Free Essay: Challenges Facing Higher Education in Africa
Africa is continent that has proven its willingness to provide quality higher education over the past years. However, higher education in Africa is facing many challenges including the unwillingness of academics to take up the challenge fully and harness the opportunity given to them. This was one of the conclusions of researchers and higher education experts from Africa recently.
The other challenges facing higher education in Africa include:
Over engagement in funding
Developed countries have been funding several institutions in Africa. As a result, there are new patterns of funding emerging within institutions of higher learning. However, research shows that there is over engagement in funding. It has been given a lot of priority and is treated as an end product by itself.
Therefore, there is no real strategic knowledge over what funds from different countries will be committed to. What’s more, a lot of time that would be used in learning is wasted as relevant stake holders engage too much in funding opportunities.
A lot of focus on external oversight to institutions of higher learning
It has also been proven that there is a lot of focus on bodies providing external oversight to universities. Worst of all is that, enough has not been explored or done to cultivate the capacity for evaluation and accountability from within. In addition, the role of higher education councils in transformation in Africa has not been fully crystallized.
Status quo
It is with no doubt that several frameworks in Africa have been created to provide a clear oversight in institutions of higher education. However, researchers believe that the status quo is still maintained within the institutions and in Africa at large. Therefore, there is no new internal and external leadership to be explored.
Universities and other institutions of higher education do not explore on new ideas that comes with new leadership.
Conflict between staff unions and management
Institutions of higher education in Africa also face conflicts in the management and staff unions. Without proper understanding between the two parties, proper learning and managerial approaches cannot be put in place.
Higher expectations on what regulatory bodies should do
There are high expectations on what regulatory bodies and organizations should do to enhance higher education in Africa. This makes it difficult for management and staff unions to deliver their duties efficiently because more focus is on the regulatory bodies. Additionally, there is very little understanding on the challenges that the bodies face.
With such high expectations, it also becomes difficult to enhance the capacity of umbrella and regulatory bodies in the continent. In the long run, higher education is affected.
Research also shows that there is no sustained or well developed body for higher education in Africa. Therefore, programs and funds aimed at enhancing higher education are not executed successfully.
Similarly, there is no clear platform for reporting and accountability in higher education system in Africa. This makes it difficult for higher education stakeholders to achieve a standardized compliance and standard for higher education. If there was a clear platform, it would be very easy to share data, expertise, advocate and network for quality education.
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Online sources:
http://www.aplu.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=1183
http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20130831103013523