Building capacity: challenges and opportunities in large class pedagogy (LCP) in Sub-Saharan Africa

Over the past 20 years most countries, particularly developing countries, have seen a large increase in the number of students seeking higher education. A consequence of this growth is increasing pressure on teaching staff and institutions, usually resulting in, among other effects, increased class size. Large classes of between 300 and 1,000, and even more, at the undergraduate level are not uncommon in a number of countries (Mulryan-Kyne in Teach High Educ 15(2):175–185, 2010). Large classes are often perceived as one of the major obstacles to the attainment of quality education. Despite the difficulties associated with teaching and learning in large classes, they remain a reality in many countries affecting learners across all levels of the education system and are often the only perceived option available to meet growing demand for higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa (Mohamedbhai in The effects of massification on higher education in Africa. Report from the Working Group on Higher Education of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa, 2008). We contend that the challenges of delivering large classes can be confronted, and in many ways diminished, through the use of current and emerging technologies and enhanced faculty development. In this expository paper, we present findings from project activities focused on higher education faculty development and capacity building. The findings include both formative and summative development activities, as well as data collected in faculty professional development workshops and the results of two surveys. We use these data to lay out issues, challenges (e.g., skills, resources, logistics—including poor campus infrastructure), and opportunities (e.g., mobile capacity, distance tools such as Moodle) of large class pedagogy using a design-based research framework.     

Institutional governance and management systems in Sub-Saharan Africa higher education: developments and challenges in a Ghanaian Research University

This article examines the developments and challenges of higher education in developing countries. Using a thorough qualitative interview of deans, directors and heads of Department of the University of Ghana, this paper draws on their analysis to discover unexplored issues that affect the universities in developing countries. The study identifies weakness in institutional policies and infrastructure deficiency of higher education in Ghana as key challenging factors. Findings also show congestion of students in academic facilities of learning, teaching overloads and lack of research facilities as key factors hampering academic development in higher education. Therefore, the work advocates for the development of policies that take into account the institutional realities in the field of higher education. Governmental policies aimed at enhancing higher education in developing economies must first improve the existing institutional set up for their chance of success.     

Assessment policy in post-apartheid South Africa: challenges for improving education quality and learning

The South African education system has witnessed significant changes since 1994 when the democratically elected government began the process of dismantling the inherited apartheid order. The primary focus of the transformation process was to address the twin imperative of equity and quality in education, particularly for the historically marginalised black population. A key aspect of this transformation process remains the development of alternative assessment policies. This paper reviews the changes focusing on the stated rationale as well as their underlying assumptions and implications for practice. It argues that the changes have in many respects addressed the most obvious effects of the previous apartheid systems. However, it notes that, notwithstanding the policy intentions, assessment policy since 1994 has favoured a measurement focused-approach in the classroom, which has hindered a shift towards an assessment for learning approach. This, it argues, is partly fuelled by the abiding belief in and commitment to classroom testing and examinations as well as external national assessments as the key criterion for reforming learning and teaching practices in the classroom.     

Ethnicity and education for democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article reviews recent global political changes and describes how they have helped to recreate interest in a democratic agenda in Africa. In the past, two of the major obstacles to democracy in post-independence Africa have been ethnic conflict and the resulting authoritarian political systems. However, there have been exceptions to this and neither authoritarianism nor democracy have become fully institutionalised. If, in the future, democratic political institutions in Africa are going to be sustained by a supportive political culture, then schools will have to consciously educate for democracy rather than support authoritarianism as they tend to do at the moment. In particular they will need to educate for ethnic tolerance and mutual respect and this will require changes both in classroom and whole school organisation.     

西方矿业公司与英属撒哈拉以南非洲殖民统治的瓦解

西方矿业公司在英属撒哈拉以南非洲殖民体制中占据重要地位,在殖民统治瓦解过程中发挥了各自的影响力。从西方矿业公司对英属中非联邦所产生的作用显示,尽管各国公司影响当地政府、英美政府和非洲民族领导人的措施、步伐不一致,但能够共同维护集体利益,有效施加影响。矿业公司要实现的目标和历史结果之间存在差异,联系列宁帝国主义论,可以揭示出其所反映的时代特征。     

Affording the Unaffordable: Cost Sharing in Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

The purpose of this article is to discuss some financial aspects of the future development of higher education in Africa entering the 21st century. Two main aspects can be distinguished: first, problems that concern the economy as a whole, the macroeconomic problems; second, questions that apply to the individual institutions of higher education. The former group includes questions such as: How much will the future expansions of higher education in Africa cost? How large is the capacity of African economies to finance this expansion and to what extent can tuition be applied? The article makes three recommendations to Africa's higher education: flexible tuition fees; a well-designed loan scheme; and a proactive measure to promote access and quality.     

The World Bank and financing higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article critically examines World Bank andother donor agency's policy changes towardfinancing of higher education in Sub-SaharanAfrica. It concludes that policy vicissitudeshave adversely affected these institutions. Therecommendation is that the unique context ofeach state play a role in higher educationfinancial policy formation and implementation.     

Globalisation and its Impact Upon Education: prospects and challenges

Book reviewed in this article: Education in Transition: international perspectives on the politics and processes of change R. Griffin (Ed) Education in a Globalized World: the connectivity of economic power, technology and knowledge N. Stromquist Citizenship and the Challenge of Global Education A. Osler & K. Vincent     

Democratic Development and Prospects for Citizenship Education: Theoretical Perspectives on Sub-Saharan Africa

The case of Africa, in terms of development and democratic prospects, is encountering a number of hurdles that are stubborn, and are even getting increasingly more difficult to overcome. This paper, while agreeing with a number of leading Africanists who are calling for the efficient repair of Africa's political systems without which, I concur, other components of the national and continental enterprises may not function effectively, calls for the establishment of citizenship education programs that must strengthen Africa's partially fledgling but, in many cases, faltering new democracies. The paper cautions about accepting liberal democracy at face value and sees the possibility of selectively Africanizing democracy so it fits the needs as well as the expectations of the African public. The paper also recognizes that even if democracy may not always effectively respond to the needs of the people, its critical appreciation, via viable programs of citizenship, will, in the long run, produce better results for Africa's marginalized hundreds of millions.     

The AIDS Epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa: are teachers a high-risk group?

This article assesses the extent to which teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa are a ‘high-risk’ group with respect to HIV infection and AIDS-related mortality. The main conclusion that is drawn from this review is that little hard evidence exists to support the contention that teachers are more vulnerable to the epidemic than other occupational groups.     

When Farmers Don't Want Ownership: Reflections on Demand-driven Extension in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the demand-driven extension approach based on empirical evidence of a case study of the National Agricultural Advisory Service in Uganda. This research found several problems rooted in differences between the assumptions of demand-driven extension and the perspectives of farmers. Many farmers did not place high value on advisory services and were ambivalent towards the programme concepts of farmer ownership and empowerment. Although long-term capacity building was a core part of the programme strategy, farmers were reluctant to invest their time in attending these trainings, whilst political pressure and budgetary constraints made it difficult for programme managers to commit the necessary resources to this activity. The programme adapted to popular and political pressure by putting more emphasis on technological support to farmers. The demand-driven extension model has gained favour amongst donor agencies in their discussions of extension reform. This paper presents evidence and argumentation that suggest demand-driven extension is problematic in rural Uganda and other similar settings. This paper presents original, independent, critical and empirically grounded research in an area that has been dominated in the literature by donor-sponsored work and self-evaluations.     

Lifelong learning through the SkillsFuture movement in Singapore: challenges and prospects

This article examines the promotion of lifelong learning (LLL) in Singapore through a new national initiative known as the SkillsFuture movement. It is argued that the attainment of LLL is confronted with three key challenges, the first being the sociocultural preference for academic rather than vocational education in Singapore. Secondly, there is an absence of a strong local culture that underscores the habits of mind needed for LLL. The final challenge is the dominant ideology of pragmatism that potentially conflicts with the goal of the SkillsFuture movement for individuals to enjoy learning and pursue their passion. The article further recommends a reconceptualisation of the notion of LLL in Singapore by supplementing the skills growth model with the individual development and social learning models. The Singapore example illustrates the difficulties and prospects of advocating LLL due to historical and socialcultural conditions and practices.     

Incorporating Comprehensive Counselling and Guidance Models into School Curricula in Sub-Saharan Africa

There is an increasing body of evidence demonstrating the psychological and social challenges that afflict school-age children in sub-Saharan Africa. In spite of widespread calls to provide counselling and guidance services in schools, efforts at expanding these services remain fragmented and under-resourced. Grounded in both empirical and theoretical literature, this article calls for integration of counselling and guidance through a whole-school approach. Utilizing critical aspects of child and adolescent developmental theory, we summarize the current state of counselling and guidance in the region, evaluate attempts at integration, and propose adoption of a comprehensive guidance and counselling model into school curricula.