LINKING HIGHER EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT

The University of Nairobi is among the institutions of higher learning from eight countries of Sub - Saharan Africa that were selected by the Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa (HERANA), as study cases for a research of over three years to uncover the urgent role of higher education in development, a call to strengthen academic core in universities, and the necessity of coordination among higher education actors.


The research reveals a complex relationships between higher education and development in Africa, with a focus on economic and democratic development.


The report titled: "University and Economic Development in Africa: Pact Academic Core and Coordination" focuses on universities and economic development in eight African countries: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. Finland, South Korea and North Carolina in the United States were also studied, to show case principles that successfully connect higher education to development.


The report authored by Professor Nico Cloete, Director of Centre for Higher Education Transformation in Cape Town (CHET), HERANA Project Manager and researcher Tracy Bailey, and Peter Maassen, a professor of higher education at the University of Oslo, HERANA's international partner university, points out that higher education is a key to delivering the knowledge required for development.


"Research has suggested a strong association between higher education participation rates and levels of development, and that high levels of education are essential for the design and production of new technologies, for a country's innovative capacity and for the development of civil society," it says, adding: "The ability of developing countries to absorb, use and modify technology developed mainly in high-income countries, will drive more rapid transition to higher levels of development and standards of living."



However, the report points out, the role of higher education in development in Africa has not been resonating with its real needs other than their formation objective following independence from colonial rule - where universities were expected to meet the human resource needs.


"Steering," by governments "became interference and universities became sites of contention". Higher education "came to be seen as a 'luxury ancillary' - nice to have, but not necessary," the report says.


"Lack of investment in higher education delinked universities from development, led to development policies that had negative consequences for African nations, and caused the closure of institutions and areas of higher education that are critical to development."


Finland, South Korea and North Carolina are studies cases sited in the research as they are among the systems that have successfully linked economic development and higher education policy and planning.


From this research apart from Mauritius there is little consensus among African governments, universities and other stakeholders on the role of universities in development. "There needs to be a pact about the importance of knowledge in development and the special role of the university," the authors argue.



The report highlights dialogue about the role of higher education in development should be stimulated between government, higher education stakeholders and funders. "Serious thought has to be given to stronger forms of policy coordination-alignment among the different stakeholders."


The researchers says there needs to be more agreement about the role of higher education in development, "and relevant government officials and key members of higher education governance structures are not part of the discussion and capacity building," adding:"Just producing more postgraduates, or providing incentives for publication, will not solve the problem."


The research uphold some of development-related projects or centres at the African universities are world-class in terms of international recognition, cutting-edge research and strengthening the academic core. "The challenge is how to increase the number and scale of these types of activities."


Strengthening the government, university and foreign donor 'triangle' would be key to drafting and implementing strategies to strengthen knowledge production, which would enable universities to make a sustainable contribution to development.


To "stimulate the funding of research throughout the continent on a basis of quality, and not regional or national interests" African Research Council need to formed similar to that in Europe, the HARANA report calls.