The Role of African Universities in National Development: a critical analysis

Mosha, Herme J.

doi:10.1080/0305006860220202

Cited by 20 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Education has been described as "the greatest opportunity for really im proving one generation over another" (Kellogg Foundation, 1989, p. 72). This observation is congruent with one of the major functions of a university as pro pounded by Nyerere, cited in Mosha (1986). According to him, a university is "to transmit advanced knowledge from one generation to the next so that it can serve either as a basis of action or as a springboard to further research" (p. 94).…”

Section: Chapter 1 Introductionsupporting

confidence: 67%

“…As quoted earlier, one of the functions of a university given by Julius Nyerere, cited in Mosha (1986), is to provide: a center for the attempt to advance the frontiers of knowledge by concentrating in one place some of the most intellectually able peo ple who are not preoccupied by day-to-day administrative or professional responsibilities, and making available to them good library and laboratory facilities which are necessary to support learning, [emphasis, that of the author] (p. ix).…”

Section: Chapter 1 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…the elementary, the secondary and the higher education. Julius Nyerere, cited in Mosha (1986), has defined a university (higher education institution) as an institution of higher learning, a place where peoples' minds are trained for clear thinking, for independent thinking, for analysis, and for problem solving at the highest level. To achieve the above, Nyerere suggests that a university has to satisfy three functions which are also crucial to its existence:…”

Section: Chapter 1 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The roles of academic deans of land-grant universities by the year 2000

Fadeyi

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Section: Chapter 1 Introductionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Section: Chapter 1 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Chapter 1 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The roles of academic deans of land-grant universities by the year 2000

Fadeyi

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“…Mosha, 1986) and it will not be restated in detail here. The precarious economies of many African governments in the 1980s has led to a reduction of funds for the universities, a withdrawal of access to foreign exchange and a curbing of all expenditures not considered absolutely essential to the training of human resources.…”

Section: The Crisis Of the African Universitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A tenuous relationship: The African university and development policymaking in the 1980s

Rathgeber

1988

High Educ

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This paper examines some reasons why research findings generated by African university-based researchers seldom are taken into serious consideration by development policyrnakers in anglophone Africa. It begins with a brief review of the introduction of British models of higher education and scientific research into Africa, using Nigeria as an illustrative case. It then considers the current research environment of the African university and the changing role of the university in the late 1980s. The paper posits a number of reasons why research carried out at African universities rarely is used as input by policymakers in their development planning processes: (1) there is a clear dichotomy between the university and government, with relations that can best be described as mutually suspicious; (2) there is a dichotomy between university-based researchers working on national development problems and the rural populations who usually are intended as the recipients or beneficiaries of the research findings; and (3) research is seriously underfunded in virtually all African universities, with the result that researchers seldom have sufficient means to carry out effective dissemination of their research findings. The paper ends with some suggestions as to how the impact of these problems might be minimized. In 1988 two of Africa's first western-style universities celebrate their 40th birthdays. The University of Ibadan in Nigeria and Makerere University in Uganda both were established in 1948 as colleges of the University of London. In the four decades since, universities have been established in most African countries, anglophone and francophone, faculties have become increasingly Africanized, and links with metropolitan institutions have been broken or have taken different forms. Today there are more than 80 universities in Africa (including North Africa but excluding South Africa) although the proportion of university places to population is still the lowest of any major region of the world (Ayandele, 1982). Many African universities are engaged in a process of moving from a position of strong dependency on the models of the metropole towards the development of models which better suit the political and economic structures within which they operate. At the same time, however, in a period of economic recession, they are under greater pressure than ever before to compete for resources to enable them to fulfill their dual human resource development and research mandates. This places the African university in a position of continued dependency on external support, especially for The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the International Development Research Centre.

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“…Apart from having a mission to provide a labour force to serve the respective Independent States, newly established African universities were also charged to play a leading role in addressing the continent's outstanding problems of poverty, low production, hunger, unemployment, diseases and illiteracy (Mosha, 1986;Sawyerr, 2004). Taking the case of Cameroon for instance, the country had no university and many Cameroonians went abroad for university studies prior to independence in 1960, though such studies were poorly adapted to meet the needs of the Africa continent in general and Cameroon in particular (Njeuma et al, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Dilemma of Graduate Unemployment within a Context of Poverty, Scarcity and Fragile Economy: Are there Lessons for the University?

Mbah¹

2014

IJEF

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The context of the work of universities in Sub-Saharan Africa is one of high levels of poverty, scarcities and fragile economies. Even though historically, African universities have been very useful in providing the human resources needed to serve in public and private sectors, the rising trend in graduate unemployment is a call for concern. Whilst graduate unemployment is also a phenomenon across the globe, the situation is particularly severe in Africa where many inhabitants see university education as a live wire to gain economic freedom, acquire prosperity and step into a better living condition. Whilst many Africans still harbour hope in tertiary education (and this can be evident by the increasing demand for university education and enrolment), the resulting effect of higher education is often an acquisition of prestige for having completed that level of education than the economic benefits they aspired for. Given this context, this article draws on a single interpretive case study involving a State-owned university, as well as semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions carried out with participants from disparate backgrounds to uncover voices on graduate unemployment, including the disturbing impact this phenomenon is having on families and the future of many youths. It concludes with recommendations of ways the university and its educational system can be fashioned to foster graduate employability and improvement in the living condition of those living in uncertain and fragile economies.

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The Role of African Universities in National Development: a critical analysis

Cited by 20 publications

References 20 publications

The roles of academic deans of land-grant universities by the year 2000

The roles of academic deans of land-grant universities by the year 2000

A tenuous relationship: The African university and development policymaking in the 1980s

The Dilemma of Graduate Unemployment within a Context of Poverty, Scarcity and Fragile Economy: Are there Lessons for the University?

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