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Association of African Universities |
OTHER PROGRAMMES
Other programmes of the Association termed as special or non-core programmes and which run for a specified period of time include the following, Hopes on the Horizon, Database on Theses and Dissertations (DATAD) and the Study on Information and Communication Technologies.
Hopes on the Horizon
The Hopes on the Horizon Project, a multimedia training and educational initiative built around the production of a pilot film in 1998 and a major television special in June 2000, seeks not only to contribute to the content of general education in African Universities but to also empower the youth to develop the skills needed for sustained development in Africa.
Phase I of the project ended in November 1998 and a transition period was established. A bridging grant was provided for the project to continue, while negotiations were made for a continuation of the project into phase II. The objectives of the project during this transition period were the effective distribution of the revised film to target audiences in African universities and other organisations engaged in youth development, the promotion of film literacy in universities, the encouragement of the use of video films in innovative teaching, the assessment of the usefulness of the Hopes project in the teaching of African politics and society and the identification of other support materials which can increase the value/usefulness of the Hopes project.
During this period, activities undertaken included the distribution of the revised film to universities, the conduction of workshops on the film in Higher Education Institutions in East, West and South Africa, the co-ordination of the revision and standardisation of lesson plans for the use of the film, the distribution of digital satellite radios donated by the Worldspace Foundation to 8 universities (Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, Morocco, Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa), the monitoring of the reception of the Worldspace Broadcast of "Hopes"at the sites and an analysis of the broadcast survey forms from the sites. The 2-hr. special on: "Democracy and civil society in Africa", the main film for phase II, has been produced for use in African universities, and funds are being sourced for the continuation of the activities of the project.
Database on Theses and Dissertations (DATAD)
Database on Theses and Dissertations (DATAD). The DATAD initiative to index, abstract and distribute dissertations and theses completed in Africa was discussed at a planning meeting convened by PIAC in January 1998 during which an outline of a feasibility study for a pilot project was also discussed. Participants of this meeting in which AAU was represented recognised and reiterated the centrality of the Association of African Universities (AAU) in taking a leading role in pursuing such a project.
Drawing from the findings and recommendations of a Feasibility Study Report, the AAU developed a three year project proposal. For the involvement of eleven universities (selected amongst those involved in the feasibility study) the US$800,000 budget funding proposal has been partially funded by Ford Foundation (US$ 300,000), with a firm commitment received for US$250,000 from the Rockefeller Foundation. The Secretariat is still soliciting for the remaining US$ 250,000 to successfully implement the project to completion.
Apart from the general aim of serving its primary objective of being an information resource, the Database on African Theses and Dissertations, will serve to contribute towards the creation of an environment conducive for research and publication in African universities and the region as a whole, create capacity in African universities for the collection, management and dissemination of theses and dissertations electronically, provide visibility and improve accessibility to the work of African scholars both within and outside of the continent, facilitate the development of relevant copyright procedures and regulations which will promote the protection of the intellectual property rights of African university researchers, provide support for AAU programmes which aim at capacity building in the area of research, promotion of cooperation among member universities and networking of institutions having access to a central source of information and become self sustaining and provide income for the association and participating institutions.
The project which will be undertaken in three phases in a three
year period is in its first phase which entails office set-up,
establishment
of contacts,
selection of participating institutions, set up of institutional
management teams, set up an advisory committee, signing of memorandum
of understanding,
selection of software and hardware, preparation of procurement
and delivery schedules and site visits and holding an annual
workshop.
Study on Private Universities in Africa
During the last decade, private universities were established in several African countries, as a reaction to the growing number of students who could not gain admission into the public universities. They therefore constitute an important addition to the provision of higher education in Africa and by implication contribute to the human resources development in Africa. Their number has continued to increase over the years. Inspite of this development, there has been no study conducted on a wide scale, to document their establishment, their code of conduct and their contribution to the development of higher education in Africa. So far, our research has been able to identify only the following attempts at surveying the situation of private universities: Private Universities in Kenya: Some Emerging Trends and Issues (1993), and Private Tertiary Education in Ghana (1995). A need therefore arises, to undertake a thorough study of the trend in order to have a current and comprehensive database on private universities in Africa.
The study has been completed and is in the final stage of writing up. Some of the emerging highlights of the study are that: there are about 70% such universities in all the regions of Africa, with 20 in West Africa, 22 in East Africa, 11 in Southern Africa, 10 in North Africa and 7 in Central Africa; that they comprise private denominational, private non-denominational, open, virtual and gender universities and therefore fulfill the mission of increasing access to higher education in Africa; that the fees charged are not beyond the reach of parents, and that governments should allow the establishment of more private universities on the continent. The detailed report on the study, will be published in September 2000 and distributed widely in Africa.
Study on the Use and Application of Information and Communication
Technologies in Higher Education
Considering that the AAU is committed to managing and disseminating information on higher education in Africa, it requested and obtained funds from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Canada, for Information exchange by electronic mail. The main objective of this was to set up a network of electronic mail connecting AAU to four universities, with the aim of evaluating the experiences and progress in Eastern and Southern African countries, and to develop the capacity of universities involved.
The encouraging results obtained during the first phase consolidated IDRC's desire to continue the co-operation with AAU by financing a second phase of institutional support from 1999 to 2001. One of the components of this support is the drafting of a study on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) whose main objective is to analyse the state of the art (what is available and who are the main players) of the use of ICTs in higher education institutions in Africa, and to make recommendations to AAU and its members (Higher Education Institutions) and stakeholders.
When the AAU started the process of this study, if realised that several other international organisations such as Carnegie Corporation of New York, USAID/KELP, IDRC/ACACIA were also interested in knowing the real situation of the use and the application of ICTs in African Universities. This is why, after several online discussions which also involved representatives of other organisations, two meetings were held in Addis Ababa from 24 to 28 October 1999 on this issue.
The Study on the Use and Application of Information and Communication Technologies in Higher Education project which among others has the objective of analysing the use of ICTs in universities and other institutions of higher education in Africa, both public and private, will be conducted in four parts. So far it has held a Technical Meeting of Experts in May 2000 involving ten (10) African scholars and experts from Higher Education Institutions, and representatives of donors agencies. These experts are to constitute a working group of selected experts who will issue a joint report on their findings and conclusions.