Abstract
T United States International University in Kenya convened the first private higher education conference in Africa in early September 2003. The majority of approximately 90 delegates were senior personnel of private higher education institutions from about 10 African states, but participants also included representatives of supranational organizations, governments, diplomatic missions, academics, and researchers. They deliberated on the theme: “Meeting the Challenges of Higher Education in Africa: The Role of Private Universities,” and they shared experiences and ways of setting up networks. This article highlights the conference’s key topical issues.
Highlights
The United States International University in Kenya convened the first private higher education conference in Africa in early September 2003
The Context of Private Higher Education Growth Most private institutions in Africa were established during the 1990s, in a relatively new higher education environment that is undergoing major developments
In some African countries private institutions have emerged due to deterioration of their public sectors, which are suffering from a severe lack of resources, funding shortfalls due to inflation and population increases, as well as social disturbances such as wars, gangsterism, and cultism
Summary
IHE devotes a column in each issue to a contribution from PROPHE, the Program for Research on Private Higher Education, headquartered at the University at Albany. The majority of approximately 90 delegates were senior personnel of private higher education institutions from about 10 African states, but participants included representatives of supranational organizations, governments, diplomatic missions, academics, and researchers. They deliberated on the theme: “Meeting the Challenges of Higher Education in Africa: The Role of Private Universities,” and they shared experiences and ways of setting up networks. South Africa is an exception to these trends as its leading public universities retain high quality and as profit making and “credentialism” largely drive its private higher education growth, a common feature in developed countries worldwide. A political problem for many private institutions is their tendency to specialize in inexpensive fields of study that are in high demand
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