African Perspective of the Challenges and Prospects of Massification of Higher Education

The history of women's engagement with the academy has been characterised by exclusion and inequality. Seven decades ago, Virginia Woolf1 asked: Do we want to join the procession or don't we? On wh...

The aim of this article is to examine and assess Africa’s higher education effort. The theoretical framework employed distinguishes between three dimensions of the higher education project: the quantitative dimension (measured in terms of higher education enrollments and enrollment ratios), the qualitative dimension, and the equality dimension. After the political and economic context of Africa as well as the historical evolution of higher education in Africa are sketched, higher education in Africa is analyzed and evaluated in terms of each of the three dimensions of quantity, quality, and equality. The development of national higher education systems really only began after the advent of independence in 1960, moved painstakingly slowly and even stagnated until the 1990s, when higher education developed an accelerated rate. While enrollment ratios, quality and equality in higher education in Africa lags behind the rest of the world, the growth in enrollments since 1990 is encouraging, and the current economic boom and political pacification of the continent bode well for the evolution of higher education in coming years and decades.

This study of higher education in eight sub-Saharan nations in Africa was built around a research project of the Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa (HERANA). It was initiated by the Centre for Higher Education Transformation (CHET) in 2007 and includes data on these institutions from two different surveys, the second completed in 2013/2014. The study shows a great deal of thought and care in its preparation, a difficult task in its undertaking, data gathering, and presentation, and is an impressive and useful study which will be of interest to most scholars of Africa. It is an important addition to the literature on higher education in Africa. The effort to assess the relationship between higher education and development, economics and democracy in Africa is timely and well-conceived, and provides a wealth of very useful information on higher education in Africa. There has been evidence of this research by Cloete et al. over the last few years and it was with great anticipation that I read the final result of their efforts. It was well worth the wait. The eight higher education institutions that are the focus of this research are in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda and provide an excellent representation of the status of higher education in sub-Saharan Africa.

List of Contributors. Preface. The Incalculable Promise of the African Continent: Higher Education Rising to the Occasion?. An Overview of African Higher Education and Development. Trends in Internationalization of Higher Education and Implications for Research and Innovation for Development in African Universities. Cross-Border Higher Education in Africa: Collaboration and Competition. Steering Rather than Rowing: Internationalism, Privatization, and University Reform in Tanzania. Power of Global-Local Partnerships: An Assessment of Global, National and Local Stakeholders of Religious, Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Search of Equity and Access in Higher Education in Namibia: Challenges and Achievements. Charting Higher Education Development in Ghana: Growth, Transformations, and Challenges. Language in Higher Education Transformation: Contrasts and Similarities between Two African Universities. Knowledge Production in the Knowledge Economy: Higher Education Institutions and the Application of Innovations in ICT for Capacity Development in Africa. Challenges and Experiences in Doing University Collaboration in North-South Projects. Towards African Higher Education Regionalization and Harmonization: Functional, Organizational and Political Approaches. European Education Policies and the Uniformization of Higher Education in Europe: Some 'Lessons' from the Bologna Process for Education and Teacher Education in Africa. Policy Spaces and Educational Development in the Islamic Maghreb Region: Higher Education in Tunisia. Rethinking Agency in University Development: The Case of the Association of African Universities. Rethinking Higher Education Curriculum in Nigeria to Meet Global Challenges in the 21st Century. About the Authors. Author Index. Subject Index. The Development of Higher Education in Africa: Prospects and Challenges. International Perspectives on Education and Society. The Development of Higher Education in Africa: Prospects and Challenges. Copyright page. Endorsement.

This paper critically examines the role of transcendental capabilities in the decoloniality of educational policy and planning, to ascertain how trans-coloniality can enable the African political economy to reposition itself through higher education knowledge management best practices. In this paper, I argued that African educational policy and planning must capture the knowledge hierarchies of African intellectual systems because the knowledge hierarchies are fundamental and responsive tools to the strategic political economy of education. Furthermore, the blend of innovative and endogenous knowledge management practices in higher education will have a responsive impact on institutional governance across the continent. Additionally, the valorisation and revaluation of African knowledge systems through recognising and integrating African theories, methodologies, and conceptual frameworks will reshape the African scientific and political landscapes. This paper anchors on the complex adaptive systems theory. The premise here is identifying the complex knowledge foresight of educational policy and planning, asserting intensification of the indigenisation of knowledge management practices as pragmatic responses to the imperialists’ mentality. This study employed a qualitative research approach with a mixed systematic review of current literature in decoloniality studies, educational policy and planning, political economy and knowledge management in African higher education. The data was categorised into themes, theories, concepts, subregions, journals, articles, book chapters, policy documents, books and methodologies to determine the current body of knowledge and debates on decoloniality as an epistemic object in educational policy and planning research in African higher education. From the critical analysis I propose a “Transcendental Afrocentric knowledge governance model (TAKGM).” The transcendental perspective intends to provide indicators for developing a competitive African knowledge-based economy. Therefore, the decoloniality of educational policy and planning through endogenous knowledge systems represents a strategic approach to building a competitive and responsive higher education in Africa. Emphasising, the transcoloniality of higher education policies and planning will foster endogenous socio-economic development, effective institutional knowledge sovereignty, innovation and knowledge resources mobilisation. These will ultimately promote inclusive growth, robust industrialisation, human capital development, practical institutional assessment, structural transformation, continuous improvement, and efficiency and effectiveness of institutional governance across the continent.

This study aims to analyze the impact of higher education training on labor market demand in Africa, using a documentation study approach. In an ever-evolving global context, higher education plays an important role in preparing individuals to face the demands of a dynamic labor market. However, in many African countries, there is a gap between the skills provided by higher education institutions and the needs of the labor market. Through documentation studies, this study collects and analyzes secondary data originating from various government reports, international institutions, and previous studies regarding the relationship between higher education and labor demand in Africa. The findings show that although higher education in Africa can improve the quality of human capital, there is a mismatch between the skills taught and the skills required by the industrial sector. This study also identified key challenges, such as a lack of relevant curriculum and limited educational facilities, that impact the effectiveness of training in meeting labor market needs. Therefore, this study recommends curriculum reform that is more adaptive to industry needs and increased collaboration between educational institutions and the private sector to create more relevant and quality training programs

This article explores the transformative role of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians in engendering higher theological education in Africa. Grounded in African Women’s theology, the study analyses initiatives in championing gender equality, inclusivity, and intersectional solidarity within theological academia. The study highlights the historic journey of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians in promoting the integration of gender-sensitive curricular and nurturing a new generation of African women theologians. Methodologically, I adopt a qualitative design and use African Women’s Theology as a lens to understand the transformative strides made by the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians towards engendering theological higher education in Africa.

This systematic review aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of conversations and voices of scholars on access, equity and quality in higher education (HE) in Africa. The systematic review employed a thematic analysis approach to synthesise findings from 38 selected sources. The review revealed that although some significant strides have been made to improve access, equity and quality of higher education in Africa, there are some challenges persisting with infrastructure, regional and spatial disparities, and privatisation. The review also revealed weak enforcement of quality assurance measures. Strategies for addressing these challenges include expanding public sector HE, deregulating the educational sector, promoting open and distance learning, implementing preferential admission policies and enhancing financial aid. This research provides valuable insights for policy makers, educators and stakeholders, fostering a collaborative approach to address challenges and promote holistic development in African higher education. Context and implications Rationale for this study This review was done to identify the perspectives of African scholars on access, equity and quality in Africa's HE institutions. Why the new findings matter The findings highlight patterns of focus on issues of access, equity and quality, and reveal gaps that need to be addressed to foster inclusivity and quality of HE in Africa. Implications for practitioners and policy makers For practitioners, it offers broader insights into the need to adopt contextually centred and culturally relevant pedagogies to address the needs of diverse learners. For policy makers, it provides constructive insights on strategies to improve access and foster inclusive quality higher education. This study provides a status review or update to the African Union (AU) and Africa's ministers of education in relation to Agenda 2063 and the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) 2016–2025. With this information, the AU and ministers of education, and all stakeholders can collectively work to address the challenges of meeting the concrete steps and milestones set in these frameworks.

Whether and how higher education in Africa contributes to democratisation beyond producing the professionals that are necessary for developing and sustaining a modern political system, remains an unresolved question. This report, then, represents an attempt to address the question of whether there are university specific mechanisms or pathways by which higher education contributes to the development of democratic attitudes and behaviours among students, and how these mechanisms operate and relate to politics both on and off campus. The research contained in this report shows that the potential of a university to act as training ground for democratic citizenship is best realised by supporting students' exercise of democratic leadership on campus. This, in turn, develops and fosters democratic leadership in civil society. Thus, the university's response to student political activity, student representation in university governance and other aspects of extra-curricular student life needs to be examined for ways in which African universities can instil and support democratic values and practices. Encouraging and facilitating student leadership in various forms of on-campus political activity and in a range of student organisations emerges as one of the most promising ways in which African universities can act as training grounds for democratic citizenship. The project on which this report is based forms part of a larger study on Higher Education and Democracy 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.

In this chpater, Joseph Hungwe and Joseph Divala present an exposition of the contradictory interplay between decolonisation and afrophobia in South African higher education. They argue that afrophobia encumbers the envisioned objectives of decolonisation of higher education in Africa. Decolonisation of higher education ultimately seeks to establish a dispensation that is underpinned by ideals of non-discrimination along race, ethnicity, nationalities and other forms of social diversities that characterise social composition of African higher education. It can therefore be claimed that decolonisation of higher education is tailored towards the promotion and sustenance of equal social relations in higher education, on the one hand. On the other hand, afrophobic practices and attitudes entrench and maintain perceptions of a society structured along cultural superiority and marginalisation. The concurrence of afrophobia and decolonisation of higher education in South Africa brings to the fore a conundrum, which this chapter exposes.

This book offers theoretical and practical insights into the marketing of higher education in Africa. It explores the key players, challenges and policies affecting higher education across the continent, their marketing strategies and the students’ selection process. While acknowledging the vast size of the continent, this book aims to provide an understanding of the dynamics of higher education in Africa. This book recognises the private and Government Involvement in higher education provision, students and staff as stakeholders in the marketisation process. Strategic efforts by Universities to positions themselves to attract prospective students. This book further addresses issues such the responses of higher education sectors to the notion of markets and marketing, consumerism and competition in higher education in Africa, conceptions of the commodification of higher education in Africa and the dominance of western epistemologies and influence in transforming higher education sectors. Students as consumers in increasingly marketized higher education sectors in Africa is discussed. Though primarily for marketing students and academic researchers, the book's feature of blended theoretical and practical knowledge means that it will also be of interest to marketing practitioners and university managers.

Since 1999, there has been a rapid expansion in enrollment in Chinese higher education. By 2003, its gross enrollment had risen to 17 percent of the age-cohort (which typically refers to the age group from 18 to 22 in China and 18 to 21 in Japan), indicating that Chinese higher education had entered the phase of mass higher education, according to Martin Trow's definition. Mass higher education in China was achieved nearly 40 years later than in Japan, but it is still worth conducting a comparative study. This chapter is concerned with similarities and differences in massification of higher education between China and Japan and focuses on the character, tendency, and policy choice of massification of these two systems of higher education in a comparative perspective. First, by reviewing rationales and policies for massification of higher education in the two countries, it is pointed out that although both countries share similarities, massification of higher education in Japan was greatly influenced by industrial demand, while in China it was heavily affected by a rapid increase in more graduates from senior higher schools and by unemployment. Second, how mass higher education was achieved in the two countries is examined. Third, based on quantitative analyses, this chapter illustrates the two types of massification of higher education arising from differences in the history and traditions of higher education institutions, political influences, social backgrounds, and international contexts. Finally, the chapter considers the progress of massification of Chinese higher education and puts forward some recommendations at the policy level for the further development of higher education in China in light of the Japanese experiences.

Policy discussions related to higher education in sub-Saharan Africa often include concerns related to quality. Rather than being an abstract characteristic, quality of higher education is the result of a series of actions and practices, and yet there is limited research on the practices associated with quality in higher education in Africa. This article explores the practice of self-study in West African higher education institutions. After conducting 21 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from four public and private institutions in the West African region, which were selected on the basis of their respective strength in quality culture, the study suggests that protecting one’s institutional image can have a significant impact on the uses of self-study. Research participants, regardless of weak or strong quality cultures, were very sensitive about, and even protective of, institutional self-image. The pursuit of a strong institutional image resulted in substantive changes within stronger cultures, or cosmetic changes, among weaker cultures. Having weighed the evidence collected in the study, we argue that the link between self-study and academic activities, including teaching and learning, is weak at best. This study serves as a reminder that self-study is an instrument and therefore its uses are subject to revision and improvement.

Considering a chapter on a philosophy of higher education in Africa should be understood in the context of a concern expressed by Aaron Stoller and Eli Kramer (2018: 1) ‘that no moderate debate or meaningful scholarship developed around the idea of curriculum in higher education … [can do without] talk of curriculum [that] is framed exclusively within the context of teaching methods for content delivery’. What I have attempted to do in this book, is to develop a concept of care in the context of rhythm that could influence pedagogical encounters positively. And, in a way, a particular philosophy of higher education has been implicitly argued for without engaging the criticism that pedagogical encounters within higher education in Africa ‘do not offer robust, critical imaginaries capable of constructing institutions of higher learning’ (Stoller & Kramer, 2018: 3). Unlike some philosophers who are accused of producing works in higher education detached from ‘the material and political conditions of institutions’ (Stoller & Kramer, 2018: 4), I have framed this book in the interest of a sensitivity towards the epistemic, organisational, social and political cultures of higher education. In this way, hopefully, I can prepare students to become inclusive, attentive, democratic, empathic and just within and through pedagogical encounters in higher education. Like Stoller and Kramer (2018: 15), I attempt to reconstruct a philosophy of higher education. However, my attempt in reconstructing such a philosophy is linked to thinking caringly and rhythmically in and about pedagogical encounters. As corroborated by Stoller and Kramer (2018: 15), a reconstructive philosophy of higher education ‘must consider … the project of teaching and learning … as well as the relationship between pedagogy and disciplinary research’. This chapter is an attempt to move towards a reconstructive notion of higher education in Africa in relation to teaching and learning within higher education.

Strategic Marketing of Higher Education in Africa explores higher education marketing themes along the lines of understanding higher education markets, university branding and international marketing strategies, digital marketing and student choice-making. The Higher Education landscape around the world is changing. There is global competition for students’ enrolments, Universities are competing within their home market as well as in the international market and as Government funding for public universities is reducing there is pressure on universities to seek additional income by increasing their student enrolment. African universities are not an exception in this competitive market. This book is unique in providing a composite overview of strategic marketing and brand communications of higher education institutions in Africa. It recognises that there is a growing need for Universities to understand the stakeholders and develop strategies on how best to engage with them effectively. Highlighting the unique characteristics, nature and the different challenges of African universities, this book explores the marketisation strategies of African universities, with focus on the strategic digital marketing and brand management. The book provides significant theoretical and marketing practice implications for academics, higher-education administrators and practitioners on how best to market higher education in Africa and reach out to prospective students. International practitioners aiming to market to Africans and start a partnership with an African university will also find this relevant in understanding the dynamics of the African market.