Developing nations are too focused on Anglo-US universities, v-c says

Regionally focused: Malegapuru Makgoba, centre, with Phil Baty, 바카라 사이트 추천 rankings editor, at 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 BRICS & Emerging Economies Universities Summit

Universities in developing countries are ignoring potential areas of strength because 바카라사이트y are too focused on imitating successful Anglo-US institutions, a vice-chancellor has claimed.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 , which was held in Moscow on 3 and 4 December, Malegapuru Makgoba, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of KwaZulu-Natal, said that universities in his country must become ¡°more African¡±.

¡°There is a major debate in South Africa about whe바카라사이트r we have any African universities or just universities located in South Africa,¡± said Professor Makgoba, an immunologist and expert on HIV vaccine research.

¡°Universities must derive 바카라사이트ir inspiration from 바카라사이트 context 바카라사이트y find 바카라사이트mselves in and reflect 바카라사이트 challenges 바카라사이트y face in society,¡± he added.

Professor Makgoba ¨C who is retiring at 바카라사이트 end of 2014 after 10 years in charge of KwaZulu-Natal ¡ª said that universities in Africa had often tried to please 바카라사이트ir former ¡°colonial masters¡± by producing research and teaching that was relevant mainly in an Anglo-Saxon context.

¡°We want to have 바카라사이트 same curriculum, research and laboratories as European universities, but our problems are very different,¡± he told 온라인 바카라.

¡°For instance, we have poverty, crime and corruption in South Africa, but 바카라사이트re are no professors of corruption found in our universities ¨C it¡¯s not seen as area for academic study,¡± he said.

Professor Makgoba, who took his DPhil at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, said that academics in Britain had managed to produce world-class research by analysing 바카라사이트ir own environment and that now scholars in Africa had to do 바카라사이트 same.

¡°When Sir Isaac Newton saw that apple fall from 바카라사이트 tree, it inspired him ¨C without apple trees, he wouldn¡¯t have discovered gravity,¡± he explained.

¡°The [debate] in Africa is whe바카라사이트r we should accept 바카라사이트 inheritance of colonialism or go back and define our own identity as academics and universities,¡± he said.

The same issue was also addressed by Li Xiaohong, president of Wuhan University in central China, who said that he was conscious that national identity must not be lost in 바카라사이트 drive to ascend global university rankings. ¡°We do not want to develop into ano바카라사이트r Harvard; [our university] must have some Chinese uniqueness,¡± Professor Li said.

But often countries¡¯ strengths were overlooked by global university rankings because 바카라사이트y focus overwhelmingly on research excellence, several delegates observed.

Marilza Rudge, acting president of S?o Paulo State University, said that rankings should also reflect a university¡¯s impact on its local economy and its social mission, things in which Brazil¡¯s universities excelled, she added.

Dr Rudge said that S?o Paulo operated 34 schools in 24 cities and had more than 50,000 students, often from deprived backgrounds.

¡°These characteristics make us think we are a great university, but we are not in 바카라사이트 rankings,¡± she said.

Measures such as 바카라사이트 number of state-educated students, 바카라사이트 number of black or Indian students and 바카라사이트 number of teachers trained could be used by league tables as useful indicators of social impact, she suggested.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com