The Importance of
International Dimensions for
African universities
Olusola Oyewole
Association of African Universities
Prof. Olusola Oyewole.
1
Overview
1. Historical Briefs.
2. Roles of Universities.
3. Current Challenges facing
Universities in Africa
4. The International Dimensions and
Perspectives.
5. The Imperatives and Importance of
International Dimensions to African
Universities.
Historical Briefs
• HE has long history in
Africa.
• Many people travel to
early Centres of
Knowledge in Egypt
Timbuktu, Liberia,
South Africa, etc.
• The first form of
Internationalization
started in Africa
Prof. Olusola Oyewole.
3
Historical Briefs
• Early gains eroded
and disrupted by
Slave-trade and
Colonization (
Colonial
Internationalization).
• Third form of
Internationalization is
the Europeanization
of Higher Education in
Africa
Prof. Olusola Oyewole.
4
Roles of Higher Education
Builds up and
Empowers
Preserves
World and
Society
Is a template for
development
Higher Education
Knowledge that
enlightens
Lack of Appropriate Knowledge:
Conflicts, Wars,
Distrust, Confusion, underProf. Olusola Oyewole. Oct 18
2007
development,
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Higher Education



Critical element of development
Can be used by Least
Developed Countries to bridge
their income and social gap with
developed countries
Critical to national
competitiveness
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Emerging Challenges
1.
Access and Equity
• Low percentage of those who are qualified
gained admission;
• Access for the poor and under-priviledged
population still low
• Africa has the lowest higher education
participation rate;
• Less females in science and technology
Prof. Olusola Oyewole.
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II. Funding and Finance
• HEIs still under severe financial crisis
• Many countries of Africa contribute less
than 1% of their GDP to education;
• Military wares still take precedence over
education and health;
• Govt. contribution still goes largely to meet
social needs ( e.g. students bursaries)
Prof. Olusola Oyewole.
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III. Leadership and Governance
• Inefficiency in leadership and management;
• Corruption in the high tower
• Administrative bureaucracy
Prof. Olusola Oyewole.
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IV. Brain Drain
• Btw 1960 to 1989 - 127,000 highly qualified African
professionals left the continent;
• Africa loses avd of 20,000 trained professionals every
year;
• There are more African scientists and engineers in the
USA than in Africa
• Inadequate and poor research facilities; poor
governance; insecurity of lives; poor remuneration are
part of the factors responsible for the ‘brain-drain’
“Better brain drain
than brain in the drain” - Rajiv Gandhi:
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V. Information and
Communication Technology (ICT)
•
•
•
Inadequate
infrastuctures and
support systems
and pre-requisites
for ICT;
High bad-width
cost;
Erratic energy
Prof. Olusola Oyewole. Oct 18
2007
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VI. Low Research Capability and
Outputs
While research is an important vehicle of
transformation of societies and improveing
the lives of mankind;
Research is not accorded desirable high
priority in Afircan HEIs
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VII Massification
• Ordinarily should not be a challenge, but for the
inadequate infrastructures; low ICT facilities, etc
• Massification refers to the massive
increases in student enrolments and the shift
from elite to mass higher education.
• Globally, massification has numerous
consequences for higher education systems,
Prof. Olusola Oyewole.
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VII Massification - Consequencies
• causing the quality of education to decline
in many countries as resources are stretched
increasingly thin;
• Low teacher – student interaction;
• Room for dubious activities
Prof. Olusola Oyewole.
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VIII. HIV-AIDS
• AIDS killed 2.3 million Africans in 2001 and 28.1
million more of the continent’s population is
infected with HIV.
• AIDS in Africa is reversing development and
socio-economic gains. Life expectancy is dropping
by decades, growth of already fragile economies
decreases yearly,
• The HIV epidemic is depriving some children of
the benefits of education:
• AIDS is decreasing the number of children who
are obtaining a basic education:
Prof. Olusola Oyewole.
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viii. HIV-AIDS
• AIDS is creating a special crisis in tertiary
level education: Many tertiary institutions
report or predict severe HIV infection rates
among students and staff.
• A loss of large numbers of educated
individuals to AIDS severely impacts the
economic and intellectual capacity of a
country.
Prof. Olusola Oyewole.
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ix. Lack of recognition of certificates and
diplomas ( Need for Harmonization)
• Portability of qualifications in higher education
is becoming an issue of concern to many
countries and within many regions of Africa.
• Today, degrees are now being issued across
borders or on the internet which do not meet
the minimal national conditions for similar
degrees in the nations.
• The global response to the current situation has
been greater regional and international
cooperation, partnership and integration. A
notable example is the Bologna process.
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Prof. Olusola Oyewole. Oct 18
2007
x. Quality, Quality assurance
and Relevance:
“Quality” as a concept has been variously
recognized to mean :
 “fitness for purpose’;
 ‘transformation from one state to another with
value-added’;
 ‘attainment of a flawless product’’;
 “excellence’;
 ‘attainment of exceptionally high standards’
among others.
Prof. Olusola Oyewole. Oct 18 2007
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Recent Developments
Some critical Factors Impacting on
the world of Higher Education
1.. Globalization
• Globalization which is
defined as the : “flow
of technology,
economy, knowledge,
people, values and
ideas… across
borders” is an
emerging challenge to
higher education in
Africa.
Prof. Olusola Oyewole. Oc
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Globalization –Connotations and implications
• the rise of the network society’ – ICT,
Internet
• increasingly liberalised trade and commerce,
• the cultural homogenisation such as an
increasing cultural exchange and multicultural
reality,
•
-----------------------Many African countries and the African higher
Education systems have not fully prepared for
the impact of globalization on them.
Prof. Olusola Oyewole. Oct 18
2007
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Globalization –Effects and
Manifestations
• the emergence of the ‘borderless’ higher
education market’.
• new higher education providers and new
players / providers
• Changes in the ways by which research is
carried out , disseminated and utilized.
• New higher educational services specialised
services provided outside the confines of the
physical institutions
Prof. Olusola Oyewole. Oct 18
2007
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Challenges of Globalization for
Africa:
• The need to provide modalities for the
regulation of new providers and the various
forms of trans-national higher education.
• the international transferability and
recognition of qualifications and credits,
including mobility of skilled labour;
• The need to improve the quality of their
higher education ; including the input,
process and outputs.
Prof. Olusola Oyewole. Oct 18
2007
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2. Internationalization
• Is the second
major forces
imparting on
Higher
Education
today
Prof. Olusola Oyewole. Oc
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Internationalization
• “ The process of
integrating an
international,
intercultural and global
dimensions into the
purpose, functions (
teaching, research and
service) and the
delivery of higher
education
• “The process of
integrating
international and
globalize dimension
into teaching,
research and the
public service
functions of higher
education
institutions”
Multiple Manifestations of
Internationalization
• Educational delivery to international levels
• Delivery of educational Services to other
countries;
• Inclusion of international, intercultural and
global dimensions to curriculum, teaching
and learning processes;
• International linkages, research;
• Academic mobility of staff and students
Major Rationales in Africa
For African countries and Institutions, the
major rationale for internationalization is
ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT, and
specifically to :
• Build human resource capacity
• Promote the improvement of academic
quality;
• Strengthen research and knowledge
generation and capacity
Dimensions of Internationalization
in
Universities in Africa
Historical Dimensions of
Internationalisation
Indigenous Internationalization
Colonial Internationalization
Europeanization Internationalization
Modern / Current
Internationalization
Deficit
Internationalia
tion
Major Activities of Current/ Modern International
Dimensions of Higher Education in Africa
Internationalization Activities
Curriculum
Curriculum with international themes
Courses with global contents
Programmes
Students/ Staff exchange -mobility
Joint/double degree/ Partnership &
Networks
Research
Research collabo. with foreign institu
International conferences & Seminars
Cross border/
borderless
Commercial trade in educ/ Franchise
Human
Resource Dev.
Admission of foreign students
Educ. Linkages & Distance learning
Development assistance
Impact and Importance
of the Current International
Dimensions of Higher
Education in Africa
Impact of Internationalization
Quality of Higher Education in Africa
________________________________
1.



Bologna Process.
National Quality Assurance Frameworks.
Institutional Quality Assurance
machineries
Hypothetical consideration of the Internationalization activities and
Quality
Internationalization Activities
Quality Improv P
Curriculum with international themes
++
Courses with global contents
++
Students/ Staff exchange -mobility
+
Joint/double degree/ Partnership & Networks
+
Research collabo. with foreign institu
++
International conferences & Seminars
+
Commercial trade in educ/ Franchise
-
Educ. Linkages & Distance learning
+,-
Curriculum
Programmes
Research
Cross border/
borderless
Human Resource
Dev.
Admission of foreign students
-
Development assistance
-
Implications of Internationalization
for Quality of HE in Africa. 1
(i) Internationalization has potentials to enhance
(promote) or affect negatively
the quality of
higher education.
(ii)It is difficult to generalize on the implications and
outcomes of internationalization on the quality of
higher education.
(iii)Internationalization can cause a decline in the
quality of national HE programs under conditions of
:
 unregulated expansion;
 Unregulated courses border education;
 Lack of national policies, strategies and
programmes to back up
collaborations and
partnerships
Implications of Internationalization
for Quality of HE in Africa. 2
(iv)
In some regions of Africa, internationalization can
become a threat to the quality of higher education
through the activities of:
 Dubious international providers;
 Dubious learners;
 Commercial and internet degree mills
 Lack of local relevance of curriculum contents
 Wrong rationale – Regional dominance, secondary
‘colonization’.
(v) Where institutions and nations ignore the promotion of
Internationalization, it can impact negatively on the
quality and competitiveness of their products in
global challenges.
Impact of Internationalization
2. Evolution of improved Management
Practices in African Higher Education
System.
___________________________
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
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Collaboration
International Office
International Policies ( Gender, Disabilities,
HIV-AIDS, etc
Impact of Internationalization
3.
Regional Collaboration within Africa
___________________________
 Development of regional Higher
Education Areas and Networks
( SARUA, IUCEA, etc)
Impact of Internationalization



4. Research Improvements and Funding
___________________________
Improved external funding
Improved quality of research through
collaboration and Networking
Improved relevance
Impact of Internationalization



5. Students’ Empowerment
___________________________
Training of students for the global
markets;
International competences and local
usefulness;
Cultural appreciation and awareness
Impact of Internationalization
6. Next- Generation of Academics
___________________________
 Mobility Programs – Erasmus,
Edulink
Impact of Internationalization
7. Reversing Brain Drain
___________________________
 Diaspora Program
 Improved conditions in home
institutions.
Challenges of Current International
Dimensions
• How can Africans involved in the current
international dimensions help to transform
African institutions to centres of excellence.
• How can we transform current international
mobility to Intra-African Mobility Scheme (
African ERASMUS, Credit –Transfer
mechanisms, Harmonization programs, etc
Challenges of Current International
Dimensions
• Research – How can we make our research
to be relevant to our national , regional and
continental development.
• How can we promote international values
and ethics in our teaching , research and
community engagements.
Final Challenge
“It is not where we are that
matters now, but where we
are going and the vision that
we have for the future – the
journey is still long”.
Appreciation
Prof. Olusola Oyewole. Oct 18 2007
46
Thank you.
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Prof. Olusola Oyewole. Oct 18 2007