Transcript UNIVERSITY LEADERS’ FORUM ON THE NEXT GENERATION OF ACADEMICS

UNIVERSITY LEADERS’ FORUM ON THE NEXT
GENERATION OF ACADEMICS
UNIVERSITY LEADERS’ FORUM
ON THE NEXT
GENERATION OF ACADEMICS
GENERAL THEME- DEVELOPING
AND RETAINING THE NEXT
GENERATION OF ACADEMICS
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
• DEVELOPING THE 21ST CENTURY
SCHOLAR: WHAT IT MEANS FOR
AFRICA
BY
IVAN ADDAE-MENSAH
(FORMER VICE CHANCELLOR,
UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON)
SUNDAY 23RD NOVEMBER 2008
“A University thoroughly
conscious of, and adapted to its
environment, but simultaneously
maintaining an international
standard”.
•
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•
•
•
North Africa 33
West Africa 64
Central Africa 20
East Africa 53
Southern Africa 42
•
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•
Quality and academic standards
Funding and related issues
Institutional governance
Access and quality
Human resource
Cooperation in graduate training and
research
ICT and globalisation
Gender issues including access, quality
and relevance
•
The poorest developing countries in the
world lack many things; good sanitation
systems, effective transportation systems
and capital investment for agriculture and
industry. However, the best use of
investment funds may not be for bridges,
sewer systems and roads but for human
capital and education. (1998; O’Sullivan and
Sheffrin- Economics, Principles and Tools)[8].
• Building technological capacity in
developing countries is central to
forging long-term solutions
because technologies for
development have not, cannot and
will not be supplied through the
global marketplace alone.
• Though the past 20 years have
seen an important rise in
research excellence in some
developing countries, others
still lack adequate research and
development capacity.
• Without it, they cannot adapt freely available
global technologies to their needs-let alone
set their own research agendas for new
innovations. Inadequate national policies are
partly responsible, BUT THE LOSS OF
HIGHLY SKILLED MIGRANTS, the lack of
supporting global institutions and unfair
implementation of global trade rules create
additional barriers. (United Nations Human
development Report, 2001). [10].
• “frank analysis concludes that
a country whose universities
are allowed to decline is opting
out of the development process
at the start of the 21st century.
• It is now a truism that access to all
(persons) to basic education is
essential for a modern nation’s
economic well being. But in the new
“knowledge economy, driven by
developments in information and
communication technology such as the
internet, there is a growing recognition
of the vital role that higher education
plays in socio-economic development.
• To fulfil their role, universities need to
be committed to flexibility, quality and
enterprise. They must also have the
support of governments and
community stakeholders.
• Higher education cannot
be viewed as a luxury by
developing countries- it is
an economic necessity.
University
Gender
Doctorate
Masters
Others
Total
UG*
Total
Male
Female
405 (0)
324 (0)
81 (0)
479 (115)
338 (79)
141 (36)
109 (13)
90 (5)
19 (8)
993 (128)
752 (84)
241 (44)
KNUST
Total
Male
Female
293
264
29
416
363
53
25
24
1
734
651
83
Univ.
Doctorate
(%)
Masters
(%)
Others
(%)
Total
(%)
UG
46.82
42.08
11.10
100
56.7
3.4
100
KNUST 39.9
Te aching Staff by qualification- UG
and KNUST
60
50
40
UG
30
KNUST
20
10
0
Doct or at e ( %)
Mast er s ( %)
Ot her s ( %)
Universities of Ghana: Enrolment
percentages at various levels
Cert/Dipl First Degree Post Graduate
UG
KNUST
UCC
UEW
UDS
UMaT
TOTAL
6.02
0.41
1.62
1.79
1.62
3.32
2.71
87.68
92.31
96.04
95.37
97.85
85.04
92.44
6.31
7.28
2.34
2.82
0.53
11.63
4.85
Universities of Ghana Percentage enrolment at
various levels. 2007-2008 academic year
100
80
60
40
TOTAL
20
0
Cert/Dipl
First Degree
Post
Graduate
Universities of Ghana. percentage enrolment at different
levels
100
80
60
Cert/Dipl
40
First Degree
Post Graduate
20
0
UG
KNUST UCC
UEW
UDS
UMaT TOTAL
Universites of Ghana. Percentage enrolment at
different course levels
100
UG
80
KNUST
60
UCC
UEW
40
UDS
20
UMaT
TOTAL
0
Cert/Dipl
First Degree
Post Graduate
Universities of Ghana. Teaching Staff by Rank- 2007/2008.
Percentages. Total 2642
Prof.
60
Ass. Prof.
40
Sen. Lect.
20
Lect.
Asst. Lect.
0
TOTAL
Tutor
Universities of Ghana. Teaching Staff by rank2007/2008. Absolute numbers. Total 2642
1600
1400
1200
Prof.
1000
Ass. Prof.
Sen. Lect.
800
Lect.
600
Asst. Lect.
400
Tutor
200
0
TOTAL
Age profile of Teaching and Administrative Staff in the
Public Universities of Ghana- 2007
University
Below 30 31-40
41-50
51-60
Above 60 Total
Univ. of Ghana Total
9
229
341
304
110
993
Male
7
159
259
233
94
752
70
82
71
16
241
Female 2
Univ e rsity of Ghana-Age Profile of Se nior
Acade mic and Admin Staff-2007
350
300
250
Univ. of Ghana Total
200
Univ. of Ghana Male
150
Univ. of Ghana
Fem ale
100
50
0
Below
30
31-40
41-50
51-60
Above
60
KNUST
Below 30
31-40
41-50
51-60
Above 60
Total
Total
2
143
263
189
91
688
Male
2
118
230
172
86
608
25
33
17
5
80
Female 0
KNUST Age Profile of Academic Staff. 2007. Total
688
300
250
200
KNUST Total
150
KNUST Male
100
KNUST Female
50
0
Below 31-40 41-50 51-60 Above
30
60
UCC
Total
Male
Female
Below 30
31-40
41-50
51-60
Above 60
Total
13
99
202
146
75
535
UCC Age Profile of Academic and Admin Staff.
2007 total 535
250
200
150
UCC Total
UCC Male
100
UCC Female
50
0
Below 30
31-40
41-50
51-60
Above 60
UMaT.
Below 30 31-40
41-50
51-60
Above 60 Total
Total
3
18
20
16
2
59
Male
2
15
18
15
2
52
3
2
1
0
7
Female 1
Univ of Mines and Tech. Age profile of Academic
and Sen Admin Staff. 2007. Total 57
20
15
UMaT. Total
10
UMaT. Male
5
UMaT. Female
0
Below
30
31-40
41-50
51-60 Above
60
• “The yardstick for assessing a
journal should not be determined
by foreign parameters. That a
journal is published abroad does
not make it superior to locally
produced ones.
• What assessors should be
concerned with is the calibre of
persons behind the journal and the
academic rigour which the papers
have gone through before
publication.
• Universities without research activities
run the risk of becoming glorified
secondary schools. They are unable to
generate new knowledge for
themselves, academia and the country.
They are unable to produce the stream
of academic staff candidates necessary
to sustain the university enterprise.
• And they are unable to teach
students essential analytical
and problem-solving skills. In
the long run, governments
neglect university research
capacity at the cost of future
development possibilities.
• Capacity building in
university research is
therefore a fundamental
element for the revitalisation
of African universities
GOVERNMENT SUBVENTION
YEAR
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
AMOUNT (GH¢)
16,000.00
16,000.00
16,000.00
15,700.00
14,700.00
14,800.00
14,800.00
Not yet released
ACADEMIC FACILITY USER FEE
YEAR
UNDER
GRADUATES
GH¢
GRADUATE
STUDENTS
GH¢
FOREIGN
STUDENTS
TOTAL
AMOUNT
GH¢
1999/2000
28,656.67
4,627.38
--------------
2000/2001
36,712.58
3,416.00
1,656.00
41,787.24
2001/2002
34,080.48
3,144.33
3,168.00
40,392.81
2002/2003
49,125.66
3,364.78
---------------
52,777.45
2003/2004
59,835.52
2,395.53
8,439.00
70,670.00
2004/2005
84,534.00
---------------
--------------
89,543.00
2005/2006
140,200.00
12,700.00
2006/2007
143,033.04
18,275.91
140,000.00
301,308.95
2007/2008
121,536.45
15,781.90
111,176.67
248,495.02
2008/2009
100,000.00
ADVANCE
------------
33,284.00
162,800.00
Inventing a Better Future: A Strategy for
Building World-Wide Capacities in Science and
Technology.
• “All nations, whether
industrialised or developing,
face a broad array of
challenges that will require the
application of up-to-date
scientific knowledge and
technology.
• No nation can now afford to be
without access to a credible,
INDEPENDENT science and
technology (S&T) research
capacity that would help it to
develop informed policies and
take effective action in these
and other areas”.
• Realising the Promise and
Potential of African Agriculture:
Science and Technology Strategies
for Improving Agricultural
productivity and Food Security in
Africa.
• Without embedding science,
technology and innovation
in development, we fear that
ambitions for Africa will fail.
• Advances in Science and Technology
allow society to mobilize new sources
of energy and materials, fight disease,
improve and diversify agriculture,
mobilize and disseminate information,
transport people and goods with
greater speed and safety, limit family
size as desired, and much more.
• But these technologies are not
free. They are the fruits of
enormous social investments
in education, scientific
discovery, and targeted
technological projects.
• Every successful high income country
makes special public investments to
promote scientific and technological
capacities. Unfortunately, poor
countries have largely been spectators
or at best, users of technological
advance produced in the high-income
world that are relevant.
• Poor countries have tended to lack large
scientific and technological communities.
Their scientists and engineers, chronically
under-funded, move abroad for satisfying
employment in scientific research and
development. Private companies, moreover,
focus their innovation activities on richcountry problems and projects, since that is
where adequate financial returns exist.
• Any strategy to meet the (MD) goals
requires a special global effort to build
scientific and technological capacities
in the poorest countries, both to help
drive economic development and to
help forge solutions to developing
countries’ own scientific challenges. A
FOCUS SHOULD BE ON
STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS OF
HIGHER EDUCATION.
• A special global effort is also required
to direct research and development
towards specific challenges facing the
poor in diseases, climate, agriculture,
energy and environmental
degradation………..To address these
most pressing scientific issues, direct
public financing of research needs to
increase”.
• Progress in science is the
bedrock of technological
advance and innovation.. All
over the world, universities
are the nurseries where
science is nurtured and
practiced.
• Many future technological advances
will have to be directed towards finding
innovative solutions for improving the
quality of life, providing access to
education and information, ensuring
sustainable use of resources,
stabilizing human population,
preserving the environment, alleviating
poverty and creating employment.
• To cope with the challenges, sound
scientific structures and a critical mass
of trained manpower is essential.
Universities should be the natural
instruments through which socioeconomic transformation, driven by
science and technology, can be
launched.
• “Technology and technical expertise are
critical factors influencing the success of
small enterprises. Many entrepreneurs are
either unfamiliar with new technologies or
cannot afford to access appropriate levels
of technology.
• This problem is often magnified by poor
linkages between science and
technology institutions and industry,
lack of coordination amongst research
institutions, inadequate funds for designing
and developing marketable prototypes,
and WEAKNESSES IN THE
ADMINISTRATION OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY AT POLICY AND
IMPLEMENTATION LEVELS.
Universities
Year
Total
enrol
ments
1996/97
23,125
1997/98
Polytechnics
Sciences/
Tech
Arts/
Humanitie
s
Ratio
sci/hum.
Sciences/
Tech
Arts/
Humanitie
s
Ratio
Sci/H
um.
9,853
13,272
43:57
4,057
3,363
55:45
26,684
11,048
15,636
41:59
5,122
4,820
52:48
1998/99
31,501
12,288
19,213
39:61
6,382
6,581
49:51
1999/00
36,221
16,045
20,176
44:56
7,874
9,082
46:54
2000/01
40,673
14,809
25,864
36:64
8,161
10,298
44:56
2001/02
46,188
16,650
29,534
36:64
9,117
11,325
45:54
2002/03
53,895
18,120
35,775
34:66
9,804
13,313
42:58
2003/04
63,576
21,341
42,235
34:66
9,908
14,445
41:59
2004/05
73,408
25,596
47,812
35:65
9,946
15,037
40:60
2005/06
84,087
29,623
54,455
35:65
8,747
15,917
35:65
2006/07
88445
33,395
55,050
38:62
9,137
19,558
32:68
2007/08
90451
35,401
58,572
39:61
10,289
24,159
30:70
• The Education Ministry as
currently constituted is already
very big, with serious budgetary
constraints. Adding Science to it
has constrained resources going
into that sector, and made science
and technology an even more
deprived orphan of other
ministries.
• Science and technology permeates all
ministries, from Trade and Industry through
Roads, Railways and Harbours, Aviation and
Space Technology, Environment, Energy,
Agriculture, Health, etc. Dismembering
Science and Technology into other ministries
does not give the impression of a coherent
and focused policy direction that will act as
the necessary tool for any country’s rapid
economic development.
• I firmly believe that for African Universities to
develop the requisite manpower, not only in
science and technology, but other aspects of
development, their various governments
need to critically look at the governance
structure for science and technology, and
give science and technology the necessary
strength and direction that will enable it play
the role that is envisaged for it by their own
people and the international community.
• Science and Technology
should be given a higher profile
and more effective governance
structure than is presently the
case. Ideally, there should be a
separate Ministry for Science
and Technology with full
Cabinet status.
• However, whether Science and
Technology is given a separate Ministry
with Cabinet status or continues to be
appended to another Ministry, it is
suggested that every African President
should have a Special Scientific Advisor
on Science and Technology, independent
of the Ministry responsible for science, and
directly responsible to the President.
• Commodification of
Tertiary Education, Fake
Universities and Fake
Degrees
• Thank you for listening.