Education In sub-Saharan Africa Research Articles

Use of Digital Marketing Communication Strategies in the Promotion of Private Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa, Case Applicable to Selected Private Universities in Nigeria

Marketing communication practice globally is markedly moving in a digital way. The study is primarily designed to appraise the use of digital marketing communication strategies in the promotion of private higher education in South Western, Nigeria. The study investigated the digital marketing communications tools private universities deploy to promote their institutions; what digital marketing tools students use for enrollment information search and how effective are the digital marketing tools deployed in facilitating students’ enrollment? The spatial case study research work used mixed methods design for data collection. Specifically, the study used survey and archival research complemented with key informant interview. Multistage sampling procedure was used. For survey, 384 respondents were drawn from six private universities in South Western, Nigeria using the Krejcie Robert and Morgan Daryle sample size derivation formula. Also, purposive technique was used to select the universities’ spokespersons interviewed. Findings reveal that private universities predominantly make use of owned digital marketing tools such as school website, search engine optimization, organic social media marketing although not all of the universities are active on social media. In addition, the universities complemented their digital marketing initiatives with advertisement in the Mass media. Encouraging word of mouth was what surveyed respondents believed is most effective factor in their decision making for admission. It is therefore recommended that the organizations should make deliberate efforts to improve service delivery that will engineer positive word of mouth. In addition, there is need to integrate both offline and online channels for an integrated marketing communication efforts for best results.

Facing Forward, Looking Back? The World Bank’s New Report on Basic Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook Essay ReviewFacing Forward, Looking Back? The World Bank’s New Report on Basic Education in Sub-Saharan Africa Facing Forward: Schooling for Learning in Africa, by Sajitha Bashir, Marlaine Lockheed, Elizabeth Ninan, and Jee-Peng Tang. Washington, DC: The World Bank, 2018. 454 pp. Free download, Open Knowledge Repository.Karen MundyKaren MundyUniversity of Toronto Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Comparative Education Review Volume 63, Number 2May 2019 Sponsored by the Comparative and International Education Society Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/702682 Views: 245Total views on this site Citations: 1Citations are reported from Crossref © 2019 by the Comparative and International Education Society. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Mohammed Elmeski Commentary - Systems thinking and educational leadership: implications of the special issue to school improvement in development contexts, Journal of Educational Administration 59, no.11 (Jan 2021): 132–137.https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-02-2021-249

Octennial Review (2010-2018) of Literature on M-Learning for Promoting Distributed-Based Medical Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Medical education in Africa is in desperate need of reforms, evident in widespread diseases, and an inability to mobilise and train the required medical workforce to deal with these health issues. However, the exponential rise in the use of mobile technologies due to the spread of the Internet and increased telecommunication networks offer an opportunity for the transformation of medical education and practice through the deployment of mobile devices as a medium for learning and conveying health care services to the remote and resource-constrained locations of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This paper reviewed articles on the affordances of m-learning for distributed medical education in SSA published between 2010-2018. Results from 18 articles identified in the review revealed a slow-paced ascendancy of practice and research in the field; it further exposed competing priorities, infrastructural deficit, and chronic workforce shortages as the bane of m-learning implementation in the subregion. This paper makes recommendations that will enhance the growth of mobile-based distance medical education and practice in SSA.

Continuing education in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract The BSAVA International Affairs committee provides ongoing funding for the WSAVA sub-Saharan Africa continuing education work. Zoe Belshaw (WSAVA CE Chair 2017–18) reports on the 2018 initiatives.

Challenges and Opportunities in the Implementation of School-Based Teacher Professional Development: A Case from Kenya

This study investigated how a school-based professional development programme, designed by the Headteacher and staff of a Kenyan primary school, and delivered by a Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) team, supported teacher learning and growth. The TESSA team observed teaching in the classroom before the implementation of the school-based teacher professional programme. This was followed by the training of the teachers in the school. The TESSA team did an evaluation of the school-based training programme through classroom observation, an interview schedule and a teacher questionnaire. The evaluations were done three months and one year, respectively, after the school-based training. The findings indicate that teachers experienced professional growth through collaborative learning with colleagues, used a greater range of approaches and learned to self-reflect on their classes with more use of active learning. Teachers made productive use of textbooks as well as accessing and using TESSA OER in teaching.

Enhancing ICT for quality education in sub-Saharan Africa

This research assesses the relevance of information and communication technology (ICT) in primary education quality in a panel of 49 Sub-Saharan African countries for the period 2000–2012. The empirical evidence is based on Two Stage Least Squares (2SLS) and Instrumental Quantile regressions (IQR). From the 2SLS: (i) mobile phone and internet penetration rates reduce poor quality education and enhancing internet penetration has a net negative effect of greater magnitude. From the IQR: (i) with the exception of the highest quantile for mobile phone penetration and top quantiles for internet penetration, ICT consistently has a negative effect on poor education quality with a non-monotonic pattern. (ii) Net negative effects are exclusively apparent in the median and top quantiles of internet-related regressions. It follows that enhancing internet penetration will benefit countries with above-median levels of poor education quality while enhancing internet penetration is not immediately relevant to reducing poor education quality in countries with below-median levels of poor education quality.

Towards a culture of quality assurance in optometric education in sub-Saharan Africa

Background: New optometry education programmes in sub-Saharan Africa share a responsibility for blindness prevention by virtue of producing the countries first practitioners. Programmes need to be relevant and of a high quality to ensure sustainability. A quality culture is not a single event involving an accreditation audit but an integrated continuous system across core academic areas and accepted by all concerned in the programme.Aim: The aim was to determine the extent to which quality assurance is integrated into the 11 participating optometry education programmes in sub-Saharan Africa.Setting: The study was conducted in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods: A qualitative approach, employing a phenomenological design was used in the study. Key academics in leadership were purposively selected and then consented to participate in interviews covering the core academic areas, namely, governance, recruitment and selection, teaching and learning, curriculum design, staff development, research, community-based training and student support. Transcribed data was iteratively analysed.Results: Only one sub-Saharan country undergoes the three levels of quality audits within a regulated optometric environment. Despite a few pockets of best practices in some core areas, there was a reported general lack of quality assurance initiatives, national guidelines and adequate leadership capacity.Conclusion: This study highlighted the absence of regulatory authorities and mandatory quality audits, which contribute to the general lack of a quality culture in optometry programmes. Schools should aim to embed a culture of quality that produces competent, socially relevant graduates and impactful research. It is recommended that schools at national, regional and global levels collaborate towards the development of a quality assurance culture across optometry education programmes in sub-Saharan Africa.

Culture, Actors, and Resources Surrounding Undergraduate Bioethics Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Scientisation is a growing trend as individuals worldwide harness scientific tools and knowledge to solve problems. This phenomenon is evident in biomedical research, which has increased across sub-Saharan Africa, and when encountering bioethical issues arising during the course of such research. This research synthesis considers how the constructs of culture, actors, and resources in the region shape undergraduate bioethics education. Using a lens of sociological neo-institutionalism, taken-for-granted bioethical scripts, like informed consent and medical confidentiality, are evident in this education; however, actual implementation demonstrates the way they are often adapted and contextualized with implications for students and instructors, and ultimately patients and research participants. The education considered is that for undergraduates in health sciences and medicine because they are prominent actors in research and clinical practice across the region. In considering insights from this literature, the aim is to positively impact health across sub-Saharan Africa. Le phénomène de scientifisation est de plus en plus répandu : partout dans le monde, les individus s’emparent des outils et connaissances scientifiques pour résoudre des problèmes. C’est particulièrement visible dans le domaine de la recherche biomédicale, qui se développe dans toute l’Afrique subsaharienne, et lorsqu’on considère les questions bioéthiques qui se posent au cours desdites recherches. La présente recherche explore la façon dont les concepts de culture, d’acteurs et de ressources dans la région influencent l’enseignement de la bioéthique durant le premier cycle universitaire. A travers le prisme d’un néo-institutionnalisme sociologique, on constate que les écrits fondateurs de la bioéthique, tels que le consentement éclairé et le secret médical, sont des composantes évidentes de cet enseignement. Cependant, leur mise en oeuvre sur le terrain révèle que ces principes sont souvent adaptés et contextualisés, ce qui a des conséquences pour les étudiants, les formateurs et à terme les patients et les personnes qui participent aux recherches. Cet article se concentre sur l’enseignement du premier cycle universitaire dans les domaines des sciences de la santé et de la médecine, qui sont des acteurs incontournables de la recherche et de la pratique clinique dans la région. En prenant en compte les apports de la littérature, l’objet de cette recherche est d’avoir un impact positif sur le secteur de la santé en Afrique subsaharienne.

Farming for change: developing a participatory curriculum on agroecology, nutrition, climate change and social equity in Malawi and Tanzania

How to engage farmers that have limited formal education is at the foundation of environmentally-sound and equitable agricultural development. Yet there are few examples of curricula that support the co-development of knowledge with farmers. While transdisciplinary and participatory techniques are considered key components of agroecology, how to do so is rarely specified and few materials are available, especially those relevant to smallholder farmers with limited formal education in Sub-Saharan Africa. The few training materials that exist provide appropriate methods, such as compost making, but do not explain relationships and synergies between nutrition, social inequalities, climate change and agroecology. Some food sovereignty and agroecology courses aim at popular political education for those with more formal education. Here we describe the process of development of an innovative curriculum, which integrates agroecology, nutrition, climate change, gender and other dimensions of social equity across 2 weeks of training explicitly for smallholders in southern Africa with limited formal education. The curriculum is highly participatory; we use concepts in popular education, transformative and experiential-based learning, and theatre. It is also integrative; we link agroecology with climate change, human and soil nutrition, gender, and related components of social equity. Developed in partnership with Malawian farmers, community development experts and academics from five countries, the curriculum was piloted with 520 smallholder farming households in Malawi and Tanzania, and evaluated using qualitative techniques. Clashes of language, cultural norms, and terminology were as great of a challenge as agreeing on and conveying technical information, to weave into a coherent whole. However, farmers who participated in the curriculum training demonstrated high interest, comprehension of material and interest in immediate application to their lives.

Born a Musician: The Making of a Dùndún Drummer among the Yorùbá people of Nigeria

Due to its popularity and as an exemplar of the Yoruba cultural practices, the dundun (widely known as the ‘talking drum’) has received much scholarly attention for its musical and literary functions. However, there is a dearth of studies focusing on music education of the dundun tradition. Conducting a qualitative study involving extensive observations and in-depth interviews, with dundun drummers in different towns in south-west Nigeria, the study investigates the teaching-learning process in the world of dundun. Findings reveal that, although dundun musicians hold the belief that a musician is made through a combination of ajebi (genetics) and ebun (a gift), several methods such as observation, participation, modelling, and verbal instructions are employed in the dundun pedagogy. The paper concludes by highlighting the implication of the indigenous methods on contemporary music education in sub-Saharan Africa.

E-Learning for Medical Education in Sub-Saharan Africa and Low-Resource Settings: Viewpoint.

E-learning has been heralded as a revolutionary force for medical education, especially for low-resource countries still suffering from a dire lack of health care workers. However, despite over two decades of e-learning endeavors and interventions across sub-Saharan Africa and other low- and middle-income countries, e-learning for medical education has not gained momentum and continues to fall short of the anticipated revolution. Many e-learning interventions have been cul-de-sac pilots that have not been scaled up but rather terminated after the pilot phase. This is usually a result of not adopting a system-wide approach, which leads to insufficient scope of training, insufficient technological maintenance and user support, unattainably high expectations, and unrealistic financial planning. Thus, a multitude of e-learning evaluations have failed to provide scientifically sound evidence of the effectiveness of e-learning for medical education in low-resource countries. Instead, it appears that technological development has overwhelmed rather than revolutionized medical education. The question of how to push e-learning into a higher gear in low-resource countries persists. Provision of e-learning as a technology is insufficient. E-learning needs to be vigorously and sustainably integrated into the local educational setting and aligned with national strategies and other national endeavors and interventions. Adhering to a standardized framework for the implementation and evaluation of e-learning endeavors is key, especially to bridge the gap in robust evidence that should also guide e-learning implementations. The primary objective of e-learning for medical education is to strengthen the health system in order to serve the population’s health care needs and expectations. Currently, medical e-learning does not measure up to its potential or do justice to medical students in low-resource countries. Technology may help unfold the potential of e-learning, but an all-encompassing change is needed. This can only be achieved through a joint effort that follows a systematic and standardized framework, especially for implementation and evaluation.

Disturbing Lessons from Free Primary Education in Sub Saharan African: A Case of Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi & Mozambique

A study on the progress of free primary education in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique was conducted via literature search. A critical analysis of statistics from local and international websites was done with the aim of assessing the progress of free primary education in Sub Saharan Africa. Several conclusions were made about the progress of free primary education in Sub Saharan Africa. The first observation was that, there has been a steady progress in education in relation to the out of primary school rates as well as dropout over the past three decades. The African governments failed to eradicate the out of primary school children’s exorbitant numbers since 1990. As at 1990, 38.8 million primary aged students were out of schools in Sub Saharan Africa. The figure dropped to 34.1 million as of 2016. The second observation was that the African governments have been reluctant to set the actual cost of primary education per student per year. An average cost of less than $14 per primary student per year paid as grant by the Sub Saharan governments is insufficient to promote quality. Finally, whereas education has been perceived to be a vehicle of dealing with inequality, free primary education was observed to be fueling inequality among the students within, between countries and globally. Therefore, African governments should set strong monitoring and evaluation departments with the aim of eradicating challenges of free primary education. The problems of teacher-students ratio, dropout and out of primary school children has been there three decades ago and even today. A strong monitoring and evaluation systems could have eliminated these challenges in 1990s.

Inequality, Information Technology and Inclusive Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

This study examines linkages between inequality, information and communication technology (ICT) and inclusive education in order to establish inequality thresholds that should not be exceeded in order for ICT to promote inclusive education in 42 countries in sub-Saharan Africa for the period 2004-2014. The empirical evidence is based on the Generalized Method of Moments. The following findings are established. First, a Gini coefficient and an Atkinson index of respectively, 0.400 and 0.625 are income inequality thresholds that should not be exceeded in order for internet penetration to positively influence inclusive education. Second, a Gini coefficient, an Atkinson index and a Palma ratio of respectively, 0.574, 0.676 and 9.000 are thresholds of income inequality that if exceeded, fixed broadband subscriptions will no longer positively affect inclusive education. As a main policy implication, the established inequality thresholds should not be exceeded in order for ICT to promote inclusive education in sampled countries. Other implications in the light of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are discussed.

Enhancing ICT for Quality Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

This research assesses the relevance of information and communication technology (ICT) in primary education quality in a panel of 49 Sub-Saharan African countries for the period 2000-2012. The empirical evidence is based on Two Stage Least Squares (2SLS) and Instrumental Quantile regressions (IQR). From the 2SLS: (i) mobile phone and internet penetration rates reduce poor quality education and enhancing internet penetration has a net negative effect of greater magnitude. From the IQR: (i) with the exception of the highest quantile for mobile phone penetration and top quantiles for internet penetration, ICT consistently has a negative effect on poor education quality with a non-monotonic pattern. (ii) Net negative effects are exclusively apparent in the median and top quantiles of internet-related regressions. It follows that enhancing internet penetration will benefit countries with above-median levels of poor education quality while enhancing internet penetration is not immediately relevant to reducing poor education quality in countries with below-median levels of poor education quality.

From Classroom Management to Policymaking: Identification of Strategies to Improve Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

From Classroom Management to Policymaking: Identification of Strategies to Improve Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Reclaiming Commitment to Social Justice through Relevant Adult and Continuing Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Reclaiming commitment to social justice through widening access to education, using the medium of relevant adult and continuing education, requires people to have the ability to initiate ideas, to act and to take their destiny in their own hands. This article postulates that deploying relevant adult and continuing education in the quest for social justice leading to freeing oppressed Sub-Saharan Africans is possible. It was partly for this reason that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) came up with standard setting instruments measuring the effectiveness of inclusive education among its member states and, towards that goal, sponsored a limited study to assess how much has been done globally. The outcomes of that study have influenced the propositions made in the article that is structured against the background of the opportunities and/or challenges posed by the demand for social justice by way of widening access to education and learning. The article makes suggestions for ensuring that relevant adult and continuing education provides valuable service in reclaiming the needed commitment to social justice.

Gender and Science Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract I consider the representation of females in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in Sub-Saharan Africa. Appealing to data from the World Development Indicators, I evaluate the female share on graduates in two broad STEM disciplines. A descriptive analysis is offered that enables an assessment of the extent of Sub-Saharan African gender-inequality in STEM which can inform whether or not there should be policy interventions aimed at decreasing gender inequality and access to STEM education in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Feasibility of Utilizing a Social Media Platform and Electronic Self-Assessment Program to Improve Surgical Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Feasibility of Utilizing a Social Media Platform and Electronic Self-Assessment Program to Improve Surgical Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Using Electronic Tools and Resources to Meet the Challenges of Anatomy Education in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Anatomy education forms the foundation of a successful medical education. This has necessitated the development of innovative ideas to meet up with current realities. Despite these innovative ideas, there are challenges facing anatomy education, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Problems such as inadequate teaching experts and outdated curricula have made anatomy education in sub-Saharan Africa uninviting and disinteresting. Several interventions have been suggested, such as the procurement of teaching tools and upgrading of teaching infrastructure. However, in this age of information technology; anatomy education, especially in sub-Saharan Africa could benefit from the integration of electronic tools and resources. This article explores the electronic tools and resources such as three-dimensional printing, educational games, and short videos that are readily available for the teaching of anatomy in sub-Saharan Africa. The author concludes by discussing how these electronic tools and resources can be used to address many of the challenges facing anatomy education in sub-Saharan Africa.

Journalism Education Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Examination of the Norwegian Model in Ethiopia

ABSTRACTRecent trends in journalism education in Africa indicate a substantial increase both in scope and specialisation. While this increase is usually attributed to higher education institutions’ response to market trends, certain journalism education programmes are born out of development assistance initiatives that envision nation-building imperatives of democratisation and development. The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) is notable for its involvement in higher education journalism training at a graduate level in select countries in the Global South. This article assesses the presently discontinued involvement of NORAD in the establishment of a graduate journalism programme at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia between 2004–2007. In doing so, it reviews what has been learned over the lifespan of NORAD's sponsorship of the programme by discussing what worked and what did not work. Findings generated from document analysis, an online survey, and interviews indicate the project fell short of its mission due to its top-down, “magic-bullet” conceptualisation of democratisation that failed to take into account the political and legal-rational conundrums of the Ethiopian state. However, unanticipated yet useful contributions emerged from the project in terms of forging small-scale partnerships that yielded favourable results in the development of journalism education in sub-Saharan Africa.