Research Universities in Africa PDF
Preview Research Universities in Africa
R E The quality of research universities is an essential component of the development process S RReesseeaarrcchh E in the Information Age, in Africa and elsewhere. This volume, produced by a network of A outstanding African researchers, provides the best analysis to-date on the state of higher education in Africa, and discusses key policies to steer their positive transformation. R – Manuel Castells, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley, C UUnniivveerrssiittiieess Fellow at St John’s College, Cambridge & Donald Gordon Fellow, Stellenbosch Institute H of Advanced Studies U N iinn AAffrriiccaa This is an important book, synthesising 15 years of carefully gathered data and analysis, I digging deep into the institutional lives of some of Africa’s best-known universities, and V asking challenging questions about what it means to produce knowledge for society and E whether these universities are really being enabled to do so. It offers a substantive guide to R university leaders and planners, and by connecting empirical evidence to an examination S of incentives, funding systems and policy prescriptions, it highlights the competing and I contradictory pressures that many institutions and their staff face – and which must be T NICO CLOETE, IAN BUNTING & FRANÇOIS VAN SCHALKWYK urgently resolved if the potential of African higher education – for the world, not just the I E continent – is to be realised. S – Jonathan Harle, Director of Programmes, INASP, Oxford I N The higher education landscape in Africa has changed considerably in the last two decades. A Research universities are emerging as the more competitive of the universities in each F country. Their effectiveness is driven by national and institutional cultures and the ability R University of leadership to manage change. This book documents, in a way no other book has done, I Makerere the nature of the changes taking place in the region and the forces behind them. It is very C of Ghana University analytical and it is very informative. Above all, it is comprehensive and essential reference A University material. of Nairobi – Ernest Aryeetey, former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ghana & Secretary-General, African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) C L O UUUnnniiivvveeerrrsssiiitttyyy ooofff E T DDDaaarrr eeesss SSSaaalllaaaaaammm Research Universities in Africa is a welcome addition to the academic literature on African E , universities. This well-researched book which, in addition to the contribution of the B main three authors, incorporates valuable inputs from a large number of researchers U N from sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, carefully analyses the challenges faced by African T I research universities through a skillful combination of theoretical pieces and case studies N G 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 V congratulated for this excellent contribution that can guide African universities all over the A N continent in thinking more strategically and achieving better results as they seek to develop S UUUUnnnniiiivvvveeeerrrrssssiiiittttyyyy ooooffff University their research capacity and increase the relevance of their research output. C BBBBBoooootttttssssswwwwwaaaaannnnnaaaaa H of Mauritius – Jamil Salmi, global tertiary education expert, former co-ordinator of tertiary A education at the World Bank & Emeritus Professor of Higher Education Policy, LK EEEddduuuaaarrrdddooo Diego Portales University (Chile) W Mondlane Y K University of Cape Town AFRICAN MINDS Research University in Africa Cover FINAL.indd 1 25/10/2018 11:29:59 AM 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] www.africanminds.org.za For orders from outside South Africa: African Books Collective PO Box 721, Oxford OX1 9EN, UK [email protected] www.africanbookscollective.com Table of contents Acronyms and abbreviations vi About the authors vii Contributors viii Preface xi PART 1 TOWARDS RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES IN AFRICA Chapter 1 From flagships to research universities 3 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 flagship 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 37 Measuring institutional performance: Herana principles 37 Collecting academic core data 38 Trends in academic core data 40 Student enrolments 40 Graduates 43 Academic staff 44 Introduction to discussion of academic core indicators 4 and 5 47 RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES IN AFRICA Permanent academic staff as high-level inputs 48 Doctoral enrolments as high-level inputs 51 Doctoral graduates as high-level knowledge outputs 53 Research publications as high-level knowledge outputs 55 Determining cross-national performance goals and targets 56 Setting cross-national quantitative targets 61 Assessing the research performance of eight African universities 62 National and institutional policy and planning contexts 64 Empirical evidence of research performance 67 Empirical evidence of changes in research performance over time 70 Placing the Herana universities in research-activity categories 73 Conclusion 76 PART 2 UNDERSTANDING THE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY IN AFRICA Chapter 3 The role of the research university 81 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 92 Historically-determined functions of universities 92 Contemporary tensions between functions in universities 93 How universities are managing the tensions between functions 96 The University of Mauritius 97 Makerere University 101 The University of Ghana 103 Conclusion 105 Chapter 5 Incentivising research performance at African universities 107 University incentives for research 107 Funding and development aid for research 110 Government incentives for research 111 Research incentives and a differentiated higher education system 114 Conclusion 117 iv RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES IN AFRICA TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 6 Evidence-based planning and governance 119 Planning, the importance of evidence and the role of Herana 120 Government capacity, systems and data quality 125 Data for planning and governance 127 Conclusion 129 Chapter 7 Knowledge and networks 130 Why networks matter 130 Herana as a network 133 Global research networks 139 Possible implications of network thinking 144 PART 3 ACADEMIC CORE PROFILES OF EIGHT AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES Chapter 8 Introduction to institutional profiles 149 Chapter 9 University of Botswana 157 Chapter 10 University of Cape Town 171 Chapter 11 University of Dar es Salaam 190 Chapter 12 Eduardo Mondlane University 207 Chapter 13 University of Ghana 220 Chapter 14 Makerere University 235 Chapter 15 University of Mauritius 251 Chapter 16 University of Nairobi 266 PART 4 CONCLUSION 283 References 288 Appendix: Herana publications 293 v 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, Scientific and Cultural Organisation US United States of America USD United States dollars vi ABOUT THE AUTHORS About the authors NICO CLOETE is 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 Staff Associations (UDUSA), and the research director of the South African National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE). Recent publications include Castells in Africa: Universities and development and Anchored 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 SCHALKWYK is an independent researcher working in the 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 include Castells in Africa: Universities and development and 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 specificity of place’ (Learned Publishing). vii Contributors Higher education studies network • 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 viii Network of university representatives • Mogodisheng BM Sekhwela, Acting Director, Research and Development, University of Botswana • Onalenna Silas, Assistant Director, Institutional Research, University of Botswana • Jane Hendry, Chief Information Officer, 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 • (cid:53)ohn (cid:54)ofie (cid:44)noku, Research Development Officer, Office 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, Office of Research, Innovation and Development, University of Ghana • Hellen Christine Amito, Development Officer, 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 ix
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