Producing quality enabling knowledge: A priori for higher education

Abstract

Malcolm Gillis, President of Rice University, in Higher education in developing countries: lIgPerill/Ig and lIgpromisel/Ig (2000, 15) had this to say about higher education's priority to create knowledge, `Today, more than ever before in human history, the wealth - or poverty - of nations depends on the quality of higher education'. Not only does the wealth or poverty of nations depends on the quality of education, but it also rest upon the capability of the knowledge produced to enable nations to forge ahead in their advancement programmes. This priority for higher education echoed by various scholars and researchers worldwide is the focus of this article. Using the capability approach as an enabling framework within which knowledge can be produced with a deliberate, purposive vision to empower participants, I critically explore the process of knowledge production. Noting the fact that the capability approach is deliberately incomplete, pluralistic in utility, encouraging freedom in achieving valuable functionings (Alkire 2002), I use this as strength for unlocking enabling processes of knowledge production in higher education for human advancement.