The doors have been left ajar

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorKwesiga, Joy Constance
dc.date.accessioned2022-01-06T18:25:21Z
dc.date.available2022-01-06T18:25:21Z
dc.date.issued2009
dc.description.abstractAccess of women, and men, to higher education in Africa has reasonably widened in the last two decades. A key explanation is the current high demand for higher education. The liberalisation of educational sectors has led to a rapid growth of private universities and other tertiary institutions. Previously, state-funded institutions had failed to grow due to the constant decline in funding. Funding agencies have shifted from the position that higher education in Africa was not as cost-effective as the lower levels of education. It is clear that in the contemporary knowledge-based global society, higher education is as important for Africa as for other countries – hence the tremendous expansion. For example, until 1988, Makerere University was the only university in Uganda. Currently, there are three other public universities and 24 private universities. Student numbers have risen from 10,000 to over 75,000 (Uganda National Council for Higher Education, 2009). Similar developments are evident elsewhere in Africa in terms of the establishment of new institutions and actual student numbers (Varghese, 2006). The changing environment has attracted different types of students – the regular school leaver, the mature student, the diploma holder and the up-grader.2 New approaches to teaching and learning and better service delivery are in place.3 These developments are a clear move from elite to mass higher education. The new era has ushered in more competitive and market-oriented approaches with new academic programmes beyond the conventional disciplines. Despite this growth, however, average higher education enrolment rates in Africa are still low.4 These changes have influenced women’s access to and participation in higher education, positively. Since gender issues intersect other forms of inequality within higher education, continued analysis to gauge the extent to which women are taking advantage of these changes and how the balance sheet of gender equity and equality stands is pertinent. This paper examines the factors that hold women back as they try to open doors to higher education institutions in Africa. It is based on the author’s own research and is informed by the author’s practical experience as an actor in higher education. The paper discusses access factors and examines the ‘pipeline’ that female students have to get through to establish themselves in institutions of higher learning. The research is mainly related to Uganda but evidence shows that this experience is reflected across Sub-Saharan Africa.en_US
dc.identifier.citationKwesiga, J. C. The doors have been left ajar.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://nru.uncst.go.ug/xmlui/handle/123456789/1131
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherCommonwealth Education Partnershipsen_US
dc.titleThe doors have been left ajaren_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
The doors have been left ajar.pdf
Size:
116.16 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
The doors have been left ajar
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Social Sciences