AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES' RESPONSE TO CURRENT EMERGING ISSUES IN AFRICA *

1. a reflection of the history of the development of higher education

2. conflicts in Africa and their effect on education.

3. and HIV/AIDS

4. gender and Equity.

Higher Education Institutions are set up with specific visions and missions. Such institutions can only continue to be relevant to their environment through continual review of their missions and objectives in order to position themselves to serve the current needs of their communities.

HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION

A short history of the development of higher education institutions will show how the needs of the people are met. Early higher educational institutions date back to the middle ages:

Al - Azhar University, Egypt 970 AD

University of Bologna, Italy, late 11OOAD

University of Paris late 11OOAD

First schools which developed into colleges and Universities were founded mainly to train ministers of religion or to serve the professions of Law and medicine.

"During the Renaissance in the 1400s the universities helped direct the revival of interest in Greek and Roman learning. Form this revival developed the modern concepts of the liberal - arts curriculum".

"Early in U.S., history, some leaders saw the need for education that went beyond religious concerns. The state universities were developed to meet other broad-based educational needs. By the Morrill or Land Grant Act of 1862 the USA congress granted every state 3000 acres of Land for each Senator and representative it had in congress. The Land was to be sold, the proceeds invested and the income used to create and maintain a college for agriculture and the mechanical arts.

The development of Higher education in Africa is similar to what has been described above; colleges like Fourah Bay in Freetown Sierra Leone, started with the training of ministers of religion and studies in Liberal arts. University of lbadan and the University of Ghana Legon started with liberal arts subjects and natural sciences. The training at the time prepared people for key positions in the colonial civil services and to teach in the secondary schools.

Early 1900s, cooperative education or work study programmes in various forms was promoted in secondary and tertiary institutions in the USA and in Europe. University and industry cooperated and collaborated in training tertiary students to combine periods of training with work. The idea was that students should apply classroom knowledge in the field during their periods of study. This it was hoped would prepare them better to meet the initial challenges of the work environment.

Some African leaders looking into the future development of their countries and Africa set up higher institutions for science and technological education. The Government of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in the early 1950s set up technical schools and the University of Science and Technology to train people to manage the evolving industries. More and more emphasis were placed on the teaching and learning of science at all levels of education but the attendant cost of equipment and materials for effective teaching of science overwhelmed most African governments. The policy of free education at all levels has not been easy to manage.

In the 1950s African countries struggled for independence from their colonial masters. Between 1950 to date, the governments of Africa have tried to provide for the teaming masses as the populations increased rapidly; the growth of the economies in Africa lagged far behind the population growth. The focus of education has always been set by stakeholders, the professions and the governments and at times by the universities, or through cooperation between some of the stakeholders.

CONFLICTS IN AFRICA

Internal conflicts have led to military upheavals, fuelled by exploitation of political, religious and ethnic differences within and between countries. Proliferation of small arms by businessmen promotes and prolongs conflict.

Conflicts in any country tend to promote spread of diseases like AIDS through

v large movement of people from endemic to other areas

v rise in sexual crimes in conflict areas

v increase in abnormal behaviour.

In addition able-bodied men die or are maimed, people are displaced, education is disrupted. Every region in Africa has experienced one form of serious conflict or other in the past 10 - 20 years: Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, La Cote d'voire, Senegal, Togo, Guinea, Gambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Angola, South Africa.

African schools and tertiary institutions in non-conflict areas come under pressure to provide education to refugees from conflict areas. During the recent conflict in Liberia and Sierra Leone schools and Universities in Ghana, Nigeria and other countries enrolled some refugees to continue with their education. There were initial problems with integration of the refugee students because of the different educational and social cultures.

Movement from country to country in times of peace continues to increase, facilitated by the improving road and air transport. African students are accessing tertiary education of choice outside their countries in other African universities. Over 250 Nigerians and 20 Angolans and Mozambicans have enrolled in KNUST Kumasi in the last two years to pursue programmes in Medicine and Engineering.

Students' mobility is expected to increase rapidly in the next few years. The African Union Charter has been signed; implementation of the protocols will facilitate movement of people across country borders. Educational institutions of repute should attract students from divers countries. The students may take a whole or part of a programme.

Universities may have to harmonise their entry requirements for their programmes, work out credit transfer schemes and joint degree programmes.

What fee to charge cross-country students would have to be carefully designed. The USA model of graduated fees for in-state, out-of-state and foreign students should be adopted with relevant modifications. Adoption of same fees for all categories of students may be counter productive; universities may not be encouraged to enrol many students form outside their states. Sharing education facilities, developing the youth together in educational institutions is one of the ways to consolidate the African Union. The efforts of the AAU to promote mobility of staff and students mobility in African Universities will have to be enhanced.

African Universities need to design courses in conflict resolution techniques and collaborate with their governments to help to prevent the development of conflicts in communities around them.

HIV/AIDS

The problem of aids is a global one. The prevalence in Africa is very high. In the presence of poverty, deprivation and illiteracy AIDS threatens to devastate some countries in Africa. The beliefs, the cultural and social practices help to spread the disease.

Estimates of Infection Rates, 1999

UN AIDS Report on the Global

HIV/AIDS Epidemic, June 2002, p124

East, Central & South Africa

v Range - 10 - 36%

v Botswana - 35.80%

v Zimbabwe - 25.06%

v South Africa - 19.94%

v Namibia - 19.54%

v Uganda - 8.30%

West Africa

v Range - 2 - 11%

v Cote d'lvoire - 10.76%

v Nigeria - 5.07%

v Ghana - 3.60%

v Mali - 2.03%

Others

v Madagascar - 0.15%

v Mauritius - 0.08%

Several Studies have been done in African Universities particularly in the East and South, but very little in the West. The studies aim at understanding the HIV/AIDS, relevant human behaviour and the required response for the control of the disease.

A recent study sponsored by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) through its working group on Higher Education (WGHE) is worth mentioning here. The study uses case studies in seven Universities in six countries in Africa to find out the impact of HIV/AIDS on Universities in Africa.

The synthesis of the reports brought out three features that could characterise a comprehensive university response to HIV/AIDS:

1. Committed leadership

There should be strong, sustained and inspiring leader.

2. Clear targets

The University should have targets for its action which reflects those for national and international action.

3. A strategic approach

The approach should comprise the following steps:

v A situation analysis;

v a response analysis;

v formulation of broad guiding principles;

v identification of priority areas and strategic goals;

v elaboration pf steps for reaching the priority objectives within an action plan;

v and determination of the institutional framework and structures needed for implementation.

Some Universities like Kenyatta University, Kenya, University of Namibia, Namibia are in the forefront in the fight against HIV/AIDS. They have developed clear policies on prevention, control and creation of awareness among people in the University and the country at large.

Many Universities have no defined policy, lack well-developed action plans and rely on the initiative of a few enthusiastic members of staff.

The Association of African Universities has a role to play. It needs to facilitate sharing of good practices, and stimulate the many universities to assume leadership roles in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

In the study of the documents on the few serious studies on HIV/AIDS in African Universities it is clear that support funds came from external funding agencies. There is need for yearly budget allocation by government and by University administration to support the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to summarise as follows:

(1) African Universities should continually review their missions to make them relevant to their community and the World.

(2) The history of the development of education gives examples of changes in focus in education initiated by any of the stakeholders: the professions, the government and the University.

(3) One of the major revolving problems in Africa is conflict fuelled by political, religious and ehnic differences; conflict disrupts the economy and affects education.

(4) HIV/AIDS is devastating many African Countries, and is being spread through large movement of people during conflicts situations.

(5) African Universities need to do more with initiatives to control, manage and educate the people within their universities and the communities around them.

(6) Government and the Universities should set aside realistic budget allocations for financing the fight against HIV/AIDS.

(7) AAU should continue to coordinate activities, which will bring together African universities to share information and learn from one another

Gender and Equity in Tertiary Education

In Africa and some few other countries outside Africa, the social development of the female tends to be hampered by three main factors:

1. body physiology

2. Cultural practices

3. and Religious practices

Social research has shown that the education of the female has more positive impact on the core family and hence the immediate community than the education of the male. This is summed up in a statement accredited to Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey that "you educate a woman you educate a nation".

Through the compulsory primary education policy in many countries in africa, the male/female mix in primary schools is about 50/50. The drop out rate for females is higher than that of males. In secondary schools the ratio is in favour of males and in tertiary institutions the ratio is about 3 males to 1 female. However the arts subjects tend to have more females than the sciences and the technological subjects.

The following data on the 2001 graduating class at K.N.U.S.T is worth noting:

The total graduating class had 21.5% female; the social sciences graduated 30% female, while the Sciences and Technological subjects 15% female.

The cultural and social practices tend to discourage girls advancing in education or going to do physical sciences. Girls are capable of reading any subject. Since Ghana started organising science clinics for girls, girls have developed interest in sciences. The results of the last University Entrance Examination conducted in 1999 in Ghana showed that the top ten candidates in science included six girls. On two occasions at KNUST the top student in the graduating class in Mathematics was a girl whose father had been a professor in Mathematics. Some girls graduate with first class or distinction in other subjects:

Sciences, Human Biology, Pharmacy Engineering, Land Economy, Agriculture etc.

When the girls struggle through the cultural religious and social impediments to reach the University they have to confront other problems.

Inadequate support - financial and material - affect the teenage female student much more than the male. The psychology and the basic needs of the female are such that they must be catered for adequately. Most students in the universities come from average to poor homes which are unable to provide sufficiently for the needs of the student. Residential accommodation is a new problem. About 60% of all the university students in Ghana are non-resident. Private accommodation costs about 5-20 times the subsidised Hall accommodation. Hall accommodation is cheap, but congested and not sufficiently decent for the average person.

All these notwithstanding, the village girls have very little chance of competing successfully to enter the university, or entering the highly competitive programmes - medicine, pharmacy, planning, management, electrical engineering, architecture etc.

How do we manage such a situation to bring gender equity in future.

1. African universities must demonstrate gender sensitivity in the design of policies used in managing their institutions.

2. Positive discrimination in favour of female/male should be used to create gender balance in a step-wise manner eg. Where possible gradually change the male/female mix of a class from 100/0 to 90/10 to 80/20 etc.

3. Create scholarship schemes for girls generally or girls in special programmes like Mathematic, Engineering and boys in Home Science, Catering ,hospitality

4. Provide accommodation for girls.

5. Develop female role models and use them as mentors in the institutions and to promote girls education in the country.

The AAU since 1998 has worked towards improving the participation of women and girls in science and technology. The initiatives have been supported by UNESCO and Rockefeller Foundation. AAU has been collaborating with the Forum for African Women Educationists (FAWE).

Achievements:

- Formation of Women in Science & Technology in Africa Network(WISTAN)

- Scholarship programmes for women in science.

- Programmes to promote participation of girls and women in Sciences & Technology

These initiatives need to be actively promoted at local levels to achieve the expected outcomes.

Female Employment in Universities

Selection of candidates to fill vacancies in universities should normally follow rigorous processes defined by the institution.

Basic qualifications and demonstrable ability relevant to the job are main considerations. The few females who qualify for jobs as Lecturers and Administrators do not opt for jobs in the universities. Those who opt for Lectureship positions appear

not to progress fast enough. There should be conscious effort to understand the inherent problems of the female, the effect of her physiology on her day-to-day performance; the demand on her time and energy by

child bearing,

child caring,

husband caring

These social demands should be considered in handling the female at work, and planning the work of the female staff. Brilliant female staff should be mentored and encourage to achieve; such individuals will become role models for female students and junior staff.

Thank you, for your attention.

Prof. J. S. K. Ayim

Faculty of Pharmacy

KNUST, Kumasi

AAU DAY NOVEMBER 12, 2002, UCEW, WINEBA.

References

1. Kelly, M.J., 2001 challenging the challenger: Understanding and Expanding the Response of Universities in African to HIV/AIDS; a synthesis report for the WGHE/ADEA. The World Bank, Washington.

2. University of Namibia, 2001. UNAM HIV/AIDS Policy. A policy document for responding to HIV/AIDS.

3. Kanyatta University. Aids Control Unit. ACU Bulletin 2002.

4. World Book Encyclopaedia, History of Universities in Vol. U:234.

5. Aseka, E.M., 2001, "Conflict Resolution in Higher Education in a Globalising Africa: The case of moral authority and leadership integrity in Management of Universities". Codesria Bulletin, 3&4, p17.