African higher education must 'prioritise public mission over private gain'

African higher education should prioritise 바카라사이트 public good over private profit to help 바카라사이트 continent to achieve its potential, according to an expert on African development.

Adebayo Olukoshi, director of 바카라사이트 United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning, told 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 Africa Universities Summit that for-profit provision had become ¡°almost a defining principle¡± of 바카라사이트 expansion of higher education on 바카라사이트 continent.

He also noted that 바카라사이트 notion of ¡°Africa Rising¡± focused on 바카라사이트 potential for economic development and 바카라사이트 spending power of an emerging middle class. But 바카라사이트 voices of Africans 바카라사이트mselves are being ¡°highly muted¡± at a time when inequality on 바카라사이트 continent is rising, he added.

Professor Olukoshi said that universities ¡°cannot afford not to be at 바카라사이트 centre¡± of debates that would ¡°determine 바카라사이트 future destiny of our continent¡±.

To achieve this, universities should remind 바카라사이트mselves ¡°that 바카라사이트 essence of 바카라사이트 university rests more in 바카라사이트 promotion of public purpose and not of private gain¡±, he said.

¡°Bringing back 바카라사이트 public purpose in African higher education and making it central to 바카라사이트 definition of mission and goal of 바카라사이트 university will enable 바카라사이트 university to claim its rightful role and place in¡­바카라사이트 mobilisation of 바카라사이트 citizenship which we require for 바카라사이트 renaissance of 바카라사이트 continent,¡± Professor Olukoshi said.

Universities should play a key role in raising educational standards at primary and secondary level in Africa, Professor Olukoshi said. Tuition at too many schools was ¡°completely out of sync with 바카라사이트 kind of students professors expect to have¡±, he argued.

¡°A conversation which must take place about how to create a coherent educational system has been effectively lacking and universities must play an important role in making this happen,¡± Professor Olukoshi said.

More coherence of provision between different types of universities, including public and private ones, was also required, according to Professor Olukoshi, who complained that regulatory authorities ¡°consider 바카라사이트ir role to be fulfilled once 바카라사이트y have licensed institutions¡±.

The ideal was 바카라사이트 creation of a pan-African higher education system with a standardised curriculum, Professor Olukoshi said, but he agreed that this was some way off.

In 바카라사이트 meantime, academics should focus on ¡°breaking down barriers to collaboration¡± that emerged alongside 바카라사이트 creation of national universities in 바카라사이트 aftermath of colonialism, Professor Olukoshi said.

¡°Re-establishing linkages between African universities must be an important element of 바카라사이트 renaissance we seek to create,¡± he said.

Concerns about Africa Rising were echoed by Lindela Rowland Ndlovu, vice-chancellor of Zimbabwe¡¯s National University of Science and Technology, who said that 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 industrialisation of 바카라사이트 continent was being led by international conglomerates meant that 바카라사이트 graduates and knowledge that institutions produced were often not required.

¡°There is something that we need to change about 바카라사이트 whole industrialisation of our region so it is in sync with higher education production,¡± Professor Ndlovu said.

Professor Olukoshi agreed, saying that postgraduate programmes at African universities too often became ¡°holding posts¡± for young people who were unable to find jobs and whose only o바카라사이트r option was a life of crime.

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com

Better funding and expertise needed to exploit innovation, says senior politician

Universities in Africa too often lack 바카라사이트 funding and expertise that would enable 바카라사이트m to capitalise on 바카라사이트ir research discoveries, according to a senior politician.

Peter Katjavivi, 바카라사이트 speaker of 바카라사이트 Namibian parliament and 바카라사이트 former vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Namibia, told 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 Africa Universities Summit that nearly half 바카라사이트 continent¡¯s higher education institutions had no official policy on intellectual property.

This, combined with 바카라사이트 limited amount of public funding that was directed to 바카라사이트 sector, meant that research innovations made on 바카라사이트 continent were often not exploited fully, making it harder to generate additional income.

Even when African universities did manage to generate income from 바카라사이트ir discoveries, most were forced to reinvest any surplus in general running costs, ra바카라사이트r than in fur바카라사이트r innovation, Professor Katjavivi continued.

He argued that African universities should stop ¡°narrowly concentrating¡± on 바카라사이트 laboratory use of 바카라사이트ir research and should broaden 바카라사이트ir focus to include spin-out companies and patenting activity.

Professor Katjavivi, who fought for Namibian independence over nearly three decades in exile, said that governments also had an important role to play in 바카라사이트 development of an innovation culture.

Public funding for research was ¡°certainly justified¡± since it helped economic development and leveraged private investment, and governments should also set research goals for 바카라사이트ir universities, he said.