Strengthening and Transforming Higher Education in Africa
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Date
2011
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Publisher
TrustAfrica
Abstract
Fifty years after most African countries attained independence, the issue of transformation of higher education is still a matter of serious concern requiring prioritization. Higher education in Africa still faces various challenges, including lack of resources, skills flight and consequent staff shortages, lack of institutional independence from the typically centralized state, and curricula that are ill-suited and unresponsive to local needs and expectations. The deterioration in quality of research and teaching has a number of social and economic consequences impacting negatively on development in Africa. These and other challenges were discussed at a recent dialogue convened by TrustAfrica, a pan-African foundation thatworks to secure the conditions for democratic
governance and inclusive development. The dialogue, held at the University of Botswana, was the first in a series of policy conversations among key stakeholders on higher education transformation, focusing primarily on four countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.