only, including use of Distance and Online Learning? • How to ensure that the future generation of academics is sensitive to Africa’s problems, yet conscious of global development challenges? • How can CBHE institutions in Africa be made to cooperate with local institutions, rather than compete with them? • In what ways can Africa & the North collaborate to stem brain drain?

13. Challenges Ahead For African HE (Cont’d) • How can governance of countries and institutions in Africa be improved to lead to a tolerant & peaceful environment? What role can universities play in this task? • Since it is difficult to get African Diaspora to return, how can they be encouraged to contribute to improving HE in Africa? • How to encourage universities in the North to cooperate with those in Africa, considering their own challenge to be globally competitive? • In an age of globalisation, competitiveness and market-driven economy, why should universities in the North assist those in Africa rather than those in emerging & rapidly expanding economies such as China, India and Latin American countries?

14. Consequences of Challenges Not Met • Insufficient high-skilled manpower in Africa • Further weakened public universities, providing poor quality teaching and hardly any research • Serious consequences on African economic, social & human development • Africa further marginalized in the global knowledge economy • In this globalised world, Africa’s marginalization will affect the rest of the world • Africa & the rest of the world cannot afford to let this happen

15. THANK YOU