Regional
16 African Countries Sign Credentials-Recognition Agreement
The recognition – or lack thereof – of qualifications when a student moves from one country to another has long hampered the mobility of students, especially in developing countries. UNESCO believes there was a breakthrough for Africa last December when 16 countries signed an amended version of the ‘Arusha Convention’ on the recognition of qualifications across the continent, reports University World News.
The UN agency organized what officials declared as a “very successful” international conference of 41 states in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to adopt the revised text of the 1981 convention that for three decades has largely failed to promote intra-African academic mobility. With African students being among the most mobile in the world, a burning question is why the pace of regional harmonization is so slow? The questioned was addressed at the December meeting.
UNESCO officials told University World News that the revised convention includes the following:
- A shift in favor of applicants for recognition by entitling them to fair recognition of their qualifications within a reasonable time limit, according to transparent, coherent and reliable procedures.
- The view that recognition should be granted unless substantial differences can be shown.
- The importance of information and networking at the expert level, in particular through national information centers.
- The need to develop codes of good practice or recommendations and guidelines, in addition to a solid legal framework.
African educators say it is important to advance the implementation of an African Qualifications and Quality Assurance Council, whose establishment was announced in 2013. Also needed are the development of an African Credit Transfer and Accumulation System – like Europe’s ECTS system – and the creation of a “continental online observatory on accreditation, quality assurance and recognition of qualifications.”
In contrast to the findings of past surveys, students from Sub-Saharan Africa are shown to be staying “closer to home” in recent years. In 2012, South Africa attracted 22 percent of mobile students from Sub-Saharan Africa, and Uganda and Ghana are hosting “more students from the region than ever before.”
– University World News [1]
February 6, 2015
Kenya
Documentary Digs Into Kenya’s World of Fraudulent Academic Documents
A TV documentary that aired in February unearthed a certificate and diploma mill at one of Kenya’s leading aviation colleges. It also uncovered widespread corruption more broadly in higher education institutions, many of which engage in academic malpractices and some of which are awarding qualifications without the need for study. The story aired on leading broadcaster NTV and was later reported on in the Daily Nation. It reported on an alleged qualifications racket at Nairobi Aviation College [2]. It also painted a picture of an education system that is focused on quantity but misses the mark on quality.
The investigation, the Daily Nation reported, revealed how certificates were allegedly being sold and degrees ‘cleaned,’ linking Nairobi Aviation College to malpractice. Evidence of alleged malpractices was corroborated by interviewees, several of them insiders. Management at the college denied the claims. The show demonstrates part of the reason why a recent poll from Synovate, a consumer research firm, found that a majority of Kenyans would prefer to study abroad, where they believe universities guarantee quality learning and are considered prestigious.
The main reason for declining standards in Kenyan higher education has been soaring demand, as increasing numbers of school-leavers qualify for university study. This has not been matched by growth in capacity, leading to overcrowding and the emergence of low-quality private providers. Late last year, findings of a study by the Inter-University Council for East Africa, or IUCEA – the regulator for the East African Community region – showed that only 49 percent of graduates are fit for the job market when they leave universities.
Of hundreds of tertiary institutions operating in Kenya, the government said in February that only 11 had legally registered to offer tertiary training. The rest were operating illegally – a major admission of failure. Officials from the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority said most colleges have avoided its audits, which kicked off last October with the aim of weeding out academic malpractices in the higher education sector.
– University World News [3]
February 6, 2015
Nigeria
Universities Face Major Budget Cuts as Oil Prices Plummet
The plummeting price of crude oil is already affecting the operations of Nigerian universities. In addition, the fight against militant radicals in the north of the country, and the sudden postponement of general elections, with anticipated financial implications, has raised fears of severe cuts to higher education funding.
Recently, the Committee of Vice-chancellors of Nigerian Universities met with officials of the National Universities Commission (NUC) in Nigeria’s federal capital Abuja, mainly to discuss this year’s funding to universities. At the meeting NUC officials informed vice-chancellors that there may be drastic funding cuts on the horizon.
About 85 percent of the money that enters the coffers of the Nigerian federation comes from the sale of crude oil on the international market. Vice-chancellors have been advised to manage their budgets carefully. If academic salaries fail to be paid, industrial action – common to the sector – is likely.
In the early part of 2013, universities were shuttered for about six months due to a strike called by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to draw attention to the dire need for funding special projects in all universities. The aim of the government-approved special projects is to update crumbling campus infrastructures. There are fears in academic circles that approved funding of special projects will end up being ignored and that new strikes will ensue.
– University World News [4]
February 20, 2015