Graduates In Africa Research Articles

Factors Related to Academic Success among Paramedic Students

Background South Africa is one of the few countries to produce emergency care graduates in Africa. However, a large number of these graduates are emigrating from Africa. Although academic success has been studied in various contexts in Africa, none have looked into the Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care (BEMC). Maximising academic success in the BEMC might ensure a sustainable skilled workforce in an area which has a shortage of skilled personnel. Aims This study aimed to describe the socio-demographic variables of current South African BEMC students. We also aimed to describe whether any associations exist between socio-demographic variables, various racial groupings and repeating a year during the course of study. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among students enrolled for the BEMC in 2016. Continuous and categorical variables were analysed using descriptive statistics. The Fisher's exact test and Pearson chi-square test were used to test associations between the survey variables and repeating a year. Results A total of 176 participants responded to the survey. Having a pre-existing emergency care qualification was associated with not repeating a year on the BEMC (p=0.02). The statistical difference between race and not repeating a year in the BEMC was not significant (p=0.07). However, when the black-African and minority cohort are grouped together, it is significant (p=0.05). Conclusion A number of socio-demographics were described in this study. Students with pre-existing emergency care qualifications were least likely to repeat a year.

Academic Misconduct in Nigerian Medical Schools-A Report from Focus Group Discussions among House Officers

Concern is growing as research continues to find evidence of academic misconduct among medical students. There is, however, paucity of information on this issue among medical students and medical graduates in Africa. We determined the perceptions and attitude of house officers on academic misconduct within Nigerian medical schools. We conducted 7 focus group discussions (FGDs) among pre-registration house-officers (PRHOs) working in a Nigerian Teaching hospital between October and November 2013. A FGD guide containing 7 broad questions related to their perception and attitude on academic misconduct was employed. Ethnographic content analysis and manual coding were adopted in identifying themes, issues and representative quotations. A total of 58 participants out of an eligible pool of 76 PRHOs were recruited. All the groups associated academic misconduct chiefly with cheating in examinations, and perceived it as a commonplace problem. “It is a part of school life”, admitted one PRHO. Copying during exam appeared to be the commonest form of cheating. Another respondent opined that “The lecturers should be more concerned with helping students understand better. They should not make passing an exam a do-or-die affair.” The perception and attitudes towards academic misconduct may be a reflection of the prevailing moral decline in the contemporary Nigerian society. Underlying the reasons adduced by the participants for getting involved in academic misconduct is the fear of failure in examinations. Apart from consolidating formal and informal medical ethics education, the medical schools should ensure that the opportunities and pressures to indulge in academic misconduct are minimized.

Academic Mobility for Engineering and Technology Graduates in Africa: Lessons and Experiences from the Implementation

This paper was inspired by lessons and experiences arising from the implementation of an on-going academic mobility project supported by the Intra-ACP European Commission Program. Twelve universities (11 in Africa and the University of Gent in Belgium, Europe) in a consortium brokered by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Africa (RUFORUM) conceived and successfully put a proposal in response to the 2013 Intra-ACP Academic Mobility Call. The project “Mobility for Engineering and Technology Graduates in Africa (METEGA)” is on-going and entails academic mobility of 72 beneficiaries (44 at Masters level, 20 at Doctoral level, and 8 at the staff and faculty level) in sixteen countries of the five sub-regions in Africa. Africa is lagging behind in terms of numbers of graduate students in engineering fields. The METEGA project is one of the 15 partnerships on academic mobility supported by the EU Intra-ACP Academic Mobility Scheme; and constitutes significant a contribution towards increasing the number of graduate students in Africa. The project has provided opportunity to leverage resources among participating universities. The participating universities offered three and nine quality Doctoral and Masters training programs. This project represents a significant effort towards internationalization of higher education in the sciences and has served as an opportunity for graduates and faculty to gain skills, relevant experience as well as learn from the implementation process. This paper presents lessons and experiences of the METEGA project, including institutional and operational issues that can be used to inform future academic mobility arrangements in Africa and elsewhere in the world.

Investing in African research training institutions creates sustainable capacity for Africa: the case of the University of the Witwatersrand School of Public Health masters programme in epidemiology and biostatistics

BackgroundImproving health in Africa is a high priority internationally. Inadequate research capacity to produce local, relevant research has been identified as a limitation to improved population health. Increasing attention is being paid to the higher education sector in Africa as a method of addressing this; evidence that such investment is having the desired impact is required. A 1998 3-year investment by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) in research training at the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa was reviewed to assess its' impact.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional survey of the 70 students registered for the masters programme in epidemiology & biostatistics from 2000-2005 was conducted. Data were collected from self-administered questionnaires.ResultsSixty percent (42/70) of students responded. At the time of the survey 19% of respondents changed their country of residence after completion of the masters course, 14% migrated within Africa and 5% migrated out of Africa. Approximately half (47%) were employed as researchers and 38% worked in research institutions. Sixty percent reported research output, and four graduates were pursuing PhD studies. Government subsidy to higher education institutions, investments of the University of the Witwatersrand in successful programmes and ongoing bursaries for students to cover tuition fees were important for sustainability.ConclusionsInvesting in African institutions to improve research training capacity resulted in the retention of graduates in Africa in research positions and produced research output. Training programmes can be sustained when national governments invest in higher education and where that funding is judiciously applied. Challenges remain if funding for students bursaries is not available.