Kenya

New University Gets Go-Ahead

The opening of a new university that will offer diploma-and degree-level courses in health and education was announced in July. Named Aga Khan University, it will be based in Nairobi’s Parklands area.

The private university will become Kenya’s 10th, and will allow working nurses to study for degrees. Once fully operational, the school will offer a three-year diploma course in nursing, a four-year bachelor of science degree and a master of science degree in nursing.

— The Nation
July 16, 2002

Namibia

Higher Education Spending Up

The Namibian government’s investment in higher education has grown more than seven-fold since 1990, when the country gained its independence.

Research conducted by the Institute for Public Policy Research found that between 1990 and 2002, the budget allocation to tertiary universities grew an average 18.3 percent annually, compared to the growth in primary (11.2 percent) and secondary (4.5 percent) education budgets. The University of Namibia and the Polytechnic of Namibia account for almost half of all spending on tertiary education.

— The Namibian
July 18, 2002

Nigeria

Lagos School Links With University of Tennessee

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the University of Tennessee in the United States have agreed to collaborate in a variety of areas.

In an effort to increase international awareness and understanding, the two universities have agreed to give students, faculty members and administrators the chance to study at either institution. Participants will be able to study engineering, religion, African-American studies and the arts.

The collaborative plan was developed after a University of Tennessee delegation visited UNILAG in April 2001.

— This Day
July 17, 2002

St. Andrew’s in Oyo to Become University

Plans are under way to transform St. Andrew’s College, Oyo, into Anglican Communion University, according to the bishop of Ijebu Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Akinyele Omoyajowo.

An additional 494 acres of land is needed to make St. Andrew’s spacious enough to accommodate the university and its infrastructure, according to a news release. Diocesan sources said a bank had promised to sponsor the project, but Diocesan parishioners need to raise US$392,600 to guarantee the bank’s sponsorship.

— This Day
July 1, 2002

Uganda

Lecturers’ Pay Suspended Amid Grant Controversy

Makerere University has suspended the salaries of 72 lecturers who failed to account for US$764,167 in grant money from the Rockefeller Foundation.

The funds, given to the lecturers in 2001 and 2002, were part of a $5 million grant awarded to Makerere to improve government services and management in regions throughout Uganda. The grant agreement, which awarded more than $10,000 to each lecturer for new research, asked that they account for the money within three months of receiving it; most of them have not. University officials now believe the lecturers never carried out the projects.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
July 25, 2002

Zimbabwe

University Considers Spring Enrollment

The University of Zimbabwe may revert to its former academic calendar and enroll first-year students in March. Local officials cited the continuing loss of top students to other universities as the reason.

The university, which normally enrolls students in August, was instructed by the government to begin enrollment in March 2003, but the plan is still under consideration. If it is endorsed, accommodation woes on campus could multiply. One university lecturer said the proposed double intake would worsen already poor conditions at the institution. Plagued by a massive brain drain due to poor pay and working conditions, the school has recently engaged graduate teaching assistants and graduate research assistants to reduce the workload on the few remaining lecturers.

— The Daily News
July 19, 2002