3.1 Report of the World Conference on Higher Education by Prof. Lydia Makhubu, Vice Chancellor, University of Swaziland, Swaziland 
 

The presenter began her speech by saying that she would only be giving the conference's highlights rather than the entire report. 
 

She reported that the conference had brought together nearly 4000 participants ranging from international donor agencies, students, academicians and vice chancellors. 
 

She lauded the conference as a good forum on the role of the universities and higher education institutions in the wake of the new millennium. She said that the conference advocated the need to "step up contribution in the promotion of peace." 
 

The presenter went on to elaborate on a number of issues raised in the conference, including: 
 

· framework of regional consultations and regional concerns 

· quantitative expansion of student intake vis a vis financial constraints which are a worldwide problem and a big hindrance in education 

· the problems of quality and academic excellence 

· the problem of female students from underprivileged rural communities 

· methods of teaching and learning 

· funding and resources in African universities in which the growth of enrolment has not been accompanied by enough resources and funding 

The speaker informed that the conference had recognised the fact that higher education has undergone a far reaching transformation within a very short time coupled with the constant changes in market needs as a result of the globalization of the market economy. 
 

Among other burning issues reported to have been dealt with in the conference were: 
 
 

· Enhanced international relations 

· Telecommunications development 

· Brain drain as a major setback in the issue of international relations 

· Relevance: The need to interpret correctly the programmes offered in universities 

· Equity: The need to double the female students intake, and emphasis on orienting them to science subjects 

· Quality 

· The need for institutional accountability 

· International relations of higher education; and international cooperation especially among the underprivileged 

· Finances and Management 

The speaker informed that the conference had urged all countries to guarantee the peoples' right to higher education which would, in turn ensure development. 
 

Prof. Makhubu said that the Paris Conference encouraged the organization of regular meetings and conferences, such as the ones by AAU, to discuss the management and funding of the Universities. 
 

Touching on the World Declaration on Higher Education, the speaker said that the document encourages the expansion of students enrolment especially in the least developed countries. It advocates the importance of producing highly qualified graduates to meet the needs of the societies in the present and the future and in the context of cultural plurality. These, she said, called for ethic, scientific and intellectual rigour. 
 

As regards the New Vision of Higher Education, the presenter listed a number of issues dealt with in the Paris conference, viz.: 
 

· Cooperation 

· Student needs which must be placed at the centre 

· Opportunity and quality enhancement 

· Need to offer a wide variety of courses 

· Cultivation of innovative, critical thinking 

· New types of links and partnerships 

The speaker touched on the Framework for Action as stipulated in the Paris conference. This included: 
 
 

· The need for qualitative evaluation which would go hand in hand with the recognition of potentials and challenges of technology. The conference recognized the fact that these potentials and challenges do, invariably, change the roles of teachers but they should not be at the expense of the presence of teachers 

· Management and funding of institutions of higher education; which has also been widely deliberated in the AAU 

· International relations, especially the issue of brain drain in Africa, which robs African countries of their experts who would contribute a lot in the development of their countries 

· Partnerships and alliances among stakeholders, students, administrators, community groups and NGOs: based on mutual respect and common needs 

The speaker ended her presentation by saying that she hoped that the African region would select those aspects relevant to their contexts which would lead to a smooth entrance into the next millennium.(The full text of the Report is available as Appendix VI) 
 

3.2 Women in Universities: Issues and Concerns Related to Access, Quality and Relevance by Dr. Florence Nyamu, Programme Manager, FAWE 
 

Basically, the presentation argued that African universities should address African issues. The presenter singled out the question of gender equity and commended President Mkapa for mentioning the gender equity issues. 
 

The presenter listed some important questions which need to be asked when relating the issue of the revitalisation of African universities vis a vis gender equity. Among these was the identification of the ways and areas in which women should feature in the revitalisation programmes so as to increase the access of such women to higher education. She further queried about the policies which need to be instituted in order to make women play the roles envisaged in the revitalisation process. 
 

In elaborating on the above, the paper looked at a number of issues which included factors influencing women's access, persistence and achievement in universities, such as 
 
 

· the inadequate number of places in certain faculties 

· discouragement from peers at secondary school 

· biassed selection procedures 

· societal pressures and general unfriendly environments and 

· gender insensitive teachers and managers 
 

Then the presenter dealt with the theme of women and technological advances, submitting that it was necessary to create opportunities for all countries and groups within each country, especially the marginalised groups which include girls, to gain access to, and develop, technological applications related to their own needs. 
 

The presentation gave an elaborated list of FAWE's programme for tertiary education which included: 
 

· Policy and research-based activities 

· Activities to strengthen capacity building 

· Supporting networking with like-minded organizations 

After listing the two main strategies and recommendations for the future, viz.:revamping research capacities and linking research, policy and practice, the speaker ended her presentation by suggesting the appropriate measures to remove the barriers and obstacles hampering women's participation in universities. These included the development of programmes aimed at creating awareness among teachers and managers of schools, parents and communities, of the dangers of limiting girls' participation in education at all levels. She advised that equal opportunity and affirmative action programmes aimed at redressing gender imbalances be instituted.(For the full text of this report see Appendix VII) 
 

3.3 Database on Thesis and Dissertations (DATAD) by Ms. Lisbeth Levy, Consultant, Ford and Rockefeller Foundations & Mrs. Mary Maseru-Behitsa, Reference Librarian, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 
 

Basically, the two presenters rationalised the concept of DATAD showing how important it is to African scholarship. After this they listed the underlying principles which showed how there is a critical need to get research on and by Africans into the global knowledge pool. In this, the presenters submitted that DATAD could play a very crucial role. 
 

The report further argued that AAU is the most appropriate organization to lead the DATAD process; and that the goal would be to produce an outstanding and easy-to-use product for which there would be a viable and sustainable market. 
 

The presenters emphasised that the information contained in DATAD should be easily accessible within Africa, whereby, for example, participating institutions would receive DATAD free of charge. 
 

The report went on to talk about DATAD Feasibility Study which included site visits, significant issues such as those of the number of theses and dissertations, thesis management, and copyright and intellectual property matters. 
 

Among other important issues dealt with in the report were: 

· Social Science Consortia 

· Market Survey 

· DATAD pilot project in which issues of content, document delivery, selecting pilot project universities, the question of language, technology and production, pilot project costs, administration and funding, were elaborated on. 
 

The presenters concluded that DATAD could be a very useful project for the AAU members. While they acknowledged the fact that initially DATAD may depend on donor support, the presenters insisted that it must be sustainable in the long run. They charged that the maintenance and continuance of DATAD will require a financial and human resource investment and long-term commitment on the part of all institutions involved.(The full text of this presentation is available as Appendix VIII) 
 
 
3.4 Discussion 
 

The presentations were followed by a discussion which, among other things argued that there are some historical factors which should be addressed. These include the needs of the people, the needs of the common man on the streets; the need to address the issues of poverty and lack of development. 
 

It was advised that there is a need to be more humble in our speed which would address the problems of starving and poor people while continuing with the process that was initiated by the world conference. It was particularly stressed that national teams should be formed, which would critically examine the role of universities using a holistic approach. 
 

An example was cited where there is a secretariat in South Africa whose function is to make a follow-up of the resolutions of Paris. The participants were urged to formulate a framework which would work towards a follow-up of all global conferences and ensure that the resolutions are adhered to in the participating countries. 
 

Members said that they hoped that the AAU would take the initiative to put together, from the Paris report, all those aspects which are relevant to the African Universities for deliberations. 
 

The rest of the discussions centred on the feasibility of the DATAD project. Members were informed that this was very feasible, and that initially, it requires substantial funding. Delegates were informed that DATAD-like projects were not new since in some universities and institutions, including AAU, this type of technology was already in use.