Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, kicked off
the second day of the African Higher Education Summit in Dakar, Senegal, by
evoking the memory of the late Nelson Mandela who said: “Education is the most
powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”
Kofi Annan addressed some
500 participants, among them the Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, national ministers of higher education, other
dignitaries and some 50 Vice-Chancellors from across the continent.
“I have long been a
believer in the transformative power of education. Education is one of the most
effective forms of peacebuilding, a source of hope for each individual, and the
premise of development and progress for society,” said Annan, who serves as the
Chancellor of the University of Ghana.
The summit, with the
theme revitalizing higher education for Africa's future, is the brainchild of
TrustAfrica, run in conjunction with 11 organising partners.
Annan highlighted the
power of partnership and commended the presence and participation of the
African Union given the need for a collective effort towards transformation.
"She is trying
but she needs help", said Annan in reference to Dlamini Zuma. “Through
better cooperation between African governments and universities, the continent
can build regional centres of excellence that improve both the quality of
research and education, and their impact throughout Africa.”
Known for his work
across Africa to promote smallholder agriculture and with the Africa Progress
Panel, Annan said that different sectors will not grow in isolation, demonstrating
the need for different sectors to work together to achieve sustainable and
equitable development.
Others echoed this
conviction. "If you are going to transform higher education you cannot do
it independent of health, food security and other sectors." said Bol
Makueng Yuol Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Technology, South Sudan..
Annan's remarks were
followed by a ministerial panel with representation from higher education ministers
from Ethiopia, Uganda, Gambia, Mali and South Sudan.
Yuol spoke about
models of higher education that build on the strong foundation of solid primary
education. Therefore, there is a need to strengthen education at all levels, he
said.
“What we have seen in
South Sudan is, because we are a new nation everybody wants to try his or her
own model. As a result we have institutions of higher learning now, which are
not accredited. This has to stop. We want to build a higher education sector
that is based on sound principles, one that appreciates the value attached to a
person called an African that value matters a lot,” said Yuol.
He highlighted the
existing exchange programmes in higher education between Ethiopia and South
Sudan, feeding into the pan-African priority of regional integration, driven by
the Africa Union and aimed at bringing Africa's eight regional economic
communities together.
“Africa has exported
some of its brightest minds, as both professors and students. Many of the
continent’s brightest young prospects feel they must leave Africa to further
their studies, to publish or be mentored, and to develop personal expertise.
They can benefit Africa as they benefit their host countries today,” said
Annan.
In a panel to set the
scene for the summit, Dr. Nico Cloete gave a presentation showing the gap in
the production of research material, highlighting the comparison where in 2010,
South Africa produced 1 423 doctorates compared with the 2 244 PhDs awarded by
the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. With regard to research, South Africa
produces approximately 7 500 doctoral articles a year, which is equivalent to
0.4% of the total world science production.
Annan explained how
the University of Ghana and University of Sussex are collaborating on joint
teaching and research programs, to facilitate student and staff exchanges and
jointly train and develop doctoral students. “I think this could allow us to
develop world-class research-intensive universities, to generate the knowledge
both governments and businesses need to succeed in Africa and globally,” said
Annan.
Cloete described
efforts to increase the production of research outputs, siting the cases of the
University of Cape Town and Makerere Universities through incentives of up to $100million
research funds. These funds, of which in the case of Makerere 80% comes from
donors and therefore run the risk of distorting the research and publication culture
as the motivation for producing the publications may end up being driven by
funding.
Prof. Venansius
Baryamureeba, representing the Uganda higher education minister, emphasized
lack of employable skills, which his government was redressing by financing one
out of three youth in Uganda to enter a technical education institution,
creating a further need for financial assistance, to retain staff and manage
the facilities. He explained giving a synopsis of trip where he discovered that
the grounds and maintenance budget of a university in the USA is equivalent to
the total budget of one of the local universities in Uganda.
Hon. Mountaga Tall, Minister
of Higher Education and Research in Mali, said: “Investment in knowledge is the
best and most profitable type of investment. However Africa is characterized by
a significant informal economy, which means we need to combine academic
knowledge and indigenous knowledge relevant to the African situation.”
Tall spoke of the
challenge in Mali to attract teachers making the question of competitive
remuneration a key consideration to quell brain drain. The government of Mali
recently supplied 10 000 computers to their five local universities to enhance
the technological adoption rate. Currently 80% of Malian graduates are in the
humanities, forcing government to drive the uptake of STEM (Science, Technology
and Mathematics) related subjects.
“Africa is full of
unemployed university graduates, even as our economies have grown by more than
5% for over a decade,” said Annan. “No one is born a good citizen or a good
democrat or a good leader; it takes time and education.”
He continued: “Our
institutions should be melting pots of diversity and incubators of pluralism
which will produce responsible citizens and instill in Africa’s youth a mindset
and understanding of the world that inspires visionary and positive citizenship
and leadership.”
The summit ended its
second day with sessions moderated by
Zimbabwe’s minister of higher and tertiary education: Dr Oppah Muchinguri, on
Differentiation and Diversification; Burundi’s former minister of education and
current Southern Africa Regional Office Director of UNESCO: Professor Luc Ruklingama, on
Harmonisation of African Universities;
Professor Teboho Moja, on Equity and Access and Dr. Tade Aina: Executive
Director, Partnership for African Social Governance Research on Higher
Education, Nation Building and Citizenship.
