Research Universities in Africa

Nico Cloete, Ian Bunting And Francois Van Schalkwyk

Description

From the early 2000s, a new discourse emerged, in Africa and the international donor community, that higher education was important for development in Africa. Within this ‘zeitgeist’ of converging interests, a range of agencies agreed that a different, collaborative approach to linking higher education to development was necessary. This led to the establishment of the Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa (Herana) to concentrate on research and advocacy about the possible role and contribution of universities to development in Africa.This book is the final publication to emerge from the Herana project. The project has also published more than 100 articles, chapters, reports, manuals and datasets, and many presentations have been delivered to share insights gained from the work done by Herana. Given its prolific dissemination, it seems reasonable to ask whether this fourth and final publication will offer the reader anything new.This book is certainly different from previous publications in several respects. First, it is the only book to include an analysis of eight African universities based on the full 15 years of empirical data collected by the project. Second, previous books and reports were published mid-project. This book has benefited from an extended gestation period allowing the authors and contributors to reflect on the project without the distractions associated with managing and participating in a large-scale project. For the first time, some of those who have been involved in Herana since its inception have had the opportunity to at least make an attempt to see part of the wood for the trees.Different does not necessarily mean new. An emphasis on the ‘newness’ of the data and perspectives presented in this book is important because it shows that it is more than a historical record of a donor-funded project. Rather, each chapter in this book brings, to a lesser or greater extent, something new to our understanding of universities, research and development in Africa.“This is an important book, synthesising 15 years of carefully gathered data and analysis, digging deep into the institutional lives of some of Africa’s best-known universities, and asking challenging questions about what it means to produce knowledge for society and whether these universities are really being enabled to do so. It offers a substantive guide to university leaders and planners, and by connecting empirical evidence to an examination of incentives, funding systems and policy prescriptions, it highlights the competing and contradictory pressures that many institutions and their staff face – and which must be urgently resolved if the potential of African higher education – for the world, not just the continent – is to be realised.” – Jonathan Harle, Director of Programmes, INASP, Oxford“The higher education landscape in Africa has changed considerably in the last two decades. Research universities are emerging as the more competitive of the universities in each country. Their effectiveness is driven by national and institutional cultures and the ability of leadership to manage change. This book documents, in a way no other book has done, the nature of the changes taking place in the region and the forces behind them. It is very analytical and it is very informative. Above all, it is comprehensive and essential reference material.” – Ernest Aryeetey, former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ghana & Secretary-General, African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA)“Research Universities in Africa is a welcome addition to the academic literature on African universities. This well-researched book which, in addition to the contribution of the main three authors, incorporates valuable inputs from a large number of researchers from sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, carefully analyses the challenges faced by African research universities through a skillful combination of theoretical pieces and case studies of eight universities. The book presents a balanced assessment of the role and potential contribution of research universities in the African context. The authors should be congratulated for this excellent contribution that can guide African universities all over the continent in thinking more strategically and achieving better results as they seek to develop their research capacity and increase the relevance of their research output.” – Jamil Salmi, global tertiary education expert, former co-ordinator of tertiary education at the World Bank & Emeritus Professor of Higher Education Policy, Diego Portales University (Chile)

Informations

• Publié par: African Minds
• Date de parution: 11 mai 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781928331872
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Research Universities in Africa

NICO CLOETE, IAN BUNTING & FRANÇOIS VAN SCHALKWYK

University of Ghana

Universityof Botswana

University of Cape Town

Makerere University

University of Nairobi

University of Dares Salaam

Eduardo Mondlane

University of Mauritius

Research Universities in Africa

Nico Cloete, Ian Bunting & François van Schalkwyk

With contributions from the universities network: Helen Amito, John Anoku, Pancras Bujulu, Mercy Haizel-Aisha, Jane Hendry, Fareeda Khodabocus, Mauro Langa, Henri Li Kam Wah, Pendo Malangwa, Mafalda Mussengue, Agnes Mwakaje, Florence Nakayiwa-Mayega, Euzobia Mugisha, Silas Onalenna, Ibrahim Otieno, Christina Pather, Alfred Quartey, Mogodisheng Sekhwela, Marilet Sienaert, Vincent Ssembatya, Anwar Hussein Subratty, Bernard Waweru& Afua Yeboah

And contributions from the higher education studies network: Tracy Bailey, Manuel Castells, John Douglass, Åse Gornitzka, Fred Hayward, Leo Goedegebuure, Jens Jungblut, Patricio Langa, Peter Maassen, Teboho Moja, Johann Mouton, Johan Muller, Pundy Pillay, Charles Sheppard, Robert Tijssen & Gerald Wangenge-Ouma

AFRICAN MINDS

Published in 2018 by African Minds 4 Eccleston Place, Somerset West, 7130, Cape Town, South Africa [e-mail] www.africanminds.org.za

cc  2018 African Minds All contents of this document, unless specified otherwise, are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

ISBN Paper 978–1-928331-87-2 ISBN PDF eBook 978-1-928331-88-9 ISBN ePub eBook 978-1-928331-89-6

Orders African Minds 4 Eccleston Place, Somerset West 7130, Cape Town, South Africa [e-mail] www.africanminds.org.za

For orders from outside South Africa: African Books Collective PO Box 721, Oxford OX1 9EN, UK [e-mail] www.africanbookscollective.com

Table of contents

Acronyms and abbreviations About the authors Contributors Preface

PART 1 TOWARDS RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES IN AFRICA

Chapter 1 From flagships to research universities

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Discourses on the role of higher education in development in Africa 3 The post-independence ‘development university’ discourse 4 ‘Revitalisation’ of the university for development and the knowledge economy 6 International funding for higher education in Africa 8 Empirical evidence on universities in Africa 10 The Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa (Herana) 12 Researching the link between higher education and development 15 The analytical framework 15 National development models and a pact about the role of higher education 18 The strength of the academic core 20 From agship to research universities 21 The importance of research universities for global science 24 Research universities are important for Africa 26 Can we talk of research universities in Africa? 29 Herana universities are the most research-productive in their countries 33 Conclusion 35

Chapter 2 The research performance of eight universities in Africa

Measuring institutional performance: Herana principles Collecting academic core data Trends in academic core data Student enrolments Graduates Academic sta Introduction to discussion of academic core indicators 4 and 5

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37 38 40 40 43 44 47

RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES IN AFRICA

Permanent academic sta as high-level inputs Doctoral enrolments as high-level inputs Doctoral graduates as high-level knowledge outputs Research publications as high-level knowledge outputs Determining cross-national performance goals and targets Setting cross-national quantitative targets Assessing the research performance of eight African universities National and institutional policy and planning contexts Empirical evidence of research performance Empirical evidence of changes in research performance over time Placing the Herana universities in research-activity categories Conclusion

PART 2 UNDERSTANDING THE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY IN AFRICA

Chapter 3 The role of the research university

48 51 53 55 56 61 62 64 67 70 73 76

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Four university models 81 Inconsistency in international development cooperation 83 Inconsistency in expectations among national and institutional stakeholders 84 Research aspirations and their take-up 85 Research aspirations 85 National realities 87 Inconsistency between national and institutional policy goals 88 Conclusion 90

Chapter 4 Tensions between functions in the research university

Historically-determined functions of universities Contemporary tensions between functions in universities How universities are managing the tensions between functions The University of Mauritius Makerere University The University of Ghana Conclusion

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92 93 96 97 101 103 105

Chapter 5 Incentivising research performance at African universities 107

University incentives for research Funding and development aid for research Government incentives for research Research incentives and a dierentiated higher education system Conclusion

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107 110 111 114 117

Chapter 6 Evidence-based planning and governance Planning, the importance of evidence and the role of Herana Government capacity, systems and data quality Data for planning and governance Conclusion

Chapter 7 Knowledge and networks Why networks matter Herana as a network Global research networks Possible implications of network thinking

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART 3 ACADEMIC CORE PROFILES OF EIGHT AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES

Chapter 8 Introduction to institutional profiles

Chapter 9 University of Botswana

Chapter 10 University of Cape Town

Chapter 11 University of Dar es Salaam

Chapter 12 Eduardo Mondlane University

Chapter 13 University of Ghana

Chapter 14 Makerere University

Chapter 15 University of Mauritius

Chapter 16 University of Nairobi

PART 4 CONCLUSION

References

Appendix: Herana publications

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130 130 133 139 144

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Acronyms & abbreviations

AOSTI African Observatory of Science, Technology and Innovation ARUA Alliance of African Research Universities AU African Union BUS business, economics and management CHET Centre for Higher Education Trust CWTS Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University EHSS education, humanities and social sciences G8 Group of eight highly industrialised nations: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America GNI gross national income Herana Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa NDP National Development Plan (South Africa) NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development NGO non-governmental organisation Norad Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development PHEA Partnership for Higher Education in Africa SCIE Science Citation Index Expanded SET science, engineeting and technology SPHERE Science Productivity, Higher Education, Research and Development and the Knowledge Society project STEM+ science, technology, engineering, mathematics plus health UCT University of Cape Town, South Africa UDSM University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania UEM Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique UK United Kingdom UN United Nations UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientiîc and Cultural Organisation US United States of America USD United States dollars

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About the authors

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

NICO CLOETEis the director of the Centre for Higher Education Trust (CHET) in South Africa. He is a adjunct professor at the University of Oslo, and extraordinary professor in the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Scientometrics and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (SciSTIP) at Stellenbosch University. He was general secretary of the Union of South African Democratic Sta Associations (UDUSA), and the research director of the South African National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE). Recent publications includeCastells in Africa: Universities and development andAnchored in Place: Rethinking universities and development.

IAN BUNTING is an emeritus professor of Philosophy of the University of Cape Town and a research associate of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Scientometrics and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy at Stellenbosch University. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at the Univeristy of Cape Town for a period of 11 years before being seconded to the higher education branch of the national Department of Education as director and later chief director. Recent publications include ‘An Empirical Overview of Emerging Research Universities in Africa 2001–2015’ (CHET) and ‘Fort Hare at its centenary: University functions in post-apartheid South Africa’ (Development Southern Africa).

FRANÇOIS VAN SCHALKWYKan independent researcher working in the is areas of higher education studies, open data and scholarly communication. He holds masters degrees in education and publishing, and is currently reading for his doctorate in science communication at Stellenbosch University. Recent publications includeCastells in Africa: Universities and developmentand The Social Dynamics of Open Data, and the journal articles ‘African university presses and the institutional logic of the knowledge commons’ (Development Southern Africa) and ‘The engaged university and the speciîcity of place’ (Learned Publishing).

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Contributors

Higher education studies network

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Tracy Bailey, Researcher, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Scientometrics

and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, Stellenbosch University Manuel Castells,Wallis Annenberg Chair in Communication Technology and Society, University of Southern California John Aubrey Douglass, Senior Research Fellow in Public Policy and Higher Education, Centre for Studies in Higher Education, University of California-Berkeley Leo Goedegebuure, Director, LH Martin Institute, University of Melbourne

Åse Gornitzka, Vice-Rector for Research and Internationalisation,

University of Oslo

Fred Hayward, Senior Higher Education Consultant and Advisor,

University of Massachusetts

Jens Jungblut, Associate Professor for Public Policy and Public

Administration, Department of Political Science, University of Oslo

Patrício Langa, Associate Professor at the Institute of Post-School Studies,

University of the Western Cape, and Eduardo Mondlane University

Peter Maassen, Professor in Higher Education and Science Policy,

Department of Education, University of Oslo

Teboho Moja, Professor and Director of the Higher Education Programme, New York University Johann Mouton, Director, Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology and the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Scientometrics and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, Stellenbosch University Johan Muller, Senior Research Scholar, University of Cape Town and Extraordinary Professor, Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and

Technology, Stellenbosch University

Pundy Pillay, Professor of Economics and Public Finance, School of

Governance, University of the Witwatersrand

Charles Sheppard, Director, Management Information,

Nelson Mandela University

Robert Tijssen, Chair of Science and Innovation Studies, Leiden University

Gerald Wangenge-Ouma, Director, Institutional Planning,

University of Pretoria

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Network of university representatives

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Mogodisheng BM Sekhwela, Acting Director, Research and Development, University of Botswana Onalenna Silas, Assistant Director, Institutional Research, University of Botswana Jane Hendry, Chief Information Oïcer, Institutional Information, University of Cape Town Christina Pather, Deputy-Director, Research, University of Cape Town Marilet Sienaert, Executive Director, Research, University of Cape Town Pancras MS Bujulu, Director of Planning, Development and Investment, University of Dar es Salaam Pendo Salu Malangwa, Senior Lecturer of Linguistics and Director of Quality Assurance Bureau, University of Dar es Salaam Agnes Mwakaje, Director, Postgraduate Studies, University of Dar es Salaam Mauro Langa, Planning and Statistics Technician, Eduardo Mondlane University Mafalda Mussengue, Director, Human Resources, Eduardo Mondlane University 5ohn 6oIe ,noku, Research Development Oïcer, Oïce of Research, Innovation and Development, University of Ghana

Mercy Haizel-Ashia, Registrar, University of Ghana

Alfred Quartey, Head of Planning, University of Ghana

Afua Yeboah, Senior Assistant Registrar, Oïce of Research,

Innovation and Development, University of Ghana

Hellen Christine Amito, Development Oïcer, Makerere University

Florence Mayega Nakayiwa, Director, Planning and Development,

Makerere University

Euzobia Baine Mugisha,Acting Director, Gender and Mainstreaming

Directorate, Makerere University

Vincent A Ssembatya, Director, Quality Assurance, Makerere University

Fareeda Khodabocus, Director, Quality Assurance, University of Mauritius

Anwar Hussein Subratty, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Academic,

University of Mauritius

Henri Li Kam Wah, Associate Professor, Faculty of Science,

University of Mauritius

Bernard Waweru, Registrar, University of Nairobi

Ibrahim Otieno, Director, ICT, University of Nairobi

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