Tag Archive for: higher education

Knowledge Production and Contradictory Functions in African Higher Education

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Currently, Africa has more than half of the 20 fastest-growing economies in the world, which has contributed to what has been called the era of ‘Africa Rising’ or a ‘New Africa’. In order to further strengthen socio-economic development, African universities need to improve their ability to produce and apply knowledge in effective and relevant ways. In OECD countries there are several public and private sites for knowledge production, but in Africa the university is the only knowledge institution, and hardly any knowledge is produced outside of the university.

Higher Education in Portuguese Speaking African Countries

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As the evidence from this study shows, Africa, in particular sub-Saharan Africa, comprises some of the poorest nations in the world and therefore desperately needs strong higher education systems that can assist in its rapid development. It is widely acknowledged that higher education plays a key role in the economic, scientific, social and human development of any country, and that the economically strongest nations are those with the best performing higher education sectors. Higher education, as the producer of knowledge and knowledge workers, is assuming an even more important role with the realisation that knowledge, not natural resources, is the key to Africa’s sustainable development.

Driving Change: The Story of the South Africa Norway Tertiary Education Development Programme

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Driving Change tells a story that exemplifies a basic law of physics, known to all – the application of a relatively small lever can shift weight, create movement and initiate change far in excess of its own size.

Higher Education Financing in East and Southern Africa

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This nine-country study of higher education financing in Africa includes three East African states (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda), five countries in southern Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa), and an Indian Ocean island state (Mauritius).

Dick Fehnel: Lessons from Graver’s School

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Dick Fehnel worked as higher education consultant for World Bank, Ford Foundation and the Human Sciences Research Council. He held the positions of acting representative (1998–1999) and programme officer (1993–2000) for the Ford Foundation, Southern Africa, after which he semi-retired to Portland Oregon, and continued to travel and consult until his death in May 2006.

The University in Africa and Democratic Citizenship

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Whether and how higher education in Africa contributes to democratisation beyond producing the professionals that are necessary for developing and sustaining a modern political system, remains an unresolved question. This report, then, represents an attempt to address the question of whether there are university-specific mechanisms or pathways by which higher education contributes to the development of democratic attitudes and behaviours among students, and how these mechanisms operate and relate to politics both on and off campus.

Linking Higher Education and Economic Development

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Finland, South Korea and the state of North Carolina in the United States are three systems that successfully have harnessed higher education in their economic development initiatives.

Universities and Economic Development in Africa: Key Findings

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Universities and economic development in Africa presents the synthesis and includes the key findings of case studies of eight African countries and universities. The analysis and discussion presented in the book draw three main conclusions.

Shaping the Future of South Africa’s Youth: Rethinking Post-School Education and Skills Training

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South Africa has made huge gains in ensuring universal enrolment for children at school, and in restructuring and recapitalising the FET college sector. However, some three million young people are not in education, employment or training and the country faces serious challenges in providing its youth with the pathways and support they need to transition successfully into a differentiated system of post-school education and training.