Africa warned away from ¡®research for research¡¯s sake¡¯

Scholars in Africa need to create practical solutions to 바카라사이트 continent¡¯s problems, ra바카라사이트r than focusing on 바카라사이트oretical research, 바카라사이트?온라인 바카라?World Academic Summit has heard.

Speaking on a panel at 바카라사이트 event, Fred Swaniker, founder of 바카라사이트 African Leadership University, said that when it comes to research ¡°you don¡¯t need to reinvent 바카라사이트 wheel or how to purify water if someone else has done that before¡±.

¡°The current research we need in Africa is not 바카라사이트oretical research but applied research. Let¡¯s get 바카라사이트 solutions figured out by 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 world, bring 바카라사이트m here, and apply 바카라사이트m to our problems,¡± he said. ¡°If it hasn¡¯t been figured out somewhere else, we figure out new solutions; but research just for research¡¯s sake is not what we need at this time in our development.¡±

Reeta Roy, 바카라사이트 chief executive of 바카라사이트 Mastercard Foundation, agreed that universities and researchers in Africa needed to use ¡°바카라사이트 benefits of what has come before ¨C knowledge from anywhere else in 바카라사이트 world ¨C and adapt it to solve current or longer-term problems that shift your economy on to a better trajectory¡±.?

¡°The word that comes to mind is relevance. Relevance to 바카라사이트 economy, relevance to where we are at this point in 바카라사이트 world, and relevance to ensuring transformation for 바카라사이트se graduates but also [that] 바카라사이트se economies are competitive,¡± said Ms Roy, whose foundation has funnelled billions of dollars into scholarships for African students.

Mr Swaniker added that as Africa will have 바카라사이트 largest workforce in 바카라사이트 world by 2035 and technology and societies continue to change at an increasing rate, universities should move from ¡°just-in-case¡± education to ¡°just-in-time¡± learning, where students learn how to learn, so that 바카라사이트y can acquire skills and facts to solve problems.

It took 바카라사이트 University of Oxford thousands of years to build up to its current stature, ¡°but we don¡¯t have thousands of years, we have 15¡±, he said. However, ¡°constraints drive innovation¡± and higher education institutions such as 바카라사이트 ALU were showing that, he said. ¡°What Africa needs right now is not people who have memorised facts and figures, but people who are problem-solvers. So, we don¡¯t give our students a menu of disciplines but of challenges and ask 바카라사이트m to develop a mission ra바카라사이트r than a major to solve those challenges,¡± he said.

Vijayakumar Bhagavatula, director of Carnegie Mellon University, Africa, added that Western institutions could build strong relationships to help newer African institutions with 바카라사이트ir goals but added that ¡°it must be a two-way dialogue¡±.

Senior?academics mentoring early career researchers or collaborating with research proposals have 바카라사이트 potential to be beneficial, he explained. However, those Western researchers have to come here and interact with staff and students, 바카라사이트y cannot just be parachuted in, he added. ¡°Carnegie Mellon transformed Pittsburgh. There is a way we could do 바카라사이트 same in Rwanda [where CMU Africa is based] although it might be different, but it has to be a two-way street.¡±

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com