Issue

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2010): Journal of Higher Education in Africa

3 - A Neglected Impediment to True Africanisation of African Higher Education Curricula: Same Agenda, Differential Fee Regimes

https://doi.org/10.57054/jhea.v8i2.1582
Chinedu. I. O. Okeke
School of General and Continuing Education, University of Fort Hare, South Africa.

Corresponding Author(s) : Chinedu. I. O. Okeke

okekechinedu@yahoo.com

Journal of Higher Education in Africa, Vol. 8 No. 2 (2010): Journal of Higher Education in Africa

Abstract

This paper focuses on various international fee regimes within African universities and aims to sensitize debates around this highly neglected issue. My primary goal is not only to challenge arbitrary policy, but also to produce a useful sociological framework capable of enabling Africans to participate in their own educational development wherever they may choose to study. This paper targets African curriculum policy-makers and stakeholders and by focusing on the differential fee regimes, it is possible to show how such policy impinges upon current discourse on the Africanisation of higher education curriculum in very complex and subtle ways. Without disregarding recent efforts, however, I want to suggest that promoting an all-inclusive higher education environment within Africa without a single unified tuition policy negates all efforts toward an African curriculum agenda. An example is drawn from the thinking of the Bologna Process and the challenges such development presents to the African continent. The paper concludes that until differential policy regimes within African tertiary institutions are included on the agenda of various efforts toward the harmonization of African higher education, the journey towards a true Africanised, decolonized and all- inclusive education curricula for Africans may remain a mirage.

Keywords

Africanisation African Higher Education Curricula
Chinedu. I. O. Okeke. (2010). 3 - A Neglected Impediment to True Africanisation of African Higher Education Curricula: Same Agenda, Differential Fee Regimes. Journal of Higher Education in Africa, 8(2), 39–52. https://doi.org/10.57054/jhea.v8i2.1582
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX
References
  1. African Union, 2007, ‘Harmonization of Higher Education Programme in Africa: A Strategy for the African Union’, Meeting of the Bureau of the Conference of Ministers of Education of the African Union (COMEDAF+) held between 29 and 31 May, 2007 at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  2. African Union, 2008, ‘Provisional Agenda and Programme of Work. Validation Meeting for African Quality Rating Mechanism and Harmonization Strategy for Higher Education’, held 25th to 27th March, 2008 at Novotel Accra, Ghana. http://www.africa-union.org (accessed 28 July 2009).
  3. Association of African Universities, 2009, ‘The Dodowa Declaration on African Quality Assurance Network’, held 15th - 17th April, 2009 at Dodowa, Ghana. Http://www.aau.org/qa/dodowa09/ (accessed 28 July 2009).
  4. AU/NEPAD, 2008, ‘The AU/NEPAD African Action Plan. 10th Africa Partnership Forum (APF)’, Tokyo, Japan 7 - 8 April, 2008, http://www.africanpartnershipforum. org/dataoecd/28/10/41084201.pdf (accessed 28 July 2009).
  5. Bishop, J., 2006, ‘The Bologna Process and Australia: Next Stages’, Australia: Department of Education, Science and Technology. http://www.dest.gov.au/nr/rdonlyres/ (accessed 28 July 2009).
  6. Broodryk, J., 2006, Ubuntu: Life Coping Skills from Africa, Randburg: Knowres Publishing.
  7. Chetty, N., 2006, ‘Africanisation - What Does It Mean?’, http://www.physicspmb.ukzn.ac.za/index.php (accessed 28 July 2009).
  8. Hahn, K., 2005, ‘Towards a SADC Area of Higher Education’, EPRU Research Report No. 30,Windhoek: Namibia Economic Policy Research Unit.
  9. Higgs, P., 2003, ‘African Philosophy and the Transformation of Educational Discourse in South Africa’, Journal of Education, 30, pp. 5 - 19.
  10. Lunt, I., 2005, ‘The Implementation of the Bologna Process for the Development of a European Qualification in Psychology’, European Psychologist, 10(2), pp. 86 - 92.
  11. Magagula, C. M. and E. Z. Mazibuko, 2004, ‘Indigenization of African Formal Education Systems’, The African Symposium, 4(2), pp. 89 - 99, http:// www.ncsu.edu/aern/TAS4.2/TAS4.2.pdf (accessed 28 July 2009).
  12. Mavhunga, P. J., 2006, ‘Africanizing the School Curriculum: A Case for Zimbabwe’, Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research, 18(3), pp. 440 - 454.
  13. Mazrui, A. A., 2009, ‘Makerere Shaped my Career’, The New Vision Online, http://www.newvision.co.ug/PA/8/13/690774 (accessed 28 July 2009).
  14. Mokadi, A. T., 2004, ‘Conceptions of the Transformed University: South African/ African engaged’, CHE Colloquium 10 - 12 November, 2004, http:// www.download.che.ac.za/documents/ (accessed 28 July 2009).
  15. Msila, V., 2008, ‘Ubuntu and School Leadership’, Journal of Education, 44, pp. 67 - 84.
  16. Naude, P. and E. Naude, 2005, ‘We Must Recover Our own Selves…’ Cultural Justice as Ethical Issues in Higher Education’, Journal of Education, 37:59 - 77.
  17. Nekwhevha, F., 2000, ‘Education Transformation and the African Renaissance in a Globalising World’, Journal of Education, 25, pp. 19 - 48.
  18. Okeke, C. I. O., 2008, in press, ‘A Framework for Curriculum Policy for Social Cohesion in Africa’, Progressio, 30 (1&2).
  19. Papatsiba, V., 2006, ‘Making Higher Education More European through Student Mobility? Revisiting EU Initiatives in the Context of the Bologna Process’, Comparative Education, 42 (1), pp. 93 - 111.
  20. Pityana, N. B., 2006, ‘An Address of Welcome Delivered at the National Conference on the Strengthening of African Studies in Africa’, University of South Africa (UNISA), http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/2006/ (accessed 28 July 2009).
  21. Sall, H. N. & B. D. Ndjaye, 2007, ‘Higher Education in Africa: Between Perspectives Opened by the Bologna Process and the Commodification of Education’, European Education, 39(4), pp. 43 - 57.
  22. Serpell, R., 2007, ‘Bridging Between Orthodox Western Higher Educational Practices and an African Sociocultural Context’, Comparative Education, 43 (1), pp. 23 - 51.
  23. Shabani, J., 2004, ‘Regional Convention on Recognition of Studies and Degrees of Higher Education in Africa’, http://dev.aau.org/wto-gats/papers/shabani.pdf (accessed 28 July 2009).
  24. Sheppard, M. & P. Bellis, 2008, ‘The Bologna Process: Supporting the internationalization of higher education in the UK’, http://eunis.dk/papers/p37.pdf (accessed 28 July 2009).
  25. UNESCO - ADEA, 2009, ‘Strategic Orientations for Higher Education and Research in Africa’, http://www.unesco.org/education/ (accessed 28 July 2009).
  26. United Nations, 2001, ‘Sustainable Development Policy in Africa: Harmonizing Population and Economic Growth in the Process of Implementing the ICPD Programme of Action’, Second Meeting of the Committee on Sustainable Development, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 26 - 29 November, 2001. http://www.uneca.org/csd/population.pdf (accessed 28 July 2009).
  27. Waghid, Y., 2004, ‘Revisiting the African-Africana Philosophy of Education Debate: Implications for University Teaching’, Journal of Education, 34, pp. 127 - 142.
  28. Yavaprabhas, S., 2008, ‘Southeast Asian Higher Education Area’, A paper presented at the World Conference on Higher Education, 24 - 26 September, 2008, Macao SAR, PR China.
  29. Yavaprabhas, S. & S. D. Nopraenue, 2008, ‘Harmonization of Higher Education: Lessons Learned from the Bologna Process’, Bangkok: SEAMEO RIHED.
  30. Zgaga, P., 2003, ‘Reforming the Universities of Southeast Europe in View of the Bologna Process’, Higher Education in Europe, 28, pp. 251 - 258.
Read More
Author biographies is not available.
Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 415 Download : 60

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.