Private Higher Education And Public Policy In Africa

While universities world over are undergoing reforms and change, in the case of African universities as illustrated in this book, the reforms and changes are profound and can best be described as transformative. This book is unique in many ways, which makes it extraordinary. First, unlike other books that have examined issues on higher education in Africa from externalist positions, the contributors to this book are scholars who have been educated, are currently teaching in African universities or have taught in African universities. The book specifically focuses on transformations in the governance of African universities and its implications on equity, entrepreneurship, innovation, quality assurance, information and communication technologies (ICTs), and reform issues in higher education in Africa. The book presents pertinent research on governance in African universities in an experiential and empirical manner. The contributors of the book chapters include individuals actively involved in teaching, researching and governance of higher education institutions in Africa. The chapters are based on empirical data, including review of relevant literature. The book also recognizes that university governance is more than just crisis in financial or economic issues, but includes best management practices, shared governance, meaningful reforms, strategic planning, consultation, transparency and accountability, client (students, lecturers, parents and the public) satisfaction, as well as the role of the university in development. The contributions take cognizance of the fact that governance as a concept is facing fundamental changes in the context of global knowledge economy, and African local conditions. Contributors also take cognizance of the fact that one important source of change in Africa has been the accelerating speed of scientific and technological advancement in learning at universities where lifelong learning programs, adult learning programs, distance and online learning are relatively new. The chapters are also sensitive to new changes in gender, demographical, technological, education reforms, social and economic transformations in the governance of African universities. The book is basically an academic book for use by undergraduates and graduate students at universities, policy makers and formulators in African ministries of Education; supra national organizations, foreign organizations working in Africa, NGOs and CBOs as well as development stakeholders, and community organizers.

"Universities and economic development in Africa presents the synthesisesand key findings of eight African countries and universities. The analysis and discussions presented in the book draw the following three main conclusions: 1. There is a lack of clarity and agreement (pact) about a development model and the role of higher education in development, at both national and institutional levels. There is, however, an increasing awareness, particularly at government level, of the importance of universities in the global context of the knowledge economy. 2. Research production at the eight African universities is not strong enough to enable them to build on their traditional undergraduate teaching roles and make a sustained contribution to development via new knowledge production. A number of universities have manageable student-staff ratios and adequately qualifi ed staff, but inadequate funds for staff to engage in research. In addition, the incentive regimes do not support knowledge production. 3. In none of the countries in the sample is there a coordinated effort between government, external stakeholders and the university to systematically strengthen the contribution that the university can make to development. While at each of the universities there are exemplary development projects that connect strongly to external stakeholders and strengthen the academic core, the challenge is how to increase the number of these projects. The project on which this report is based forms part of a larger study on Higher Education and Economic Development in Africa, undertaken by the Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa (HERANA). HERANA is coordinated by the Centre for Higher Education Transformation in South Africa"--Back cover.

This book provides an overview of the growth of the private higher education sector in China and in addition provides an analysis of some of the key drivers of this growth and impediments to it. What is new about the book is that it combines the results of a series of interviews with work that is more quantitative in nature. The book is of use to not only those engaged in academic research but also those who more generally wish to know more about an educational sector that is growing in importance. The most obvious factors promoting expansion of this sector have been the growth in per capita incomes, higher levels of participation in secondary school education, the strong growth in demand for graduates and the inability of the public sector to keep pace with demand. All of these factors intermingled with the involvement of government regulation. This regulation, however, is not uniform across all of China given the different provincial government departments of education that are also involved in dealing with private higher education institutions. In particular, this book looks at the way in which the Chinese government’s regulatory framework (both national and provincial) influenced the development of the sector and the way in which it operates, especially the private higher education component of that sector. The analysis undertaken finds that there is a link between regulation and the private higher education sector growth and a link between the funding of the government sector. The more intense regulation was, and the more funds provided to the state sector, the less scope there was for the private sector to expand. Growth of the private sector, therefore, did not just depend upon rising demand for higher education overall, but also to a fair degree of tolerance on the part of government. Much of this work, in subsequent years, has been supported by the further changes that have been undertaken in the Chinese higher education sector. Over the years, the growth of the Chinese higher education sector has stabilised, as has the private segment of this sector.

The first of its kind, this book documents and analyzes the international dimension of higher education in Africa based on country case-studies and a consideration of relevant historical and contemporary themes. It identifies trends, developments, and challenges related to the international dimension of higher educational at the institutional, national, and regional levels. It explores the institutional the opportunities and probes the risks while it responds to the growing need for information and analysis of internationalization of higher education in Africa. On the basis of this book project, an effort is underway to establish the African Network for Internationalization of Education (ANIE). This network aims to develop research capacity and expertise to meet the professional and practical needs of individuals, institutions and organizations interested in the international dimension of higher education in Africa.

Finland, South Korea and the state of North Carolina in the United States are three systems that successfully have harnessed higher education in their economic development initiatives. Common to the success of all these systems is, amongst others, the link between economic and education planning, quality public schooling, high tertiary participation rates with institutional differentiation, labour market demand, cooperation and networks, and consensus about the importance of higher education for development. Linking higher education and economic development: Implications for Africa from three successful systems draws together evidence on the three systems, synthesises the key findings, and distils the implications for African countries. The project on which the book is based forms part of a larger study on Universities and Economic Development in Africa, undertaken by the Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa (HERANA). HERANA is co-ordinated by the Centre for Higher Education Transformation in South Africa.