20 SCN 37-530

SCN

37-530

COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN AFRICA

by the UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

From: UNESCO in Africa, Special Issue N. 1, July 2009.

www.unesco.org

Reproduced by The European House-Ambrosetti for the Forum Developing the Regions of Africa and Europe, Taormina, October 7 and 8, 2010.

3UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1

Director of PublicationDirecteur de publicationAnn Therese NDONG-JATTADirector, UNESCO-DakarDirectrice, UNESCO-Dakar

Editorial BoardComit ditorialAnn Therese NDONG-JATTAAhmadou Lamine NDIAYEMariama SARR-CEESAYIsyaku KABIRULawalley COLEAgns BEYNIS

Typesetting and layoutComposition et mise en pageOumy SARRPolykrome Dakar

Cover page designConception page de couvertureOusmane Dago NDIAYE

PrintingImpressionPolykrome Dakar

ISSN : 0850 - 1432

UNESCO, 2009

UNESCO IN AFRICA / UNESCO EN AFRIQUE

UNESCO - ok:Brochure 29/06/09 18:12 Page3

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughoutthis publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever onthe part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory,city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of itsfrontiers or boundaries.

The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the factscontained in this book and for the opinions expressed therein, which arenot necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.

Les appellations employes dans cette publication et la prsentation desdonnes qui y figurent nimpliquent de la part de lUNESCO aucune prisede position quant au statut juridique des pays, territoires, villes ou zones,ou de leurs autorits, ni quant au trac de leurs frontires ou limites.

Les ides et les opinions exprimes dans cette publication sont celles desauteurs ; elles ne refltent pas ncessairement les points de vue delUNESCO et nengagent en aucune faon lOrganisation.



ditorial /EditorialMs. Ann-Therese NDONG-JATTA 6 - 7

La Confrence mondiale sur lEnseignement suprieur :De 1998 2009 en passant par la Confrence Rgionalesur lEnseignement Suprieur en Afrique ( CRESA )M. Ahmadou Lamine NDIAYE 8

Creating an African Higher Education Space in the context of Regionalisation andGlobalization. New Partnerships: South-South and North-SouthMs. Naledi PANDOR 19

The New Dynamics for Higher Education in AfricaMr. Nahas A. ANGULA 21

Regional Cooperation and Higher Education in Africa:Consolidating the Links to Reclaim the 21st CenturyMs. Sheila BUNWAREE 26

La coopration pdagogique universitaireMme Sverine AWENENGO DALBERTO 35

La coopration Sud-Sud et la coopration Nord-SudM. Bernard CERQUIGLINI 42

Lost in School-to-Work Transition : Psychological lost Experienceof Young Graduates in Cameroon Mr. Fomba Emmanuel MBEBEB 47

Analyse des enjeux dintgration et de cooprationrgionale par lenseignement suprieurM. Moussa MBEGNOUGA 60

La Convention dArushaM. Ahmadou Lamine NDIAYE 63

The Arusha ConventionMr. Ahmadou Lamine NDIAYE 66

Accs lenseignement suprieur en Afrique 69

Access to higher education in Africa 79

CONTENT / SOMMAIRE


6 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial

Ann-Therese NDONG-JATTA

It is an honour and privilege to introduce the rebirthof a UNESCO journal. This journal entitled UNESCOIN AFRICA, is the result of a decision taken by theDirectors and Representatives of UNESCO Officesin Africa to work collaboratively to enhance thevisibility of the Organizations interventions andachievements in the Africa region.

This drive to create greater visibility was hatchedin Cotonou (Rep. of Benin) in July 2008 at themaiden meeting of the UNESCO Leadership Teamof the Africa region. The Team, which comprisesthe Directors and Representatives of UNESCO inAfrica, discussed inter-office cooperation with aview to reinforcing the effectiveness and impactof the Organizations actions and activities in thefield. This initial meeting was followed by a secondmeeting in Tripoli in February 2009, where theyreaffirmed their determination to implement aninformation-sharing and knowledge managementmechanism for the different field offices.

During the meetings, several decisions weretaken, particularly the decision to produce acertain number of documents and publicationsaimed at improving communications betweenfield offices and heightening the visibility ofUNESCOs work in the field.

The goal of the UNESCO IN AFRICA journal is tocreate a space for exchanges, dialogue andinformation dissemination, not only for the benefitof specialists from the region and around theworld, but also for other colleagues and expertsand partners and all those with an interest in theactivities, information, new ideas and innovative

experiences generated by/through UNESCO.However, the ambition of UNESCO IN AFRICAgoes beyond information dissemination, as it isalso intended as an instrument to raise peoplesawareness regarding the major issues of our timesand to promote adhesion to UNESCOs ideals ofpeace, human rights and the building of humancapabilities.

The launch of this edition specifically dedicatedto issues of higher education in Africa, is made tocoincide with the World Conference on HigherEducation 2009. There could be no better ormore befitting circumstances for the publicationof this special edition.

In the run-up to the Conference, along with theother regions of the world, Africa, under the aegisof BREDA, prepared its contribution by organizinga Regional Conference on Higher Education inAfrica (CRESA) on 1013 November 2008.

This edition includes some of the contributionspresented at the Dakar Conference, particularlythose focusing on cooperation, at various levels,within higher education. The articles are, in mostcases, published in the language of their authors(French or English).

UNESCO IN AFRICA naturally has its ownEditorial Committee and Scientific Council, whichact as a Reading Committee. I would like toexpress my gratitude to those Committees, as wellas to all the other people who have made thispublication possible.

EDITORIAL


Il mest particulirement agrable de vousprsenter le tout premier numro de la revueUNESCO EN AFRIQUE dans sa nouvelle version.La renaissance de cette revue est le fruit de lavolont des Directeurs et Reprsentants delUNESCO en Afrique de travailler collectivementafin damliorer la visibilit des ralisations delOrganisation en faveur de la Rgion Afrique.

Cette volont a pris forme Cotonou (Rp. duBnin) en juillet 2008, lors de la rencontre desDirecteurs et Reprsentants de lUNESCO enAfrique, qui ont discut de la coopration inter-bureau, en vue du renforcement de lefficacit etde limpact des actions et des activits delOrganisation sur le terrain. Cette premirerencontre ft suivie dune seconde, Tripoli(Libye), en fvrier 2009, o ils ont raffirm leurdtermination mettre en place un mcanismede partage dinformations, et de gestion desconnaissances.

Au cours de ces rencontres, plusieurs dcisionsont t prises, notamment celle de la productiondun certain nombre de documents etpublications avec, pour objectif, damliorer lacommunication entre les Bureaux hors - Sigeet rendre plus visible le travail de lUNESCO surle terrain.

Il sagit pour lquipe de lUNESCO en Afrique, decrer un espace dchanges, de dialogue et dediffusion de linformation, au profit des spcialistesde la rgion et du reste du monde, mais aussi detous ceux qui sintressent aux activits,informations, ides nouvelles et expriencesnovatrices, gnres par ou travers lUNESCO.

Lambition de UNESCO EN AFRIQUE va au-delde la diffusion, elle voudrait galement tre uninstrument de sensibilisation au service des

populations, sur les enjeux majeurs de notretemps et de renforcement de ladhsion auxidaux de paix, de droits de lhomme et dedeveloppement des capacits humaines queprne lOrganisation.

UNESCO EN AFRIQUE constitue, dans sa versionactuelle, une production de lensemble desBureaux de lUNESCO en Afrique. Au dbut, ilparatra une fois lan, dans deux langues, lefranais et langlais.

La parution de ce numro portant surlenseignement suprieur en Afrique concideavec la tenue de la seconde Confrence mondialesur lEnseignement suprieur 2009. Occasion nepouvait tre plus belle et circonstance mieuxapproprie, pour publier ce numro quonvoudrait spcial.

En prlude cette Confrence, lAfrique linstardes autres rgions du monde et sous lgide duBREDA, sest penche sur sa contribution, enorganisant du 10 au 13 novembre 2008, la ConfrenceRgionale sur lEnseignement suprieur enAfrique (CRESA). Sont prsentes dans cenumro quelques-unes des contributions laConfrence de Dakar, notamment, celles relatives la coopration, diffrents niveaux, danslEnseignement suprieur. Les articles sont publisdans la langue des auteurs (le franais oulanglais).

UNESCO EN AFRIQUE est naturellement dotdun Comit ditorial et dun Conseil scientifique,faisant office de Comit de lecture. Cest le lieu deremercier les membres de ces Comits. Mesremerciements sadressent galement toutes lesautres personnes qui ont rendu cette parutionpossible.


EDITORIAL

Ann-Therese NDONG-JATTA



INTRODUCTIONDans le cadre de lexcution de son mandat, leprogramme majeur de lUNESCO relatif lEnseignement suprieur, a pour objectif de :

promouvoir la diversit et la coopration ;

soutenir les enseignants et autres personnelsde lducation ;

faciliter les efforts de la communautducative internationale rsoudre lesquestions lies aux effets de la mondialisationsur lEnseignement suprieur ;

fournir aux tats membres des avis surlutilisation optimale des TIC ; et,

rechercher les lments de rponse auxexigences de plus en plus fortes de qualit etde reconnaissance des titres, diplmes et

qualifications, composantes fondamentalesde la mobilit acadmique et de lacoopration en matire dEnseignementsuprieur.

cela il faut ajouter la rflexion sur de nouveauxmodes dinvestissement dans lEnseignementsuprieur et, de manire plus gnrale, danslensemble du systme ducatif.

Dans toutes ses modalits dintervention et sesactivits, lUNESCO est guide par trois principes la fois fondamentaux et indissociables,lUniversalit, la Diversit et la Dignit. Ces principesentretiennent un rapport constant et trs troit avecles valeurs et les exigences qui ne sont pas propresau seul systme ducatif, mais toute la socit, etqui sont de justice, de solidarit, de tolrance, departage, dquit, de respect des droits de lhommeet des principes dmocratiques.

La Confrence Mondiale sur lEnseignement suprieur : de 1998 2009, en passant par la Confrence Rgional

sur lEnseignement Suprieur en Afrique (CRESA) Ahmadou Lamine NDIAYE*

UNESCO / Roger, Dominique Universit Gaston Berger, vue gnrale architecture, Sngal (Saint-Louis)

* Ancien Recteur, Universit Gaston Berger, Saint-Louis, SngalPrsident du Comit Rgional Africain de Suivi de la CMES,Vice-Prsident du Comit International.



I- La Confrence Mondiale surlEnseignement Suprieur (CMES)de 1998

Cest dans ce cadre que, pour prparerlavnement du XXIeme sicle, lUNESCO avaitorganis, en 1998, deux Confrences majeures,lune sur lEnseignement suprieur Paris(France) et lautre sur la Science et la Technologie Budapest (Hongrie).

La premire, celle qui nous proccupe ici, avaitfait lobjet dune prparation rationnelle, par uneConfrence Rgionale, dans chacune des cinqrgions. Son droulement, en octobre 1998, Paris, sur le thme LEnseignement suprieur auXXIeme sicle : Vision et Actions avait t untemps fort de mobilisation et dchanges surlEnseignement suprieur dans le monde, ochaque rgion avait marqu ses spcificits. Cetterencontre avait t sanctionne par un documentintitul Dclaration mondiale sur lEnseignementsuprieur pour le XXIeme sicle et Cadre dactionprioritaire pour le changement et ledveloppement de lEnseignement suprieur,mettant en lumire le rle vital de lEnseignementsuprieur dans le dveloppement socio-culturelet conomique des socits et proposant desactions mener, en priorit, au niveau dessystmes et tablissements, pour mieux rpondreaux attentes de la Socit. Elle avait aussi etsurtout annonc que le XXIeme sicle serait celui duSavoir, en prcisant dans le prambule dudocument final : en raison de limportance et dela rapidit des changements auxquels nousassistons, la Socit est de plus en plus fondesur le Savoir, de sorte que lenseignementsuprieur et la recherche sont dsormais descomposantes essentielles du dveloppementculturel, socio-conomique et cologiquement

viable, des individus, des communauts et dessocits.

Aujourdhui, ceux qui avaient t les plusrticents accepter le rle irremplaable delEnseignement suprieur et de manire gnrale,la priorit de la formation de ressourceshumaines, ont fondamentalement rvis leurposition, et comptent parmi les plus ardentsdfenseurs de lide selon laquelle,lEnseignement suprieur, la Science et laTechnologie, sont les plus puissants leviers pourle dveloppement.

a) Rsultats de la CMES de 1998

Mission de lEnseignement suprieurLe document issu de la CMES a commenc parraffirmer la mission universelle delEnseignement suprieur, savoir lducation etla Formation, la Recherche, les Services lacommunaut. Cependant si cette mission estuniverselle, il convient de tenir compte descaractristiques du milieu et des conditions oelle se droule. Ici on fait rfrence, entre autres,aux programmes et mthodes pdagogiques,adapts en permanence, aux besoins prsents etfuturs de la socit.

Nouvelle vision de lEnseignementsuprieur

Renforcer la pertinenceLEnseignement suprieur doit, dune part,renforcer ses fonctions de service la socit,visant en particulier la lutte contre lintolrance,la violence, lanalphabtisme, la faim, la pauvret,la dgradation de lenvironnement et, dautre part,contribuer davantage au dveloppement de



lensemble du systme ducatif, en amliorant laformation des enseignants tous les niveaux etllaboration de programmes de recherche enducation.

Accrotre laccs dans lquitIci la dclaration invoque lducation tout au longde la vie et invite laccs dans lquit, enappelant surtout lutter contre les ingalits etles discriminations, pouvant tre lies lge, augenre, la langue aux handicaps mais aussi auxdisparits dans le pays et entre pays.

Diversifier pour accrotre lgalit des chancesCette diversification concerne les structures et lesfilires de formation mais aussi les formesdenseignement. LUniversit, pendant longtemps,assimile lEnseignement suprieur, est unestructure parmi tant dautres. Par ailleurs,lenseignement priv, tous les niveaux, est unecomposante, part entire, du systme ducatif etdoit tre pris et trait en tant que tel.

Faire progresser les connaissances par larecherche et en diffuser les rsultatsIl sagit de faire progresser les connaissances,composante essentielles de la mission delEnseignement suprieur qui conduit linnovation et qui repose sur linterdisciplinarit,la transdisciplinarit travers une mise encommun concerte et rationnelle des moyens etdes ressources (humaines, matrielles etfinancires). Cest l toute la problmatique desCentres dexcellence.

Renforcer la participation des femmes etpromouvoir leur rle Ici les statistiques bien que rares montrent le longchemin parcourir.

Renforcer la coopration avec le monde du travailEn tant que source permanente de formationsinitiales et continues, lEnseignement suprieurdoit prendre en compte, de faon rgulire, lesvolutions des secteurs scientifiques,technologiques, conomiques et du travail. ceteffet, il convient, dune part, de renforcer laparticipation des reprsentants du monde dutravail aux instances dlibrantes, de dcision etdvaluation des tablissements dEnseignementsuprieur, dautre part, den inclure des lmentsdans lexcution des enseignements.

Dvelopper une politique rsolue en direction despersonnels de lEnseignement suprieurSagissant des personnels enseignants, il fautmettre en place une politique rsolue deformation initiale et continue de leurscomptences pdagogiques, mais aussi lesinciter, en permanence, innover lesprogrammes et les mthodes denseignement etdapprentissage. Il sagit aussi de les doter dunstatut professionnel et financier propre garantiret maintenir lexcellence dans lenseignementet la recherche. cet effet, la Recommandationconcernant la condition du personnel enseignantde lEnseignement suprieur, approuve par laConfrence gnrale de lUNESCO, en novembre1997 devrait tre le document de rfrencecomplt par lexprience internationale.

Prendre plus en compte les besoins des tudiants.Les dcideurs nationaux et institutionnels devraientmettre les besoins des tudiants au centre de leursproccupations, en les considrant comme despartenaires essentiels et des protagonistesresponsables. Les tudiants doivent tre associs ltude des questions relatives lenseignement,aux valuations, la rnovation des mthodes



pdagogiques et des programmes, avec le droit desorganiser et dassurer leur propre reprsentation.

partir de cette vision, les axes prioritaires dgagspour le Cadre daction peuvent tre ainsi rsums :

la prise en compte des exigences de plus enplus fortes de la demande de qualit delEnseignement suprieur ;

le dveloppement de lutilisation desTechnologies de lInformation et de laCommunication (TIC), qui sont la foismatires dtudes, outils pdagogiques etbase de nouvelles formes dducation et decommunication;

le renforcement de la gestion et dufinancement de lEnseignement suprieuro le rle de ltat reste essentiel ;

le partage des connaissances et du savoir-faire travers les frontires et les continents ;

lexode et la reconqute des comptences ;

le dveloppement des partenariats et desalliances autour de lEnseignementsuprieur.

b) Quelques ralisations, en Afrique,aprs la CMES de 1998

loccasion de sa mise en place, sinspirant desaxes prioritaires dgags par la CMES et en tenantcompte de la spcificit des problmes ducontinent, le Comit Rgional Africain de Suivi, enrelation avec le Bureau Rgional de lUNESCO Dakar (BREDA) et le Bureau de Harare, avaitlabor un programme prioritaire dont les

lments majeurs sarticulent autour de trois axes:

la rforme de lEnseignement suprieur ;

la coopration interinstitutionnelle et lamobilit acadmique ;

la formation des enseignants, en relationavec le dveloppement des TIC.

La rforme de lEnseignement suprieurLes actions entreprises ont vis inscrire et faireadmettre le rle et la place de lEnseignementsuprieur et de la recherche dans les politiques dedveloppement conomique et social des pays, rendre lEnseignement suprieur plus pertinent(curricula, diversification des formes, institutions etprogrammes de formation). Cest dans ce cadreque le BREDA a contribu llaboration de plansdaction et de guides, et de recommandations pourla rforme de lEnseignement suprieur. Le Bureaua apport son appui et fourni de la documentationaux tablissements dEnseignement suprieur dela Rgion. Il a en outre activement particip auxtravaux entrepris, en matire dEnseignementsuprieur, par les instances rgionales et lesassociations, en Afrique.

Des pays de plus en plus nombreux se dotentdun plan stratgique pour lEnseignementsuprieur et la Recherche et dune carteuniversitaire, avec la multiplication destablissements dEnseignement suprieur, tantdans le public que dans le priv.

La coopration interinstitutionnelle et la mobilitacadmiqueLe programme UNITWIN/Chaires UNESCO a t,aprs valuation, consolid. Des actions ont tmenes pour soutenir lgalit des sexes, danslEnseignement suprieur et les activits du



Comit de pilotage du programme dappui et dedveloppement de Centres dExcellencergionaux, notamment dans les paysfrancophones.

Dans ce domaine de la cooprationinterinstitutionnelle et de la mobilit acadmique,des chantiers majeurs ont t ouverts. Il sagit de :

la rforme Licence Matrise Doctorat (LMD),est largement partage dans lespace africain,notamment francophone et sa mise en uvreest en cours, dans de nombreux pays, avecpour chaque pays, chaque institution, sonpropre rythme. Cette rforme contribuera aurenforcement de la mobilit et lharmonisation des systmes existants ;

la prise en compte de lAssurance Qualit.Pour rpondre aux exigences de qualit, denombreuses initiatives ont t prises, tant auniveau national qu au plan sous-rgional,par le CAMES par exemple et certainescommunauts sous-rgionales dintgration.La Communaut de Dveloppement delAfrique Australe (SADC) a notammentlanc, avec lUNESCO, un projet visant dvelopper un cadre de qualifications pourcette sous-rgion (Framework forQualifications), afin dtablir des normessous-rgionales qui vont renforcer la mobilitacadmique. Dans ce domaine, leprogramme prvoit des tudes de cas, avecnotamment le CAMES et le Nigeria ;

lamendement de la Convention dArusha de1981, linstar des quatre autres rgions(cette Convention amende attend la miseen uvre des procdures administratives

appropries pour son adoption, sa signatureet sa ratification) ;

les nouvelles initiatives, en matire definancement de la mobilit, comme lesprogrammes de lUnion Africaine (UA), misen uvre par lAssociation des UniversitsAfricaines (AUA) et qui sont relatifs lHarmonisation et le Systme africain deranking des Universits Africaines.

Signalons aussi, toujours au niveau de lUA,la cration du programme de bourses demobilit pour des tudiants africains, dansles Universits africaines, les boursesMwalimu Nyerere.

Un autre programme de bourses de mobilitSud/Sud, pour des tudiants, existegalement au niveau de lAcadmie desSciences pour le Dveloppement du Tiers -monde (TWAS). Il a t mis en place etfinanc par des Pays du Sud (Chine,Mexique, Inde, Afrique du Sud, Brsil). Cesnouvelles initiatives sajoutent auxprogrammes dj existants.

Notons aussi que dautres organisationsrgionales africaines interviennent dans lerenforcement de la cooprationinterinstitutionnelle et la mobilitacadmique. Parmi les plus significatives, ilconvient de noter lintervention de banques ct des Organisations sous-rgionalesdintgration. On peut cet gard citer, titre dexemples, lUnion conomique etMontaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA), laCommunaut conomique et MontairedAfrique Centrale (CEMAC), la Banque



Africaine de Dveloppement (BAD), laSouthern Development Bank of South Africaavec son programme KnowledgeManagement Africa (KMA). Certaines de cesInstitutions auront loccasion dexposer leursprogrammes.

La formation des enseignantsSagissant des enseignants, les besoins deformation de formateurs, tant en quantit quenqualit, sont de plus en plus pressants :formations initiales et continues tout au long de lavie, avec le besoin de sadapter aux demandesnouvelles, notamment celles dcoulant dudveloppement des TIC, avec la production deguides et matriels pdagogiques.

ce propos, le BREDA a accord une placeimportante au dveloppement de lutilisation desTIC. Des programmes de coopration rgionaleont t mis en place, avec le Commonwealth ofLearning, lOIF et lAUF dans le but de renforcerla production de matriels pdagogiques pourlEnseignement suprieur distance et la gestionde des tablissements dEnseignement suprieur distance en Afrique. De nombreuses autresinitiatives se sont dveloppes dans le continentcomme la consultation sur lutilisation des TICdans la formation et le recyclage des enseignantspar le biais de la formation distance, les tudesde cas sur les politiques et la gestion delEnseignement suprieur distance en Afrique,les consultations sur la rforme delEnseignement suprieur et lutilisation des TICen Afrique et la Confrence rgionale sur lespolitiques nationales de formation, derecrutement et de rtention des enseignants delenseignement distance.

Comme vous laurez constat, toutes ces actionsentreprises relvent les dfis identifis en 1998par la CMES, visant rformer lEnseignementsuprieur pour ladapter davantage aux besoinsde la Socit, en se fondant sur la prise deconscience du rle incontournable delEnseignement suprieur comme force motricede dveloppement.

II- La Confrence Rgionale surlEnseignemnet Suprieur enAfrique (CRESA)

linstar de ce qui avait t fait pour prparer laCMES de 1998, chaque Rgion a organis unerunion prparatoire de la CMES 2009. Larunion prparatoire Africaine, CRESA, sesttenue Dakar, du 10 au 13 novembre 2008.

Si lon considre le thme gnral de laConfrence mondiale de 2009, Les nouvellesdynamiques de lEnseignement suprieur pour leChangement de la Socit et le Dveloppement ,on peut constater que les dfis de lEnseignementsuprieur restent les mmes dans le monde,peut-tre avec une plus grande acuit en Afrique.

Cest dans cette perspective que le Comitscientifique, mis en place par le BREDA, a retenules sous-thmes qui permettront la CRESA dese pencher sur les nouveaux dfis et dimpulserde nouveaux dynamismes, dans les domainessuivants :

lefficacit et le rendement de lEnseignementsuprieur ;

la Recherche et lInnovation



la Cration dun Espace Africain delEnseignement suprieur (EAES)

lAssurance Qualit.

La CRESA a t galement marque par unerunion des Ministres chargs de lducationprsents qui a donn un clairage politique auxdbats qui, ayant fait largement appel destudes de cas, ont port notamment sur laccs,la pertinence, la gestion, la qualit, la coopration,la recherche :

LaccsAu moment o lAfrique est loin davoir atteint lamasse critique de personnels qualifis etcomptents pour assurer son dveloppement,laccs lEnseignement suprieur resteglobalement trs faible, en dpit des progrsaccomplis. Environ dix (10) tudiants pour mille(1000) habitants, avec une grande variabilitentre pays, contre 6 pour 1000 en 2000. Ce faibleratio est aggrav par un taux de russite assezbas, notamment dans le premier cycle de laplupart des universits. De nombreux facteurssont lorigine de ce mal profond, parmi lesquelsles politiques ducatives dcoulant de lducationPour Tous, qui n'a pas pris en chargel'Enseignement suprieur; la position souventhostile des partenaires vis--vis delEnseignement suprieur; le fait que les effets desrsultats des lourds investissements dans lesautres ordres denseignement nont pas tprvus dans le suprieur, les dsquilibres dansles diffrentes filires du baccalaurat avec trspeu dans les sries scientifiques et unemassification dans les sries littraires etc.

La pertinenceEn dpit des efforts, le dficit persistant en matire

de pertinence et defficacit apparat, dansbeaucoup de pays, travers linadquation entrele contenu des formations et les besoins dumarch, ce qui se traduit par des taux levs dediplms chmeurs dans des contextes o dessecteurs cls de lconomie manquentcruellement de personnels qualifis. Ceci est biensouvent le corollaire du dsquilibre importantentre le nombre lev dtudiants dans les filiresdites littraires (Lettres, Droit,) et celui bas, destudiants des filires scientifiques, techniques etprofessionnelles.

Les investissements et la gestion de lEnseignementsuprieurMalgr les progrs enregistrs, la bonnegouvernance, le financement, une recherchepertinente et novatrice ncessitent encorebeaucoup dattention et defforts.

La qualitLa mise en place de mcanismes fonctionnelsdassurance qualit et daccrditation.

Les donnes statistiquesLa disponibilit de donnes statistiques fiables,ncessaires une bonne planification despolitiques.

Le renforcement de la cooprationLa construction dun Espace Africain delEnseignement suprieur peut contribuergrandement, avec des instruments appropriscomme lharmonisation, la Convention dArusharnove, au renforcement de la coopratiopn enAfrique. Un instrument important aussi est,lexistence dun systme performant de mobilitacadmique prenant en compte les aspectsacadmiques mais aussi administratifs etfinanciers.



La recherche sur les systmes ducatifs africainsAu lieu de continuer traiter sparment lesdiffrents niveaux et les diffrentes formes, lemoment nest-il pas venu de considrer lesystme ducatif comme un ensemble dont il fauttravailler la cohrence surtout au niveaunational, si on veut en faciliter lharmonisation ?Le moment nest il pas venu de nous doter dunInstitut Africain de recherche sur lducation ?

III- La CMES de 2009 et les attentesde lAfrique

En convoquant la CMES de 2009, le DirecteurGnral de lUNESCO a donn deux orientationsfondamentales :

La confrence sera oriente vers laction, afin dedboucher sur des propositions etrecommandations partir desquelles deprogrammes dactions seront mis en place ;

La Confrence accordera une priorit lAfrique. Pourconcrtiser ce choix, une session spciale y seraconsacre afin qu lissue de la rencontre, unprogramme spcial prioritaire puisse tre conu,pour lAfrique. Dans cette perspective, une TaskForce a t mise en place pour prendre en chargecette question. Celle-ci, en choisissant le thme :

Promouvoir lexcellence pour acclrer leDveloppement de lAfrique : vers un Espace AfricaindEnseignement suprieur et de Recherche

a retenu, pour cadre de rflexion et dactions troisaxes qui sont :

renforcer laccs, lefficacit et lefficience delEnseignement suprieur ;

apporter un soutien accru au dveloppementde lenseignement de la science et de latechnologie, pour rpondre la demande delconomie et des socits ;

dvelopper de nouveaux partenariats.

CONCLUSIONLes attentes sont nombreuses mais, en raison delorientation donne la CMES de 2009, lespoirest permis de pouvoir dboucher sur des actionsconcrtes et prcises, qui permettront de prouverle mouvement en marchant, mme petits pas.

Aussi pour conclure, nous devons avoir prsent lesprit tout au long de nos travaux ces mots defeu le Professeur Ki-Zerbo. Invit conclure undbat organis sur la cooprationinteruniversitaire par le CAMES, il avait, dans sonlangage et son ton habituels, soulign : Surtoutes ces questions nous avons dj produit desHimalaya de rsolutions et des rivires de salive ;ce quil nous faut maintenant ce sont des actionsconcrtes .

Proposons donc des actions concrtes mais aussiet surtout engageons-nous, nous Africains lesfinancer et alors, coup sr, nous trouverons surnotre chemin, nos partenaires au dveloppementqui nous accompagneront, dans un vraipartenariat.



Much has already been said about partnerships.While the notion of partnerships holds muchpromise, we should not run the risk of beingdiverted from the real task at hand, which is therenewal of higher education in Africa. This is notan undertaking for the faint-hearted. It requiresfrom all of us a sustained commitment todeveloping and nurturing national highereducation systems as the building blocks of sub-regional and regional systems, without which wecannot hope to participate meaningfully inpartnerships.

What then are the fundamental steps that mustbe taken towards sustainable and robust systemsof higher education in Africa? The first task has tobe a detailed assessment of the state of highereducation on the Continent. Such an assessmentwill support and inform the strategies forpartnership, co-operation and development thatwill make up the immediate response to ourintention to build African higher education into arobust and responsive sector.

The review is made urgent by the need to ensurethat we do not drive change on the basis of plansthat are over-ambitious and de-linked from thereality of underinvestment and poor capacity thatcharacterizes many of the universities on theContinent. A list of tasks is not an adequate outlineof key strategic objectives that must define actionin the sector for the next five to ten years.

The first and foremost challenge has to beinstitutional and sectoral renewal. Strongpartnerships are reliant on strong African highereducation institutions.

I will confine myself to what I consider to be fivekey imperatives for renewal:

Increasing and broadening equitable studentaccess, with the appropriate financial supportto students from poor and marginalizedcommunities ;

The diversification of institutional types in highereducation to enable improved responsivenessto labour market, research and innovation andbroader societal needs (especially high qualityteacher education) ;

No country in the world can expect to successfullyintegrate in, and benefit from this 21st centuryeconomy without a well-educated work -force.

The development of robust national qualityassurance frameworks as a pre-requisite forsub-regional and regional harmonization andmobility ;

Improving the Infrastructure, conditions ofservice of academic staff and the quality ofstudent life; and

Enhancing the management of highereducation within the context of greaterautonomy matched with high levels of publicaccountability.

To achieve these broad goals will require politicalwill and a commitment to the significantlyimproved funding of higher education from bothnational budgets and other income streams,premised on the shared understanding thathigher education brings both private and publicbenefits.

According to a report which was presented toAfrican Ministers of Finance', "AcceleratingCatch-Up - Tertiary education for growth in Sub-

Creating an African Higher Education Space in the contextof Regionalisation and Globalization. New partnerships:

South-South and North-South Naledi PANDOR*

* Minister of Education, South Africa.



UNESCO / Langella, G. Laboratoire de physique, Univerit Cheikh Anta Diop, Sngal (Dakar)



Saharan Africa 2009", enrolments tripled between1991 and 2005, expanding at an annual rate of8.7%, which is one of the highest regional growthrates in the world. However, over a 25-year period,the spending per student declined from anaverage of US $ 6 800 per year to a low of US $981 in 2005 for 33 countries.

With current levels of expenditure, we cannot,even with all the best of intentions, aspire to beglobally competitive. At the core of our declarationat this Conference (CRESA, 2008), must be aresounding statement to motivate improved levelsof funding. But more resources must also bematched with a commitment towards buildingand strengthening African higher educationsystems in ways that genuinely contribute tosocial, economic and political development andthe alleviation of poverty, disease and war.

Let me now elaborate on the complexity ofpartnerships in the context of globalization.

A sign of increased demand for access to highereducation is student outflow from the Continentto higher learning institutions in the developedcountries. Studies show that the internationalmobility of students has increased significantlyover the past 10 to 15 years. The total number ofmobile tertiary students was estimated at over2.7 million in 2005, an increase of more than60% from the early 1990s. Traditionally, themajority of mobile students came from the lessdeveloped countries and 80% of these studied inthe OECD countries.

In September 2007, a British Council report in theUnited Kingdom revealed that education is worthmore to the United Kingdom than the bankingsector. It is even more remarkable when youremember that education is still provided largelyby governments.

Clearly, this makes education vital to the UnitedKingdom economy and, in particular, it makesinternational students and the tuition fees theypay vital to the United Kingdom's economy.

While the United Kingdom's earnings haveincreased from international students, its share ofthe global international student market hasdeclined.

Other directions of student flow are now emergingsuch as mobility within the commonwealthcountries and South - South or North-South flows.The reasons for this shift include cost factors,increased competition in the market, and skillsshortages. The study on International StudentMobility Key Figures by Campus France indicatesthat the number of African students studyingabroad has grown significantly over the past tenyears or so-from 161 877 in 1999 to 284 260 in2006. The same study shows that the majority ofAfrican students studying outside their countriesof origin study in France, the United States ofAmerica, and the United Kingdom. However, theUnited States of America still dominates themarket in international students, despite the riseof universities in South and East Asia, whereChina and India are producing four milliongraduates a year.

UNESCO figures highlight the fact that Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest outbound studentmobility rate at 5.9%. This translates into 1 out ofevery 16 African students studying outside of theirhome country. Lack of capacity in their homecountry is often the driving force.

Africas outbound migration of students andprofessionals has some benefits in creatingnetworks favorable to Africa, and also sharingknowledge about Africa with others around theworld. But if left unabated, the phenomenon



could have negative consequences on the regionas it takes away the talents and skills that arenecessary for the development of the Continent.

In the context of rapid globalization, mobility is areality. As African states, we can, nevertheless,increase capacity and opportunities in ourcountries and within the region itself. Also, as aregion, we should aim to attract talentedindividuals from other parts of the world.

It is thus imperative that we take it upon ourselvesto create conducive environments to ensure thatstudent and staff mobility does not happen at theexpense of African development.

Collaboration and partnerships between Northand South can work to the benefit of theContinent. Sweden, for example, has supportedRwandan students to study in South Africa. Thisis a model that could be extended and applied ona regional basis.

Perhaps, one of the areas where regionalcooperation is required is on the issue ofdifferentiation. A strong case must be made formore diverse higher education institutional typesthat are able to meet appropriate qualitybenchmarks.

This requires the active involvement of the privatesector both in partnership with the public sectoras well as its direct participation in providinghigher education programmes. In South Africa,we are only beginning to look at the policyimplications of planning for a single highereducation system, combining both public andprivate institutions in ways that bind us tocommon goals and objectives. In particular,I have initiated a discussion on the possibleextension of financial aid to students studying at

'not-for-profit' private institutions, especially inareas of scarce skills needs.

In pursuing differentiation as a policy instrument,we must be strategic. Not all universities can beresearch-intensive. For instance, Africa's sub-regions could agree that a selected group ofinstitutions should be developed as research-intensive. This does not mean the relegation ofother higher education institutions to a second-class status. On the contrary, our Continent needslarge numbers of high quality undergraduateinstitutions focused on meeting the professionaland other skills needs of developing communitiesand nations. They too, like the research-intensiveuniversities, must be appropriately funded. Theearly history of the land grant universities in theUS may provide us with interesting models.

If we are to indeed, selectively and systematically,build research-intensive universities on theContinent, we must look towards new andinnovative partnerships to support our vision.

The output of academic research in Sub-SaharanAfrica is a matter of concern. The UNESCOInstitute of Statistics (UIS), Bulletin of Science andTechnology Statistics (2005), indicates that thewhole of Africa represented only 1.4 percent ofthe world scholarly publications in 2000. As aregion, Africa does not compare well with the restof the world with regard to research or academicscholarly output. For instance, from 1997 to2007, South Africa, which is the leading countryin Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of scholarlypublications, produced 51, 738 publications,which was half of what the United States and theUnited Kingdom were able to produce in one year.In 2006, the United States and the UnitedKingdom scholarly publications were calculatedat 100, 000 and 97, 904 respectively. The second



1 Ondari-Okemwa, E (2007). Scholarly publishing in Sub-Saharan Africa in the Twenty-first Century:Challenges and Opportunities, Public Knowledge Product.

and third sub-Saharan countries are Nigeria andKenya at 9,540 and 6, 661 respectively1.

There are of course many reasons why Africa asa region fares badly when compared to otherregions. These vary from socio-political factors,environmental and economic factors includingthe fact that a significant number of Africanscholars are now based in western countries.

Having said Africa needs to improve on itsresearch publications output, as we formulate ourrenewal strategies, we must take cognisance ofthe changing nature of knowledge production.Networks of researchers transcending nationaland regional boundaries are a growingcharacteristic of knowledge creation in the twenty-first century. Between 1987 and 1997,internationally co-authored articles doubled andaccounted for 15% of all world journal articles asreported by the US National Science Board.

Furthermore, this analysis revealed that countrieswith an internal capacity to research local issuesare better positioned to participate in globalnetworks.

This resonates with the objectives of the emergingpartnership between India, Brazil and SouthAfrica (IBSA) where building the identification ofresearch themes has been informed by eachcountry's unique research strengths and strategicadvantages to address development challengesshared by three partners.

The critical assessment of the state of highereducation in Africa, which I proposed earlier, willprovide the basis for identifying opportunities forbuilding national and sub-regional systems whichwill leverage Continental and internationalpartnerships that will substantially contribute tothe revitalization and renewal of African highereducation.



THE AFRICAN CONDITIONThe African Regional Conference on HigherEducation offers African Education Leaders anopportunity to reflect on the state of HigherEducation in Africa in the context of political,social, economic and global conditions impactingon Africas well-being.

Our reflection on the state of Higher Education inAfrica should be guided by the concept of thecurrent African condition. Africa is part of a globalcommunity. The global challenges of climatechange, globalization, financial meltdown,terrorism, high fuel and food prices, just tomention a few, are impacting negatively onAfrican well-being and welfare. Yet, Africa hasother challenges particular to itself. These includeunderdevelopment, poverty, youthunemployment, the HIV/AIDS pandemic andother diseases, civil wars and political conflicts. Inparticular, the challenge of meeting the MilleniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015 isurgent and crucial. The global and localchallenges are further exacerbated by fallingcommodity prices, energy shortages, the unfairglobal trading system and Africas failure toleverage knowledge and technology as a basis forstrategic and sustainable development.

Higher Education is critical in transforming thecurrent African condition. Peter F. Druckegcharacterized the current age as an age of socialtransformation. He tersely noted: Thecomparative advantage that now counts is in theapplication of knowledge. He further advised :This means that developing countries can nolonger base their development on low wages. Hethen concluded: They, too, must learn to base iton applying knowledge. The challenge facingAfrican Higher Education is the challenge ofknowledge application. In April 1997, the

UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Africa(BREDA) organised a similar consultationconference, as preparatory to the October 1998World Conference on Higher Education. Thatconsultative conference resolved to develop newguidelines focusing on key issues facing AfricanHigher Education at that time. The key issueswere relevance, quality, finance, managementand cooperation. That conference resolved thatAfrican Higher Education should improve itsrelevance, quality, management, funding andreinforce cooperation. The critical question nowis: Did African Higher Education act on thesecommitments?

SOME POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN AFRICAN HIGHEREDUCATIONThere have been some positive developments inAfrican higher Education especially in the areasof relevance and institutional cooperation. In2003, the African Union (AU) established theAfrican Ministerial Council on Science andTechnology under the New Partnership for AfricanDevelopment NEPAD. The African MinisterialCouncil on Science and Technology AMCOST is a high-level platform for developing policies andsetting priorities on science, technology andinnovation for the African Development. AMCOSTprovides the framework for political and policyleadership, and has adopted Africas Science andTechnology Consolidated Plan of Action. TheScience and Technology Consolidated Plan ofAction was signed here in Dakar in 2005, to serveas a blueprint for science and technologyengagement in Africa. This Plan is now beingused as a basis for regional and Continentalengagement in the promotion of science andtechnology in Africa.

In this context of international cooperation, it isworth noting that the African Union and the

The New Dynamics for Higher Education in Africa

Nahas A. ANGULA*

* Extract of Keynote address by Mr. Nahas A. Angula, Prime Minister, Republic ofNamibia, in the Regional Conference on Higher Education in Africa (CRESA, 2008).



European Union have agreed in 2005 to expandcollaboration between European and AfricanUniversities through the development of Euro-African Networks of Universities and Centres ofExcellence. Within this framework a new studentsexchange programme was promised. It wasenvisaged that funds were going to be providedto enable students from one African country tospend a year studying in another African country.EU and AU collaboration was further to beconsolidated through European and AfricanResearch communities. In particular, suchcollaboration was to take place at the level of theConsultative Group on International AgriculturalResearch and by supporting mechanisms toenhance regional coordination in Africa.

The seventeen members of the InternationalCommission for Africa, set up by former BritishPrime Minister, Tony Blair, in 2004 acknowledgedthat critical scientific skills unlock the potential ofinnovation and technology to accelerate economicgrowth. The Commission recommended thestrengthening of science, engineering andtechnology capacity in Africa. To achieve thisobjective, the Commission recommended that theinternational community should commit toproviding up to US $ 3 billion, starting in 2005,over a period of ten years, to develop centres ofexcellence in science and technology includingAfrican institutions of technology. The Scienceand Technology Commission of the NewPartnership for African Development, NEPAD,would identify location of such centres and themost promising areas of research.

Furthermore, the Ministers of Science andTechnology of the G8 meeting in Okinawa, Japan,in June 2008, reached a consensus on promotingscience and technology among developed anddeveloping countries. Among others they agreed

that in order to adequately address the globallyissues they should promote collaborative effortsbetween developed and developing countries.Such collaboration was to be reflected in nationalscience and technology planning priorities. Theyfurther emphasized that building educational andresearch capacity was extremely important forenhancing problem-solving capacities ofdeveloping countries.

The promotion of institutional partnerships isanother noteworthy development in AfricanHigher Education. In Egypt, for example,Universities from other countries established localbranches. They are American-Egyptian University,Egyptian-British University, Chinese - EgyptianUniversity and so on. The Chinese-EgyptianUniversity is likely to break new grounds in theway universities are organised in Africa. It isreported that the Chinese-Egyptian Universitylocated at Heliopolis, and a branch of LiaoningUniversity of China, will put stress more on thepractical and applied aspects of learningexperience and less on theory. I shall return to thisapproach when I discuss new directions of HigherEducation in Africa.

Regional cooperation is also growing in Africa. Inthe Southern Africa Development Community -SADC - for example, there are encouragingdevelopments. The SADC Protocol on HigherEducation requires that Member Countries reserve5% of their Higher Education placements forstudents from other Member States. For fee payingpurpose, such students are charged as if they werenationals of the receiving country. Within SADC, theScience and Technology Sector was established.This Sector is responsible for rolling out the Scienceand Technology Consolidated Plan of Action in theSADC Region. For instance, three flagshipprogrammes have been launched in the SADC



Region. These are the African Institute forMathematical Science, the Southern AfricanBioscience Network and the African Lazer Centre.Moreover, a SADC Protocol on Science, Technologyand Innovation was signed by the SADC Heads ofState and Government in August 2008.

These cited cooperative efforts are not meant tobe exhaustive but rather illustrative. There aremany more collaborative initiatives in other areas,such as in areas of quality assurance andaccreditation, faculty exchange, research anddevelopment and so on. The fact is that thesedevelopments are pointers to new ways ofrevitalizing the African Higher Education. Thetransformation of African Higher Education,however, will require a complete rethink of themission, organization, management and operationof Higher Education in Africa

NEW DYNAMICS IN AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATIONMichael Gibbons, the former Secretary-General ofthe Association of Commonwealth Universities,defined the new paradigm to the functioning ofHigher Education in the 21st century ( GibbonsM.). This paradigm shift requires that HigherEducation in the 21st century should be far moreadept at re-configuration knowledge that is beingproduced in the distributed knowledge productionsystem. This new way of doing business by HigherEducation Institutions requires the shift fromknowledge configuration. This can only happen ifinstitutions of Higher Learning are able to createa cadre of knowledge workers, that is, people whoare experts at configuring knowledge relevant toa wide range of contexts. Knowledge workers areproblem identifiers, problem solvers, and problembrokers. The dynamics in Higher Education in

Africa is the challenge of the creation of a cadreof knowledge workers. Michael Gibbons aptlynoted: The shift from knowledge production toknowledge configuration is a challenge that isparticularly acute for the Universities in thedeveloping world. He proposed that for thesystem of Higher Education to shift into this newparadigm, universities should develop structureswhich promote and reward group creativity.Resource sharing and teamwork should emergeas the new ethos of universities. New partnershipsaimed at technology transfer should guideinstitutional cooperation and collaboration. In anutshell, Higher Education in the 21st centuryshould define its relevance in terms of thecontribution it makes to national economicperformance and to the enhancement of thequality of life of the people.

Gibbons identified key attributes of HigherEducation system which characterise the newdynamics as:

Knowledge produced in the context ofapplication: Transdisciplinary approach inknowledge production.

There are many different ways of reorganizingHigher Education systems with the view toenhancing the new dynamics. There are threemodels I wish to draw inference from. Onepractical way is to follow the Chinese EgyptianUniversities model. This model lays stress on thepractical and applied aspects of learningexperience.

This is whereby students are required to applywhat they have learnt through projects. For



example, students are requiredto develop market specificproducts or a plan for themanagement of a factory.This is truly knowledge

produced in the contextof application.

The second model is one which Erik Arnold andSarah Teather (2001) called Vectors ofTechnology Capability. This is a model ofqualified manpower placement scheme. Thequalified manpower placement scheme is anidea of linear transfer of knowledge from thescience base or University to industrialpractice. The underlying goal is to moveknowledge from the research sector to industryand to provide experiential training to newlyqualified scientific human power. Knowledge,learning and Higher Education Institutions mustbecome key to overall economic performance.

Arnold and Teather identified the followingeconomic benefits to the production system:

- New and useful information is available to thefirms ;

- New instrumentation and methodologies areshared.

A practical example of the model of a serviceUniversity is the American Land Grant Universitysystem. These Universities revolutionised AmericanAgriculture.

CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, it is possible to argue that thecurrent African condition is a crisis. However, allhope is not lost. This crisis can be addressedthrough change and the transformation of theknowledge production and application system inAfrica. The new dynamics of Higher Education areaimed at putting knowledge at the cutting edge ofchange and transformation in Africa. Knowledgeproduced in the context of application should bethe new ethos of Higher Education in Africa. Howcould this be achieved? I venture to suggest thefollowing recommendations as a way forward :

University to University partnership ;

University and Industry partnership ;

University and Community partnership.

University to University partnership is not a newidea. Egypt has promoted this idea byencouraging Universities to establish campusesin Egypt. This relationship, however, should startbetween universities in Africa. It should extend toSouth South cooperation. It should culminate inNorth South cooperation. These relationships,however, should be based on the concept of newknowledge generation, knowledge re-configuration, knowledge application and

UNESCO / Bois, J.C. Laboratoire de langues, Enseignement suprieur, Cte d'Ivoire (Abidjan)



problem-solving. This relationship shouldencourage team work in problem-solving,transdisciplinary approach in research,networking and interaction in knowledgeproduction. The Chinese Egyptian UniversityModel could serve as a guide of new University ofUniversity partnership.

The second model is the University-Industrypartnership. This relationship may drawinspirations from the manpower placementschemes. Such schemes, as detailed by Arnoldand Teather, serve as vectors of technologycapability of firms. The university mission is notonly to preserve knowledge but more importantlyto take knowledge to the market place and to putmechanisms in place on how best to tapknowledge and practice from the market placeand integrate that into curricula reform. Thismeans that relevance in Higher Education will bejudged by the contribution of Higher Education

institutions to national economic performance. Thirdly, the University-Community partnershipshould be driven by the notion of the serviceuniversity. Poverty, communicable deseases,housing, sanitation, nutrition, are some of thecommunity challenges universities could help toaddress through University-Communitypartnership.

These models can best be utilized if theparticularly contextual aspects of the AfricanHigher Education landscape are taken intoconsideration. The key is to keep the balance rightbetween what the model can offer and whatcontextually can work in which African country.There is thus no one size-fits-all. We need to becreative.

Many other models are possible. African HigherEducation must redefine its mission and vision. Inmy view, this is the challenge.

1. Arnold Erik and Teather Sarah, 2001, Vectors of TechnologicalCapability: Theory and Practice of Qualified Manpower PlacementSciences, Technologies Group.

2. Cummings Williams K. Cummings, 1997, The Service Universityin Comparative Perspective, Suny Buffalo.

3. Ducker Peter, F, 1994, The Age of Social Transformation, theAtlantic Monthly, November 1994.

4. Gibbons Michael, 1989, Higher Education Relevance in the 21st

Century, the World Bank.

5. Science and Development networking, December 2005.

6. Egypt Today, June 2005.

7. Mangena Mosibudi, 2008; Address of Minister of Science andTechnology of South Africa at the Japan-Africa MinistersSeminar.

8. UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Africa, 1989, HigherEducation in Africa: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects,Dakar.

Notes



ABSTRACTThis paper explores the relevance of a nexusbetween higher education and regional integrationso that Africa can be more adequately preparedto face and address the newly emergingdiscontents arising out of an increasinglyglobalised system. The paper argues that there isan urgent need for regionalism and regionalcooperation to extend their boundaries beyondthe purely economistic in order to encompassthe political, social, cultural and, in so doing, callfor and allow for a better linkage between theAfrican higher education space and regionalism.The paper also proposes a framework- (A 6CS by6Ds model) which can help to enhance theinterface between regionalism and highereducation. A consolidated articulation betweenthese two can help to address the challenges ofglobalization with the view of improving theAfrican human condition, contributing to anafrocentric ideology and perhaps evenhelping Africa reclaimthe 21st century.

INTRODUCTIONCurrent global crises are more than likely going tomarginalize the continent further. The intentionhere is not to present an afro-pessimistic pictureof the African continent but to call for somerealism. The Western media has too frequentlyportrayed the continent as all gloom and doomand it is important to steer away from thisapproach. However, one should avoid falling intothe trap of the romanticizing being done bysome about the few African owned initiativeswhich have seen the light of day in the recent pastand project optimism only. Whilst some elementsof these recent African owned initiatives such asthe APRM, NEPAD, the setting up of newinstitutions such as the Pan-African Parliament aswell as the African Union may contribute toaccelerating development in Africa, the linkagesbetween these institutions and African higher

education spaces remain toothin and

sparse.

Regional Cooperation and Higher Education in Africa:Consolidating the Links to Reclaim the 21st CenturySheila Bunwaree*

* Professor, University of Mauritius / Nordiska Africa Institute (Uppsala).

UNESCO / Roger, Dominique Bibliothque de l'universit, Togo (Lom)



Globalization has become a buzz word butsuffice it to say that it is not anything new. It hasexisted since time immemorial except that nowit has become much more rapid, complex andspreading its tentacles, penetrating the differentlayers of peoples lives in myriad ways. There aretwo (2) broad schools of thought onglobalization- the optimist and the pessimist andincreasingly there is a third perspective who canbe grouped as the moderates. The latter arguethat globalization is almost inevitable and is hereto stay and it is therefore important to see how itcan be made to work in the best interests of allin order to obtain a better and more just world.(Mittelman, 2005, Stiglitz, 2006, Cheru, 2007).

Regional cooperation and regionalism are seen asa response to globalization. The key questions thatare therefore posed include: Are Africanuniversities sufficiently regionally oriented, Are thecurricula/programmes on offer relevant for thisglobal era, why does knowledge productioncontinue to remain fragmented as well as sogender blind, can we encourage more indigenousknowledge systems so that regionalism becomesmore anchored into the realities on the groundand thus easier also to obtain home-grownsolutions?

The questions of how to make globalization workand African higher education more relevantbecome even more pertinent in the context of thenew crises such as the food crisis/insecurity,climate change and global warming, the collapseof the DOHA development talks, the globalfinancial crisis and its implications on the Aidarchitecture and in turn the ripple effects that thismay have on funding for higher education in Africa.

The implications of globalization such as theincreased demand for higher education, theerosion of national regulatory frameworks, the

commodification of knowledge and theaccompanying borderless education market arenew challenges that the sector has to face.Grappling with some of these challenges is noteasy for a continent which is still trying to come togrips with the deleterious consequences of thestructural adjustment programmes (SAPS)imposed by the World Bank and the IMF in the1970s and 1980s. SAPS, also commonly knownas the Washington consensus, meant theadoption of measures which led to the rolling backof the state and this in the name of fiscal disciplineand macroeconomic stabilization of the economy.Many African countries experienced major cuts ingovernment expenditure in the field of educationand health. Needless to say that African highereducation experienced a severe blow.

Scholars and intellectuals on the differentcampuses from Dakar to Dar es Salaam, fromCairo to Cape Town have to struggle to sustaintheir livelihoods after the deleterious impact ofSAPS on African higher education. Sall (2003),Sawyer (2004) and Zeleza (2003) havehighlighted the difficulties that intellectuals facein a climate of harsh neo-liberal policies. TheAfrican higher education space was murdered.In addition, Africas system of highereducation was struck a near mortal blow by theinternational financial institutions in the 1980s(Onyeonoru 2004:198). The rolling back of thestate and the associated cuts in governmentexpenditure on the African tertiary space took itstoll. Commenting on the World Banks policies,Gutto (2006:310) notes: It was meant toreduce- and succeeded in reducing- Africa andAfricans to the level of mere purchasers,peddlers and uncritical consumers of knowledgeabout Africa and Africans developed by thenorth to serve the interests and the needs of theNorth. It also created space for the deployment



in Africa of so-called experts, consultants andadvisors from the north, at considerable cost tothe continent.

In addition to the macroeconomic problems,intellectuals often unconsciously and sometimeseven consciously internalise global hegemonicthought and transmit diverse elements of thishegemonic knowledge to the younger generation.Houtoundji (2002) has very eloquently drawn ourattention to this problem. Can regionalism help tochallenge and reverse such hierarchies ofknowledge and address some of the otherproblems related to issues of quality, relevance,equity and access.

President Mbeki had delivered some importantaddresses on the crucial role of Africanintellectuals and African universities in theprocess of regeneration that is underway in Africa.In his renewing the African University speech, atthe University of Cape Town, in November 2004,he said: I would suggest that our entire continentremains at risk until the African university, in thecontext of a continental reawakening, regains itssoul In this context, a university should not bean enclave or an ivory tower whose curricula andprogrammes have little relation to the society inwhich it operates (Mbeki, 2004).

And I wish to extend this argument to suggest thatwe should go beyond our immediate borders; ouruniversities should think and act regionally sincein so doing a lot of African energy and vitality canbe harnessed to confront the vagaries ofglobalization. A consolidated human-centredregional cooperation and a radical progressiveAfrican scholarship can go a long way to shift theemphasis from the reductionist approach todevelopment i.e. one which is narrowly confinedto economic growth to instead see and interpret

development as freedom- as freedom from want,from illiteracy, from malnutrition and in line witha rights-based approach to development. And forthis, we need strong states, states which areenabler, protector, liberator states. Africanscholars have an important role to play, toadvocate and push for such states so thatAfrocentricity can become more meaningful andthe human condition can be improved on thecontinent.

REGIONALISM, AFROCENTRICITY AND AFRICANHIGHER EDUCATIONVan Langenhove et al (2006) note: Regionalismis a political vision that can be an answer toglobalization. It comprises first and for all aneconomic vision, namely that economicintegration is beneficial. This implies opening upof borders to the neighbors and joining forces withthe other members of a regional group to competeat a global level. Secondly, it contains a vision ofpolitical and social integration. The deepereconomic integration between neighbors goes,the more need there is to establish integrationbetween other sectors of society. And thirdly, thereis emerging a vision about a global world orderthat has a place for regionalism. This vision startsfrom the premise that the present world order(based upon sovereign states and multi-levelintegration) is not optimal to deal withglobalization and global threats. The visiontherefore is to use regionalism as a tool toestablish a new global balance of power betweenthe small and big countries of the world andbetween the rich and poor countries.

According to Ben Rosamond (2000), regionalismrefers to the tendency of geographicallyproximate territories or states to engage ineconomic integration and to form free trade areasand possibly common markets. Margaret Lee



(2003) however extends the boundaries of thisdefinition beyond economies and markets. Leedefines regionalism as the adoption of a regionalproject by a formal regional economicorganization designed to enhance the political,economic, social, cultural and security integrationand/or cooperation of member states. Lee alsorefers to the transformation of a geographical areainto a clearly identified social space.

Are African universities sufficiently orientedtowards the region? Is regionalism itselfsufficiently focusing on the articulation betweenthe economic and the social aspects? Whilst thedifferent regional blocs work together onharmonizing and aligning a number of economicpolicies and emphasize economic development,the social and cultural engineering that shouldaccompany such initiatives remain rather scarce.It is not surprising that a small survey that wascarried out by myself with both students andacademics at the University of Mauritiushighlighted that some segments of our societiesknow very little if at all on these regional initiatives.The decisions and policies made remain too state-centric and not sufficiently people-orientedalthough the discourses and the rhetoric revolvearound people-centredness. Under suchcircumstances, it will not be easy to develop asense of belonging and afrocentricity and neitherwould the consolidation of the African highereducation space be made easy.

Asante (2001) notes that: afrocentricity is aquality of thought or action that allows the Africanperson to view himself or herself as an agent andactor in human history, not simply as someonewho is acted upon. It provides a perspective fromthe subject place, not from the margins of beingvictims or being an object in someone elses

world. Thus, Africans are seen as creators,originators and sustainers of ethics, values andcustoms.

Can we get our universities to encourageAfrocentricity without rejecting the opportunitiesthat are arising out of the global system and thenew south-south cooperation? Cognisance shouldbe taken of the emerging giants China and Indiasince they have contributed to changing the faceof globalization but caution must be exercised andromanticizing avoided since they can alsobecome the new scramblers of Africa . Our youthand intelligentsia should be more vigilant andwork together with our leaders to interrogate someof the so-called new partnerships and initiativesand/or in some cases work to challenge thegrowing transnational elites who work andreproduce systems which only benefit the alreadyprivileged and allow the chasms and the dividesbetween the haves and the have-nots grow. 21st

century Africa simply cannot allow for theexpansion of such a divide and polarization

CONCLUSIONIf the African higher education space is to makean effective contribution to regionalism and viceversa, it is perhaps important to engage in anaudit of the diverse programmes being offeredand see how to make them relevant to key societalconcerns so that in turn the nexus between theregional block and the African higher educationspace can contribute to making the attainment ofthe MDGS a reality. The MDGs have their ownproblems and need also to be critiqued but fornow, perhaps we have no other way out than toconcentrate on them so that the tall order that weconfront in trying to eradicate poverty becomesmore manageable.



The 6CS and 6DS ethically driven framework/modelAs part of my conclusion, I would therefore like topropose a model/framework the 6Cs by 6Dsmodel within which we should rethink the Africanhigher education space/regionalism as a responseto globalisation as well as look at some of theinitiatives that are already in place and how tobeef them up so that we avoid all forms ofduplication.

The first 3 Cs include what we should reinforceand look at:

1. Context

2. Coherence

3. Cooperation/Commitment

1. We cannot operate in a vacuum. Contextsremain very important. We cannot afford tooperate in a vacuum- the new dynamics callfor a constant revision and adaptation ofprogrammes. The latter should be fluidenough to adapt and innovate so that they canrespond to emerging dynamics in the mosteffective manner.

2. Coherence- very often we find that policies areformulated and implemented in differentquarters and there is not enoughharmonisation. This then leads to a multiplicityof problems. This does not mean that one sizefits all but there needs to be sufficientunderstanding and consensus so that decisionstaken become a win-win situation for all.

3. Cooperation carries with it the notion ofpartnerships but one cannot talk ofpartnerships if the playing field is unlevelled.There should be enough predisposition of the

mind i.e. the right habitus and political will togive up a little bit of ones sovereignty andinterests if doing so means the betterment ofthe greatest numbers on the continent.

The second set of the 3cs are what we shouldavoid. In other words, we should work atchallenging and reversing all forms of:

1. Cooptation

2. Conflicts/Chaos

3. Camouflaging.

1 Sometimes, those in power coopt people whohave the ability and capacity to contest and tochallenge. Questioning the structures of powerand interrogating the system can be a veryhealthy exercise of democracy and can bevery beneficial to the higher educationlandscape. It is therefore important not toallow the best and independent minds of thecontinent to get coopted by those holdingpower. Such minds can help to consolidate thedemocratic space and ensure that debatesremain kicking and alive within and outsidethe institutions of higher learning. But if suchpeople are coopted, it often means theemergence of a culture of silence and the lackof debates.

2 Conflicts are known to be averse to all formsof development. Many parts of Africa remainconflict-ridden- some are fuelled by internaldynamics, others by external ones and often itis a combination of both. But whether externalor internal or a combination of both, conflictstend to impact negatively on the Africanuniversities. They can lead to very poorconditions of work, sometimes even leading tothe closure of universities for very long periods



with all the deleterious consequences thatsuch closures may have on both the economyand the social set-up of the diverse countries.Conflicts can also lead to severe brain drainthus causing countries which are already shortof manpower to suffer even further

3 Camouflaging certain realities is not in the bestinterests of any country. If regionalism is tothrive and allow for an improvement in thehuman condition through research andteaching in the African universities,transparency and accountability shouldbecome the order of the day. The differentsystems should be cleared of all forms ofcorruption, clientelism and patronage. Onlythen, they will be able to promote meritocracyin the real sense of the word. Camouflagingbad practices would be detrimental todevelopment. For the latter to be consolidatedand sustained, our higher education systemsshould also be driven by ethics.

Cooptation, conflicts and camouflaging can marall attempts at development. If thinkers andintellectuals allow themselves to be coopted bythe powerful and the influential and contribute tothe entrenchment of the neoliberal agenda,premised on the unholy trinity of furtherliberalisation, privatisation, and deregulationcausing havoc to peoples lives, then the chancesof the continent to reclaim the 21st century willsimply disintegrate.

In order to ensure that the 6Cs mentioned herecan become part of our reality, we need to workcollectively and ethically towards the adoption ofthe 6Ds as well.

The 6 Ds include 2 sets- what should be doneand what should be avoided.

The first 3 Ds include Decentralisation, Delivery,Dialogue.

1 Decentralisation should be understood andinterpreted from different perspectives. Inorder to ensure greater access and equity inhigher education and allow for a betterutilisation of the sons and daughters of thesoil, it is important to decentralise, that is takethe institutions of higher learning to thelearners rather than concentrate on only a fewlearners accessing the sites of learning inurban spaces. A policy of decentralisationreaching the rural and semi rural areas aretherefore a must if the articulation betweenhigher education and regionalism is to beconsolidated.

Decentralisation can also encompass the notionthat all powers should not be in the hands of thetransmitters of knowledge but also the recipientsof knowledge. In other words, decentralisation ofpower to the students would mean that they arealso given a voice in the teaching and learningprocess and that they are not there as passiverecipients of knowledge.

2 Delivery - The mode of delivery is veryimportant when it comes to the imparting ofknowledge. Far too often, knowledge bearersin the institutions of higher learning have arather undemocratic approach to teachingand learning where student autonomy andempowerment is at stake. This should berevised so that the mode of teaching andlearning becomes a 2 way traffic and more ofa participatory process thus creating thenecessary space for the development ofcritical minds.



3 Dialogue- Dialogue should be at the core of alldevelopment efforts. Often institutions ofhigher learning are seen as ivory towers whereresearch and teaching do not go beyond thewalls of the universities. For regionalism toimpact positively, there should be a constantdialogue between policy makers andacademia. Dissemination workshops anddialogues across the board should beencouraged so that policies do not getformulated in a vacuum but are rather inspiredby relevant research, thus contributing to theuplift of the human condition.

The second set of the 3DS are what we shouldavoid. In other words, we should work atchallenging and reversing all forms of Domination,Dependence and Dismantling of the state.

1 Domination: For far too long, knowledgeproduction has been dominated by the Northand by males. It is time for Africa toconcentrate on home-grown knowledgeproduction and allow for a better utilisation ofits indigenous knowledge systems. The mindsof many on the African continent are stillcolonised and such colonisation of the mindcan often lead to inappropriate solutionsproposed for local problems on the ground.There is also an urgent need for highereducation spaces to be less dependent ondonor funding.

2 Dependence- Too much dependence onforeign aid and donor funding implies thatresearch agendas may be driven by thedonors themselves and not necessarilyrelevant to the best interests of the region. It istherefore important to strategise in such a

manner so as to move towards greaterfinancial autonomy.

3 Dismantling of the state- Dismantling of thestate should be resisted on all counts. Thestate remains a key player in as far as findingthe most relevant, equitable, accessible andquality higher education for the promotion andconsolidation of regionalism is concerned.States should be strengthened so that we canalso adopt a multi-stakeholder approach toprevent any further forms of domination in asfar as production of knowledge and/ormultinationals and conglomerates governingour lives is concerned. The empowering of theAfrican citizenry through institutions of higherlearning is therefore most urgent so as to alsoreduce dependence on the external world.

It is perhaps important to remind ourselves ofCherus views here. Cheru notes (2008:38 )...one of the lessons from Africas pastexperiment with regional integration is that lessambitious, more flexible institutional regionaleconomic cooperation initiatives may have morepotential because of their responsiveness tomember states priorities and interests. Thisimplies less binding project-oriented andfunctional cooperation schemes involving actionon certain themes or in certain sectors that offersome immediate benefits. These types ofpragmatic institutional arrangements with realisticand well-defined objectives responding to specificshort term needs may offer better prospects thanambitious initiatives.

This is why we need to capture the possibilitiesthat already exist and sharpen them up in such amanner so that they can respond to the



continents pressing needs. Some of theseinitiatives/platforms include the UNESCO chairs.The latter have identified a few priority themesand have been engaging in solidmultidisciplinary research which is of relevanceto African development. But perhaps there is aneed to revisit them so that they can contributeto more cutting edge policy-oriented researchand knowledge production in emergent keyareas. There is also an urgent need for morecross-fertilization between the educationalsciences and the social sciences. We remainvictims of our training and often exhibitexcessive concerns to preserve our autonomyand in so doing cannot contribute effectively tosolving new problems which require moreinterdisciplinarity. Such concerns can lead to anumber of institutional barriers and othergovernance problems that need to beaddressed.

Another major initiative that we cannot andshould not ignore is the African Unions actionplan on education. The one major limitation isthat whilst the plan evokes the gender question,it does not address it as a crosscutting issue inthe same way that the MDGS also do notaddress it as crosscutting and therefore retardall development. The importance oftranscending disciplinary barriers to develophome-grown solutions for African problems isnot given attention. Africa cannot afford to allowknowledge production to continue in afragmented manner, it will simply not serve thecontinents purpose and reclaiming the centurymay then remain an elusive dream.

ECOWAS, SADC and other sub-regionalgroupings are also encouraging research in anumber of areas but more dissemination isrequired as well as more efforts deployed toensure that African researchers are not reducedto becoming mere data collectors for donor-driven agendas and/or agendas of researchersin the North- something that can be describedas what John Galtung calls scientificcolonialism.

The world is still very unequal and for Africa toreposition itself successfully in this unequalorder, we, as African intellectuals, need tochallenge inequality in all its forms. TheAmerican anthropologist Philiipe Bourgois tellsus that: Writing against inequality isimperative. Denouncing injustice andoppression is not a nave old-fashionedanti-intellectual concern On the contrary, it isa vital historical task intellectually, becauseglobalization has become synonymous withmilitary intervention, market-driven poverty andecological destruction. It is impossible tounderstand what is going on anywhere withoutpaying attention to the power dynamics thatshape inequality everywhere. (2006 X-XI).

In many ways the above echoes what EdwardSaid and Claude Ake have also said in as far asthe role of the intellectuals is concerned. Let ustherefore make it our collective responsibility tofocus on strengthening the nexus betweenregionalism and the African higher educationspace so that Africa can reclaim the 21st century.



Bibliography

Ake, C. (1994) Academic freedom and Materail base In Academic Freedom in Africa, edited byDiouf and Mamdani, 17-25, Dakar, CODESRIA.

Akinola, S. (2007) Knowledge generation, political action and African development: A polycentricapproach, vol 2 , no. 2 International Journal of African Renaissance studies.

Appiah K.A. (2005) The ethics of identity. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Asante, M.K. (2007) African Betrayals and African Recovery for a New future in Africa in the 21st

Century ed. by a Mazama, RoutledgeBourgois, P. (2006) In the FOREWORD to Engaged Observer: Anthropology, Advocacy and Activism

ed. by V. Sanford and A. Angel-Ajani, ix-xii, New Brunswick, Rutgers Universitypress

Cheru F. (2007) Current African Issues, Africas development in the 21st century- reshaping theresearch agenda, Nordiska Africa institiute, Uppsala.

Houtondji P. (2002) African philosophy, Myth or Reality, HOPE publications, Ibadan.Langenhove L. et al (2006) The ascent of Regional Integration UNU-CRIS Occasional Papers, paper

presented at the High-level Symposium Social Dimensions of Regional Integrationorganized by UNESCO, Mercosur, GASP and UNU-CRIS.

Lee, M. (2003) Political Economy of Regionalism in Southern Africa, University of Cape TownPress, Cape Town.

Mittelman, J. (2005) The globalization syndrome: transformation and Resistance, Princeton Universitypress, Princeton.

Onyeonoru, I. (2004) Globalisation and Trade Union Resistance, African Journal for the Psychologicalstudy of Social Issues, Vol 7, no 1.

Rosamond, B. (2000) Regional Identities and Inter-regional dialogue: The European Union and theASEM process, Global Economic Review 29 (1), pp 79-96.

Sall, E. (2003) Academic Freedom and the African Community of Scholars, CODESRIA, Dakar.Sawyer, A. (1998) Does Africa really need her Universities? CODESRIA Bulletin nos 3 and 4.Stiglitz, J. (2006) Making globalisation work, Penguin Books, London.Zeleza, P. (2003) Rethinking Africas Globalisation, Vol 1, The Intellectual Challenges, Trenton,

Africa World Press.



La coopration pdagogique universitaireSverine AWENENGO DALBERTO*

Il sagit ici de montrer ltat des lieux et les enjeuxcruciaux de la coopration en matire depdagogie universitaire, afin de permettre sa priseen compte dans les recommandations de laConfrence (CRESA, 2008).

Ce champ est incontournable dans la mesure ola transmission des savoirs et des savoir-faire,fondement de lUniversit, repose essentiellementsur la relation entre les enseignants-chercheurset les tudiants. Essentiellement mais pasuniquement bien entendu, lensemble des corpsprofessionnels, et notamment lencadrementadministratif, tant indispensables, il reste leurrle de favoriser cette relation entre enseignantset tudiants.

Or entre 1998 et 2008, deux dynamiquesdevraient rendre particulirement capitalelattention porte la question pdagogique :la massification et la professionnalisation deluniversit. Avant de dvelopper cet tat des lieux,il est important de comprendre ce qui est en jeu.

1. La massification

De plus en plus des jeunes entrent danslenseignement suprieur. Ils entrent sans lebagage cognitif, avec moins de mthodes detravail et dans des amphis et salles de classe, deplus en plus bonds.

Dune part, ils ne sont plus, socialement parlant,des hritiers ou des prcurseurs et, dautre part,la massification de lenseignement primaire etsecondaire, dans la perspective de lducationPour Tous et le recours des enseignants sansformation initiale, ont pes sur le niveau desentrants luniversit. Les initiatives actuelles derenforcement de la formation des enseignants duprimaire et du secondaire, sans formation initiale,

vont aller dans le sens dune amlioration de laqualit de la formation des apprenants dusecondaire et, par consquence, sur le niveaudes entrants luniversit.

Il ne sagit pas de le dplorer ou non, car lamission de luniversit est de sadapter sestudiants. Dans cette perspective, il ny a pas debons ou de moins bons tudiants entrants, maisune bonne ou une moins bonne capacit deluniversit les prendre en charge, les formeret les accompagner vers lemploi. Cest dans cesens, me semble-t-il, que le Recteur delUniversit de Saint-Louis interrogeait lesfondements du discours de remise en cause dela qualit des tudiants .

Lentre dans lenseignement suprieur est unpassage brutal, de lhtronomie du systmedapprentissage dans le secondaire vers uneautonomie dans les modes dapprentissage etdencadrement, pour laquelle tous les tudiantsne sont pas prts. Or, les ef

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20 SCN 37-530