African Universities and the African Heritage

This article deals with the role of the universities in Africa. What are the challenges for educators who want to root African education in African traditions? After a brief look at pre- colonial and colonial education the article goes on to describe the situation after independence and especially the effects on higher education of a concentration of resources on basic education. To what extent do the link arrangements built up between universities in the North and the South perpetuate a colonial situation? What can be done to restore the dignity and heritage of the African people through university training? Examples are mostly taken from Tanzania, the country in Africa the author knows best.     

Rethinking the place of African indigenous languages in African education

Using Kenya as a case study, the paper demonstrates how indigenous African languages have suffered delegitimization and devaluation in education both in colonial and post-colonial Africa. Ethnographic data from Kenya are presented to show how the use of English as the medium of education contributes to differential educational treatments. It is argued that this leads to the perpetuation of social inequalities. The paper advances the argument that indigenous African languages should be given greater emphasis if education in Africa is to contribute to the much needed social, economic and political transformation. The paper makes suggestions as to how indigenous African languages in education can be introduced/strengthened.     

Brexit: some implications for African higher education

This article considers how the decisions of the UK government, following the Brexit referendum, may impact on higher education in Africa. Ghana and South Africa are the two countries chosen to exemplify the claim that academic staff in African higher education will lose opportunities to acquire experience in British universities. Academic mobility between Africa and the UK is expected to fall significantly following Brexit.     

(De)coloniality and South African academe

ABSTRACT

The colonial nature of South African universities remains a source of debate among students and academics. Decolonization as rethinking academic institutional practices seems less controversial; the specificity of how to decolonize the academia is the core of divergent arguments and contesting ideologies. Consequently, many suggestions and methods for the decolonization of South African universities have been proffered. Although some of these suggestions are pertinent, a critical question about what should South African academe decolonize from needs to be engaged. This requires a critical, theoretical and intellectual discourse of coloniality in order to rethink the academia in South Africa. Drawing from Anibal Quijano’s critical discourse of coloniality of power, this paper (re)visits the nature of coloniality, explores approaches to decolonization and situates these understandings to the academia in postcolonial South Africa. A polycentric approach to decolonization is supported with a goal of decolonization as innovations.     

The international performance of the South African academic institutions: a citation assessment

This article reports the results of an investigation to identify the disciplinary strengths and the international standing of the higher education institutions in South Africa. Even though comparative assessments provide valuable information for research administrations, researchers and students such information is not available in South Africa currently. The Essential Science Indicators database of the Institute for Scientific Information is utilized for the investigation and six South African universities are identified to be included in the top 1% of the world’s institutions cited in the international scientific literature. The identified institutions are University of Cape Town, University of Pretoria, Orange Free State University, University of Witwatersrand, University of Natal and University of Stellenbosch. Analysis of the scientific disciplines in which the South African institutions meet the threshold requirements for inclusion in the database shows that the country has citation footprints in only nine of the 22 broad scientific disciplines. The article identifies the international standing of the South African universities in the various scientific disciplines, and elaborates on the consequences relevant to higher education and science and technology policy.     

International influences on African educational development

This paper examines some international influences on formal education in Africa. It concentrates on the nature of influences since Independence, and points out that links following old colonial routes remain strong, but have been supplemented by American and international agency ones. China and Russia are less influential, although the last decade has witnessed increased activity. Finally, the paper notes, the flow of ideas is predominantly a one-way process. African educators are influenced by dominant ideas in other continents, but the reverse flow of thought is very slight.     

Responding to misrecognition from a (post)/colonial university

This article addresses the challenge of reclaiming higher education (HE) as a public good for building effective democracies. We use Bernstein’s model of pedagogic rights and Fraser’s model of social justice to develop a normative framework for discussing how universities in unequal societies might mitigate social injustice. Referring to recent student protests in South Africa, we show the extent of student anger and frustration at the misrecognition they experience due to the reproduction of colonial hierarchies at postcolonial universities. The article is an attempt to respond to students’ calls about ‘black pain’, ‘black debt’ and for the ‘decolonisation’ of South African universities. In particular, we focus on theories of recognition and how these are being played out in the current South African HE context. Our aim is not to critique student politics, but to understand the position and heed the cry of the subaltern student. We deliberate on what an adequate response, framed within a model of pedagogic rights, might be from those who teach in and manage universities. We note some impediments to implementing this response and conclude by asserting the importance of working with a politics of recognition and representation as well as redistribution.     

Cooperative learning in an African context

In Africa there has really been no historical development of cooperative learning because of the influence of missionary and colonial education in establishing a Western form of schooling. This is why a discrepancy exists between African culture, which may be seen as defining some form of cooperative learning, and the present school culture. The new philosophy of African socialism has not markedly permeated the schools or methods of classroom teaching. Cooperative learning has special significance for South Africa, but its implementation is hardly possible because of serious educational inequalities which have to be redressed first. Nevertheless, the building of positive relations between Black and White youth has occurred with a cooperative learning approach developed by the author and used in non-formal settings.     

Academic standards in South African universities and proposals for quality assurance

In South Africa an obvious need for the clarification of problems concerning academic standards and quality assurance has been identified. Some of the reasons for the differences in this regard between developing and established universities in South Africa are explained with reference to the causes thereof, namely a fragmented system of education, disparities in student enrolment and staffing and the lack of a culture of learning. Areas that require special attention to set the scene for quality assurance to be successfully implemented are identified and, based on research, proposals are made for quality assurance mechanisms for South African universities.     

Affirmative Action for Gender Justice in South African and Kenyan Education Systems

Abstract

Since women struggled to access higher education during the colonial era, tackling gender imbalances post-independence became a major focus for Kenya and South Africa. The aim of this article is to demonstrate that affirmative action has not guaranteed gender equity in South African and Kenyan higher education systems. the author argues that, although higher education is generally available to all in both countries, women still struggle with access and “success”. This is besides the existence of post-independence higher education policies and parallel gender frameworks meant to bolster women’s access. The article uses a critical and thematic exploration of secondary literature, theory and data. The article contends that the unresolved gap between policies and the reality of the lived experiences of women exacerbates inequalities. It is suggested that both countries refocus and recalibrate existing policies and remedial action measures in order to ensure that academically deserving women are able to access and participate meaningfully in higher education.     

南非高等教育语言政策的演变与现行多语制政策的实施困境

语言在南非的教育领域始终是一个有争议的问题。在高等教育层面,南非的语言政策经历了英殖民地时期的单语制、南非联盟时期的添加型双语制、种族隔离时期的减少型双语制,到民主新南非的多语制。目前,南非多语制的政策主张和高校的语言实践存在着很大的差异:英语的地位日益显赫,阿非利加语的地位不断下降,而非洲本土语言被边缘化。语言实践中的单语倾向日趋明显。本文在系统梳理南非高等教育语言政策发展历程的基础上,从历史、政治、经济、文化、教育和法令政策等多个角度分析了现行多语制政策的实施困境。     

African(a) philosophy of education and deliberative university teaching

Abstract

This article explores the notion of an African(a) philosophy of education and its implications for university teaching in South Africa. African(a) philosophy of education brings into sharper focus the need to reconceptualise university teaching in South Africa, particularly along the lines of deliberative inquiry. This article examines constitutive meanings of African(a) philosophy of education and what it means for teachers both to be deliberative and to cultivate deliberation.     

Towards an indigenous African educational discourse: a philosophical reflection

The liberation of Africa and its peoples from centuries of racially discriminatory colonial rule and domination has far reaching implications for educational thought and practice. The transformation of educational discourse in Africa requires a philosophical framework that respects diversity, acknowledges lived experience and challenges the hegemony of Western forms of universal knowledge. In this article, the author argues that indigenous knowledge, as a system of African knowledge, can provide a useful philosophical framework for the construction of empowering knowledge that will enable communities in Africa to participate in their own educational development.     

Allocation of students in North African universities

In recent years, student bodies at public universities in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia have grown rapidly, outside the direct control of university authorities. But although entry to higher education remains open to all who pass the baccalauréat examination, the prospect of continued expansion has led to reevaluations of how universities are to serve society by producing trained professionals. Government officials, school authorities, and the public have focussed attention on the entry point as a crucial moment for maintaining educational standards within universities and other higher institutes and for determining the social and economic outcomes of higher education. In this article initial attention is given to how the three North African nations differ in their policies regulating which students may study which subjects. This is followed by a discussion of the implications of these policies for the goals higher education is ostensibly meant to serve.This article is based on field research in North Africa. I am indebted to the Spencer Foundation for their support of my study.     

南非学校环境教育政策与策略评析

南非是一个环境问题较严重的国家。结束了种族隔离制度后，南非开始关注环境教育，以此作为解决环境问题的关键策略，并取得了较好的成绩。本文就南非环境教育政策的发展、学校环境教育课程目标、基本策略和途径等方面对南非环境教育的政策与策略作一全面的分析与评价。     

Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in South African Higher Education

Globally, few students with disabilities progress to higher education. This is mostly due to avoidable barriers they face as they navigate different educational structures from lower levels. Even for those few students who make it to higher education, they continue to face challenges. A qualitative study was carried out at the University of the Free State and the University of Venda. Fourteen students with disabilities took part in this research that was aimed at exploring their academic and life experiences. This article interrogates the inclusion of students with disabilities at two South African universities. This article is timely as South Africa has initiated the development of a national policy framework on disability in the post-school education and training systems. It highlights some of the areas where inclusive policies should pay attention in an effort to fully cater for the needs of students with disabilities.     

Internationalization of Higher Education: A South African Perspective

The evolution of South African universities continues to be shaped by both apartheid and more recent post-apartheid policies. Yet the South African university system is mainly an elite, low participation and high attrition system, offering a medium quality education. Moreover, there is uneven attention to the opportunities that internationalization might bring to South Africa. The paper explores South Africa’s position in a global, African and regional perspective, and looks at post-apartheid trends in the internationalization of higher education. Finally, it provides an analysis, looking forward, of the essential conditions for more beneficial internationalization. This will include addressing “brain drain” and “brain gain,” global dialogue and mutual learning, and collaborative partnerships, marked by a common commitment to sound academic values, scientific integrity, ethics and social responsibility.     

Private higher education in Africa: The case of Monash South Africa

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to review the contribution of private institutions to higher education in Africa and use Monash South Africa as a case study. A literature search was conducted to gain perspective on the current situation with respect to private higher education institutions in Africa and how they are perceived in relation to public higher education institutions.

In comparison with public higher education institutions, private higher education institutions in Africa were successful in four areas: ? Widening access to higher education in the continent

? Improving the quality of education

? Improving student experience

? Increasing the recognition and marketability of their degrees

However, private higher education institutions in Africa have failed in two areas: ? Reducing the costs of higher education in Africa

? Assisting with retention of skilled human capital in African countries.

In fact, private higher education institutions in Africa, have exacerbated the two situations above.

Monash South Africa was the first foreign university to be established in South Africa and one of over 100 private universities in the continent. As a campus of Monash University in Africa, it has seen a steady growth with over 3,500 students in the past 10 years of its existence. Like other private institutions, the campus was successful in the four areas above and also fails in the area of costs and assisting in retention of skilled staff in Africa. The campus has been successful in blending its private provider status with a public purpose mandate by offering degrees in social science, business and economics, information technology and health sciences.     

Language,Africanisation, and Identity Politics at a South African University

After centuries of “Eurocentric” linguistic ideology, the South African government has formulated African language development and multilingualism as one priority in the education system. While only English, and decreasingly Afrikaans, are the only “established” languages of instruction at tertiary level, most universities in the country have revised their language policies in order to show commitment to South Africa’s evident multilingualism. This article provides a critical analysis of particular language and identity politics in one of the leading tertiary institutions of the country. The theoretical framework is based on a critical sociolinguistic approach that draws attention to polarizing identity politics in relation to language policy, planning and implementation. Methodologically grounded in ethnography, the article has a two-fold perspective. First, it analyses particular language policy rhetoric at the University on focus and argues that its essentialist approach to Africanisation triggers contested identity politics. Second, the article provides insights into the developments of specific implementations, pointing to ideological as well as practical challenges at the university on focus.