africa challenging and trusting her socially …

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ASSOCIATION OF AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES (AAU)

13thGeneral Conference

Libreville-Gabon

28-31 May 2013

AFRICA CHALLENGING AND TRUSTING HER SOCIALLY

RESPONSIVE UNIVERSITIES

By

Pai OBANYA

International Education Strategist

Ibadan-Nigeria

[email protected]

+234-8137729771

SUB-THEME 3: Connect between higher education and the productive sector1

1 The author gratefully acknowledges the highly valuable comments of Prof. Lydia Abbia-Bassey, Drs. Noel Ihebuzor and Rosemary Nwagwu, as these have contributed to enriching the original (Libreville) version of the paper

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ABSTRACT

The paper advances key ideas developed by the author over the years on the need for universities in Africa to treat their triple mandate of knowledge generation (Research), knowledge transmission (Teaching) and knowledge sharing (responsive social engagement) as integral parts of a single academic mission. This implies seeing the three elements as the tripod on which stands the mission of universities, a situation in which research feeds teaching and both feed societal engagement, while lessons from societal engagement serve to inform the processes of research and teaching, the results of which are again fed into societal engagement.

Responsive Social Engagement would require that universities reach out to the ‘world out there’ in a more comprehensive sense. This implies an outreach strategy that goes beyond working with large corporations, or the organised private sector, or powerful government agencies. The strategy should extend its tentacles to governments (at national and sub-national levels), medium and small scale socio-economic operators that are likely to become the nerve centres of employment generation in the coming years.

A very crucial complement to universities working intimately with the ‘world out there’ would be African governments challenging their own universities. Africa stands to gain in more ways than one by building a network of internal development partners capitalizing on the knowledge resources of its own institutions. The end product would be two sides of a mutually beneficial coin – in which universities would continuously enhance their social relevance and by which governments would be reaping development dividends from a viable socially-responsive partnership with universities. The arrangement stands the chance of addressing the challenge of sustainable funding in universities, while promoting cost-effectiveness in the design and execution of government projects

This paper expatiates on the concept of socially-responsive universities, a neglected area in the discourse on forging close links between universities and the productive sector in which governments and developing partners are major players. It suggests ways in which social responsiveness can be articulated and put into practice both as overall government policy and as vision, mission and strategic goals at the institutional level. Social responsivenessis viewed from two angles (two sides of a mutually beneficial coin). One angle involves a strong commitment by universities to the actualisation of the mission and vision of social responsiveness. The other angle involves African governments optimally exploiting the resources of their universities and trusting them fully with the conceptualisation and the implementation of development initiatives. Examples abound of development initiatives (often designed and executed in partnership with foreign partners) crying for full involvement of national universities. Interestingly, promoting socially responsivepartnerships between universities and governments has the potential of enhancing sustainable funding of universities, as highlighted in the tail end of the paper.

FROM TRIPLE TO TRIPARTITE MISSION FOR UNIVERSITIES

The conventional paradigm on the mission of higher education has always listed Teaching, Research and Public Service. This listing implies that the three aspects of the mission are simply complementary. It is an approach that is considered three pronged , one in which the

three aspects can co-exist, but often do not coalesce and can in fact (as is often the case) be kept apart, as illustrated in figure one below.

Fig. 1: The Prevailing Paradigm of the Mission of Higher Edu

The paradigm shift advocated in this presentation sees the three aspects as elements that fuse together to constitute an indissoluble stream (Figure Two). These elements employ a common tool that is also theirand their core function: KNOWLEDGE. The new paradigm therefore emphasises the triple nature of the mission of higher education as

� Knowledge generation (Research)� Knowledge transmission (Teaching)� Knowledge sharing (Social

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

exist, but often do not coalesce and can in fact (as is often the case) be kept apart, as illustrated in figure one below.

Fig. 1: The Prevailing Paradigm of the Mission of Higher Education

The paradigm shift advocated in this presentation sees the three aspects as elements that fuse together to constitute an indissoluble stream (Figure Two). These elements employ a

their common raison d’être, their modus operandicore function: KNOWLEDGE. The new paradigm therefore emphasises the triple

nature of the mission of higher education as

Knowledge generation (Research) Knowledge transmission (Teaching) Knowledge sharing (Social Engagement)

Research

Public Service

Teaching

KNOWLEDGE GENERATION

KNOWLEDGE SHARING

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

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exist, but often do not coalesce and can in fact (as is often the case) be

The paradigm shift advocated in this presentation sees the three aspects as elements that fuse together to constitute an indissoluble stream (Figure Two). These elements employ a

modus operandi, their core value core function: KNOWLEDGE. The new paradigm therefore emphasises the triple

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Fig. 2: The Triple Mission Paradigm of the Role of Higher Education

The other important feature of the triple mission paradigm (in addition to its being all about Knowledge) is that it is inspired by a commitment to responsiveness to the needs and aspirations of wider society. For this reason, the elements can be reformulated as in figure three:the pursuit ofKnowledge in the service of Society

Fig. 3: Pursuit of Knowledge in the service of Society

In Summary, the prevailing paradigm refers to society (public service) only in its third element, often treating it as being at the tail end of the mission of higher education. The new paradigm, on the other hand, sees society as both the determiner and the determinant of the knowledge management tasks of higher education. The new paradigm has neither head nor tail. Higher education simply has to fuse the three elements in its stream of knowledge-related tasks in its bid to be responsive to the needs and aspirations of society.The expression ‘aspirations of society’ should be seen from a holistic perspective that includes considerations of what society is, how it has come to be, the factors that give it some distinct features and characteristics, the way it mobilises its citizenry to respond to the dynamics of contant change, its future development thrusts, and so on.

PRACTICAL POSSIBILITIES OF SOCIAL RESPONSIVENESS

The starting point here is that KNOWLEDGE is the most valuable resource for addressing all the challenges of a nation’s development. Knowledge management is the major function of higher institutions. These institutions would have to strive to engage in societally useful knowledge. A viable strategy here isto make the various dmensions of a nation’s aspirations the focus of the knwoledge generation, transmission and transfer of all higher institutions. This can be done in three main ways:

1. Institutional research agendas anchored on societal needs, radiating to all units within an institution, and with emphasis on participatory action research

2. Curricula anchored on society’s development challenges, regularly fed by research findings and characterrised by particpatory hands-on/minds-on experiential learning

KNOWLEDGE

GENERATION

TRANSMISSION

SHARING

IN THE SERVICE OF SOCIETY

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3. Out-reach activities involving the application of research results to addressing development challenges, in which teachers and students learn from society in the same way as society learns from them – a system that feeds the lessons frrom outreach experience into formal cuuricula; a situation in which the social laboratorybecomes a valuable tool for the enrichment of teaching and learning.

Institutional Research Agendas

An institutional research agenda takes the form of selected research themes derived from major areas of societal concern, usually challenges facing a society’s development or transformation undertakings. The central theme will then inform the development of research agendas at faculty and departmental levels and even down to the individual and small group levels, thus forming an institutional reseach agendachain, as illustrated in figure four.

Fig. 4: An Institutional Agenda Research Chain

Table one is a practical illustration of how the overall institutional agenda can be used to derive research themes for different faculties. The process (as already stated) can in fact continue to the departmental level and even to the level of student projects. Such a research arrangement has the advantage of being:

INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH THEME (S)

•closely linking knowledge generation to national development concerns

•encouraging PPC partnerships

FACULTY

RELATED SUB TEMES

•derived from and closely linked to overall University Theme

•Encouraging inter-faculty collaboration)

DEPARTMENTAL LEVEL SUB THEMES

fully integrated into Faculty Sub-theme

•encouraging inter-departmental collaboration

GROUP/INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH

(including student research)

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a. Developmental: contributing to development of the researcher, by expanding

knowledge, by developing products and ideas and tools that can help to advance

society

b. Cumulative: adding on and on to ideas, knowledge, procedures, etc. and therefore

progressively building a knowledge base for exploitation in various directions of

human endeavour

c. Problem-Issues-Resolving-oriented: providing analytical tools for elucidating social,

scientific and social issues of concern to society

d. Contributing to capacity building: for individual researchers and their institutions

e. Contributing to enriching the teaching and service functions of a university

f. Narrowing down subject boundaries: drawing from the methodology resources of a

variety of disciplines

Table 1: Deriving Faculty Research Themes from Overall Institutional Agenda

INSTITUTIONAL AGENDA FACULTY RESEARCH THEMES Building a Strong National Economy

EDUCATION • Quality Education NATURAL SCIENCES • Natural, mineral and

petroleum resources SOCIAL SCIENCES • Youth and Women

Empowerment AGRIC. SCIENCES • Agricultural modernisation ENGINEERING/ TECHNOLOGY

• Technological Innovation and adoption

HEALTH SCIENCES • Community Health and health Education

LAW • Law, Economy and Society MANAGEMENT STUDIES • Economic Management

Capacity Building

The major issue here goes beyond useful research to that of useable research. To ensure greater useability of research, universities will need to engage more in Participatory Action Research. This is one in which an end user of the results of research is involved during all the phases of a research process. Most importantly, the end user has to contribute to determining the focus of the research and must see the research as a process of elucidating real challenges and seeking evidence-based solutions to problems.

Table Two: University Participatory-Action Research Possibilities with the Manufacturing Sector

RESPONSIBLE UNIVERSITY FACULTY

INDUSTRY-SIDE PARTNERS FOCUS AREAS FOR Research and Development

• Management • Governing Board • Human Resources • Finance • Marketing

• Investment Planning • Organisational development • Customer services • Consumer surveys

• Social and Human Sciences

• Human Resources development

• Corporate Affairs

• Staff re-skilling • Industry-community relations

• Technology • Maintenance • Production • Equipment development

• Machine and machine tools development

• Assessment/review of

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• ICT production technology • ICT systems development

• Education • Human Resources • Psychological counselling of staff

• Industrial trainer education • Medical Sciences • Human resources • Staff preventive, curative and

rehabilitative medical surveys and care

• Natural sciences • Production/Quality control

• Material and productive testing

• Environmental impact research

Table twoillustrates how such a participatory process functions in two main directions—inter-institutional and intra-institutional. Various units of a university are involed, each with specific functional areas within industry (in this case with the manufcturing sector).

These days, what enterprises need to remain competitive and to break new grounds in business is KNOWLEDGE. The type of partnership outlined in the above table is capable of creating the business-place knowledge rich environment that enterpises can capitlise on. At the same time, the university would have an enhanced opportunity for generating, transferring and transmitting knowledge that is both useful and useable.

Partnership for useful and useable knowledge does not stop with the organised private sector.Medium and small-scale businesses with more demographic presence but with weaker resource power (see figure five) do require capacity enhancement in various forms – technical, scientific, commercial. Institutions of higher education would benefit from research and development arrangements at the medium and small scale levels of socio-economic enterprise.

Fig. 5: Relative demographic and Financial Weight of Three Major types of businesses

Capacity enhancement programmes that empower medium and small scale economic operators to articulate their development challenges and to join higher institutions in

0 20 40 60 80

corporations

medium scale enterprises

small scale enterprises

financial weight

demographic weight

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participatory action research that provide them with tools for addressing such challenges would have the advantages of

• Increasing the knowledge base of small scale business (their capacity to seek aand use knowledge)

• Raising the level of scientific and technical sophistication of the operators, their processes and their products

• Creating wealth and job opportunities.

Curricula Anchored on Societal Concerns

Textbook definitions of Curriculum have tended to emphasise educational content, syllabuses and programmes. Experience in the field has however taught us that the major concern of curriculum is that of engineering the positive, lasting transformation that the education process should make on the learner.

A lasting impact of education on the learner goes beyond conventional learning outcomes, in terms of subject matter mastery; it touches on the strenght of life-coping and learning-to-learn skills that should become an integral part of the learner’s transformed behaviour. This is why the definition of curriculum has become similar to some early definition of Education as that which remains in us long after we have left school. In more precise terms, Curriculum is to be seen as school-generated experience that ensures a permanent positive transformation in us and turns us into lifelong learners, facing the challenges of existence headlong, as they arise, in a dynamic world environment context.

What brings this closer to the kernel of this discussion is the point that the curricula of higher education should not be a one-chapter door that closes permanently at the end of terminal examinations. In other words, we are looking forward to a condition in which terminal examinations would cease to be equated with terminal learning.In more practical terms, higher institutions will teach both useful and useable curricula, much in the same way as they should be devoted to useful and useable research.

For this to happen, curriculum development in universities in whatever discipline must have the input of ‘the world out there’. Involving the world out there would take a variety of forms – use of data from the participatory action research undertaken in partnership with the end users of the results of research, involving various interest groups in determining the ccontent and the orientation of higher education curricula, etc.This is already common practice with high profile professional courses like Medicine, Law, Engineering and Architecture.

Out-reach activities fed by research results and addressing societal concerns

This has to do with the third dimension of the responsive social engagement mission of higher education – feeding research results directly into practical activities that address a society’s development issues. It is a function that is often facilitated by the first two

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dimensions. When research is geared towards working with society to elucidate development challenges and to develop tools for addressing such challenges (and when curriculum and teaching draw from societial resources) giving back to society becomes easier. This is because, at each phase, education institution-society partnership becomes further strenghtened.

Again, virtually all disciplines under the sun can engage with society in terms of rendering development-oriented service. Examples and possibilities are in fact legion, and the following are simply illustrative.

1. Law faculties offering legal aid services to the poor. 2. Education faculties adopting schools and engaging the teachers on whole school

development programmes 3. Medical faculties helping to run primary health care services 4. Business schools engaging with small scale economic operators to enhance their

business skills 5. Engineering faculties engaging in skills improvement programmes with road side

artisans 6. Units on environmental studies engaging in road traffic management,

erosion/desertification control, waste management, etc with local and national authorities.

What is being advocated is NOT the type of casual, one-short and uncoordinated IT (Industrial Training) that is fast proliferating in African institutions. For programmes to qualify as responsive social engagement, they would have to meet the following criteria:

1. Be systematically built into the research and teaching functions of the higher institutions concerned

2. Involve both teachers and students working in active collaboration with project beneficiaries ‘out there’

3. Make a difference through the injection of new ideas and techniques (the fruits of research)

4. Be part of the formal curricula of higher institutions, and not simply side practice 5. Function like a two-way knowledge traffic mechanism, in which the higher institution

teaches as it also learns.

Life is always the best teacher and we all tend to keep the lessons of life long with us. In addition, success in life depends on appropriate combinations and applications of both cognitive, and emotional and social intelligence. Learning in the social laboratory that the ‘world out there’ provides, increases the chances of the learner striking a meaningful level of combination of the three ‘intelligences’.

THE EXAMPLE OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT UNIVERSITIES

Radical moves are being made in different parts of the world to ‘open up the university’s ivory tower’ and there is now so much talk of ‘socially focused and civic engagement universities’, ‘developmental universities’, characterized as

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Those whose mission is to generate knowledge that supports problem-solving 'in, with and for' the social context in which the university finds itself and that contributes to human and sustainable development. This model includes knowledge production aimed at building environmental sustainability and improving the quality of human life, either through research performed according to mainstream scientific standards or through research that incorporates everyday knowledge and dialogue with extra-academic actors2

A recent survey of institutions experimenting on civic engagement reported that

Most of the universities profiled see their efforts as way of addressing urgent community and societal needs, such as combating poverty, improving public health and improving basic education. Many believe that students stand to benefit by participating in community work by developing values and leadership skills.3

There is also the example of the Taillores Network in Europe of universities that started in 2005 with 29 universities but the membership had grown to 220 by mid-2011. The Network is made up of institutions that

Share the belief that we should change the academic paradigm from the image of an ivory tower to an open space for learning and development. Policy alone is not enough to achieve this. We need decisive leadership, an alignment of all university processes and active student involvement, to critically embed the culture of an engaged university."4

There are also the following interesting examples of ‘law schools going practical’.Looking to attract employers' attention, some law schools in the United States are throwing out decades of tradition by replacing textbook courses with classes that teach more practical skills

� Indiana University Maurer School of Law started teaching project management this year and also offers a course on 'emotional intelligence'.

� New York Law School hired 15 new faculty members over the past two years, many directly from the ranks of working lawyers, to teach skills in negotiation, counseling and fact investigation

� And Washington and Lee University School of Law rebuilt its third-year curriculum in 2009, swapping out lectures and Socratic-style seminars for case-based simulations run by practicing lawyers.

2Maria Cristina Parra, Julia Bazo de Carmona and Alicia Inciarte Evaluating Socially-Focused Universities, University World News, no 182 of 01 August 3011 33 Rebecca Warden: Charting the Growth of Civic Engagement, University World News, no. 176 of 19 June 2011 4 Ard Jongsma: Opening Ivory Towers Doors: University World News no 176 of 19 June 2011

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The moves (we are told) come amid a prolonged downturn in the legal job market. ‘Only about one-quarter of 2010 graduating law-school classes - down from 33% in 2009 - snagged positions with big law firms, according to the National Association for Law Placement’ (see footnote 2 below)

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN: GOVERNMENT CHALLENGING ITSSOCIALLY RESPONSIVE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

Governments all over Africa tend to shy away from harnessing the knowledge resources of their tertiary institutions. Yet, the same governments are always in league with external development partners that flood the continent with external consultants, who not only cost a fortune but also do not engage in any sustainable form of knowledge transfer and national level capacity building.

Africa stands to gain in more ways than one by building a network of internal development partners capitalizing on the knowledge resources of its own institutions. First, the costs would be less prohibitive. Second, government would be using persons who are familiar with local realities. Third, we would be strengthening the responsive capacity of national institutions. Fourth, knowledge acquired in the course of involvement in national project endeavours would stay with us and not simply be ‘exported’.

Africa Littered With Development Projects

Table three below lists on-going, donor-assisted development projects in twenty African countries. All of these are related to areas of specialisations and disciplines taught in the continent’s universities.One is not even sure that universities in the benefiting countries of these projects are even aware of their existence.

Table 3: On-Going Development Projects in Selected African Countries

S/N COUNTRY PROJECT COOPERATING AGENCY

RELATED UNIVERSITY EXPERTISE AREAS

1. Angola The Artisanal Fisheries Development Project

African Development Bank

• Social sciences/management

• Fisheries/marine sciences

• Technology/Food Processing

2. Burkina Faso Community-based Rural Development Project

IFAD

• Social sciences

• Agricultural sciences

3. Cameroun Chad-Cameroun Oil and Pipeline Project

The World Bank • Engineering (all branches)

• Natural sciences

4. Congo (Brazzaville)

Brazzaville and Pointe Noire Sanitation Project


• Social Sciences


• Health sciences

5. Ethiopia Livestock Market Development Project

USAID • Marketing/Business/Social Sciences

• Agricultural sciences (animal production and management)

6. Gabon VAALCO Gabon • Natural Sciences

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Oilfield Development Project

IFC • Engineering/Technology

• Management sciences

7. Ghana Energy Development and Access Project

The World Bank • Natural sciences

• Engineering/Technology

• Social Sciences/Management

8. Kenya HEST-Support to Higher Education Science and Technology to enhance quality


• Science

• Technology

• Education

9 Madagascar Sustainable Health System Development Project

The World Bank • Social Sciences

• Education

• Health Sciences

10. Malawi District Water Supply Project


• Natural Sciences

• Social sciences

• Engineering/technology

11. Mauritius Small-scale Agricultural Development Project

IFAD

• Social sciences



12. Morocco Drinking water and sanitation project


• Engineering

• Hydrology

• Engineering

13. Mozambique Millennium Village Project

UNDP • Social Sciences

• Management

14. Namibia Northern Regions Livestock Development Project

IFAD

• Agricultural/animal sciences

• Social sciences

15. Senegal Rural Development Projects in Casamance


• Social sciences

• Non-formal education

16. Sudan Sinkat Community Development and Port

NORAD • Social sciences


• Engineering/technology

17. Tanzania Tanzania Agricultural Sector Development Project

The World Bank • Agricultural sciences


• Social sciences

18. Tunisia Tunisia Integrated Agricultural and Rural Development Project

IFAD • Social sciences



19. Uganda Municipal Infrastructure Development Project

The World Bank • Social sciences


• Engineering sciences

20. Zambia Early Childhood Development Project

Centre for Early Childhood Development, Harvard University

• Social sciences

• Education

Projects such as those listed can provide opportunities for socially-responsive partnerships between African governments and their universities. Most of the projects are likely to employ cross-disciplinary knowledge, thus enabling inter-faculty collaborative work in universities. There are all projects concerned with the real people; they are being executed on the real

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ground; they are thus capable of enhancing collaboration between universities and the social laboratory (or the ‘world out there’).

The projects are usually preceded by studies (scientific, social, feasibility, etc.). They are then designed following certain technical, financial and sustainability principles. This is followed by an execution phase, with several components, with built in formative and summative evaluation mechanisms. Why can’t African governments insist that the capacities (actual and potential) within its national institutions be ploughed into these processes? Why can’t the partner agencies institutionalise a process of systematically partnering with national universities?

One stock answer to questions such as these is that the capacity does not exist at the national level. Experience however teaches us that PRACTICAL EXPOSURE TO LEARNING EXPERIENCES is the surest way to build personal and institutional capacity. Involvement by our universities in such development projects would contribute to enhancing their social responsiveness. It would be an opportunity to generate useful and useable knowledge, to transmit knowledge generated through research into socially responsive issues, and to share knowledge with wider society drawing from lessons from involvement in development projects.

A Concrete Possibility of Government Trusting Its Own Higher Institutions-The Lagos Mega City Project (NIGERIA)

This is generally seen wrongly as an infrastructure project, but a careful study of box one below shows that it is a lot more than that. As an all-embracing development initiative the Lagos Mega City project, when examined in depth, shows notable implications for the following

1. Environmental Sustainability 2. Population and Human Settlement 3. Political , Governance and Social Issues 4. Economics and Business 5. Public Health 6. Education 7. Infrastructure

All these are areas in which tertiary institutions in the State of Lagos have either proven competence or at least potentials. They can easily form the bedrock for a research and development agenda of the PAF-type between the institutions and government.

The following could be the specific roles of the institutions in all the above seven

components of the project

1. Project Monitoring 2. Project design

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3. Project Execution 4. Advisory Services 5. Documenting the Experience

THE SUSTAINABLE FUNDING CHALLENGE

Externally funded development projects in Africa have usually taken the form of a small animal with a loud roar. Most governments spend a lot more on development initiatives than all multilateral and bilateral agencies put together. Most of such national initiatives can benefit from the expertise of national universities and these cover all areas of government activities – political reforms, economic/financial reforms, defence/internal security, agriculture/environment, mineral resources and their exploration, education and human resources development, industry and trade, external relation, women and youth empowerment, health for all, affordable housing, etc.

All these sectors require the generation and application of knowledge, which is the domain of competence of universities. For this reason, universities should be institutionally involved in every aspects of planning and execution of development initiatives in these and other relevant spheres. This would not only enhance their social relevant but would also increase their

Box 1: THE LAGOS MEGA CITY PROJECT

While inviting investors from all over the world to come and participate in the new Lagos mega city

project, the governor said there are vast opportunities to be exploited across the state. He identified

areas such as transportation, roads, waste management, and provision of water, power, tourism,

property development and establishment of bus assembly plants as attractive sectors for prospective

development. Specifically, Fashola said the development being funded by his government around the

bar beach area would not only contain the perennial ocean surge, but also create a large expanse of

land. The land, he disclosed, can be turned into tourist centres by investors similar to what is available

in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking on the plans by his administration to make the environment conducive for investors and residents in the city, he said government would invest heavily to ensure the place is secure. He unfolded plans to construct a light rail road system for the city and that by next year three of the seven water routes in the state would have been fully developed to facilitate marine transportation.

Fashola revealed that government had signed several contracts for the construction of roads, particularly in the western and central senatorial districts. He said his government has agreed with the Federal Government on the total overhaul of the Lagos-Badagry expressway which will replace the present road with an eight-lane expressway that will link Nigeria to the Republic of Benin.

The governor revealed that the Badagry expressway project when competed would create a trans-west African regional route since the governments of Republic of Benin, Togo and Ghana are expected to extend the road across their various borders.

He said 10,000 flats would be constructed in the Lekki Peninsula. The proposed ring road will link all the 28 activity centres in the state, he revealed, adding that a rail transportation from Ojo to Mile 2 has already been commissioned while there would be a water-way and the new Eco Atlantic City to be constructed on the water front, in addition to a fourth mainland bridge..

Source: ThisDay - Fashola: How We Plan to Rebuild Lagos.(www.africanloft.com)

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capacity to engage in useful and useable research, the fruits of which can be directly fed into their knowledge transmission and sharing functions.

We are advocating that it becomes government policy in Africa to challenge universities with the conduct of government development initiatives in a systematic manner. Such a policy would not side line government ministries and specialised agencies. Neither should it rule out specialised private sector contractors to government. It would instead synergise the intellectual and technical resources of all actors. For the universities, it would lead to an opening up to the ‘world out there’, increased opportunities for generating knowledge that is easily ploughable into human development activities and practical experience that should enliven their teaching (knowledge transmission) functions.

SOCIAL RESPONSIVENESS CONTRIBUTING TO RESOLVING THE FUNDING CHALLENGE IN UNIVERSITIES

Funding has beena major challenge area of African universities. It is perhaps the most loudly proclaimed and widely debated area of concern in serious dialogues on higher education on the continent. Government has been the major proprietor and financier of African universities and table four below highlights the observed funding patterns with suggestions and how universities can meaningfully respond to the challenges posed by each of them.

In most cases, universities have experienced a combination, in different degrees, of inadequate, inappropriate and zigzag funding patterns. Universities have also, in most cases, explored various possibilities of IGR (Internally Generated Revenue). There have however been serious challenges with IGR--- weak linkages with the socio-economic sector, low level of private sector development, poor level of interest by the private sector in long-term, ‘invisible’ investments like research and education, and insufficient strategic focus and inadequate marketing of research/researchable products by universities.

Table 4: Observed Funding Patterns in Government-Owned Universities

FUNDING PATTERN MAJOR

CHARACTERISTICS

ROOT CAUSES INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL

RESPONSE OPTIONS

Inadequate funding Provisions well below

requirements

• Unscientific

budgeting/resourc

e allocation

practices

• Un-planned

expansion

• corruption

• Advocacy

addressing root

causes

• Strict internal

economy

• Fitting the size to

the cloth

• Intensified IGR

initiatives

Inappropriate funding Non-targeted funding

that neglects the

essentials

• Non-consultative

budgeting

practices

• corruption

• Advocacy

• Strict internal

adjustments and

prioritising

• More Targeted IGR

initiatives

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Zigzag funding Fluctuating provisions

from funding source

• Whims and

caprices

approaches to

government

budgeting

• corruption

• Strict adjustments

and tight resource

management

• Investments to

cushion off hard

hit periods

• Improved IGR

initiatives

Sustainable funding Adequate

Appropriate

Timely

Targeted

• Scientific

/consultative

budgeting

practices

• Planned

development of

higher education

• Political

will/commitment

• Enhanced

accountability

• Enhanced IGR

initiatives

The ideal is sustainable funding and this is a goal yet to be attained. A World Bank sponsored forum on the subject in 2009 suggested the following 10-point steps in attaining the ideal in the Nigerian context.

1. Addressing Fundamental Issues There is the need for the nation to address, in the overall context of VISION 20-20-20, the fundamental issues of strategic planning of the education sector (including planned development of higher education), more efficient budgeting and financial allocation policies and practices, problems related to prompt release of funds, targeted funding to areas of great need, effective monitoring of expenditure, elimination of corruption, etc.

2. Internal reforms in governance and efficiency Higher educational institution are urged to take steps to improve internal governance and efficiency – including in particular the institutionalization of transparency in the management of financial and other inputs into quality higher education. This will be within the wider context of building resource and fund management policies into each institution’s strategic development plan.

3. Improved data base There is a deplorable lack of data (on staff, students, finance/funding, needs of institutions in different areas) to inform policy decisions and to provide material for advocacy and dialogue with stakeholders. Higher institutions are hereby urged to develop their internal capacity for rectifying the situation.

4. Focus on development-oriented research, teaching, community engagement and service delivery In a determined effort to enhance the level of societal relevance of our respective institutions, we undertake to give a development-oriented focus to all our

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activities in the areas of research, teaching and our work with the wider Nigerian society. This implies directly relating research to areas of national needs and ploughing the results directly into the intellectual and practical skills imparted to students as well as into practical activities aimed at improving the quality of life in society

5. Explore new opportunities and enhance existing entrepreneurial initiatives (including university advancement centres) Some promising initiatives are already on in a number of Nigerian higher institutions. We pledge to intensify the exchange of expertise and experience in this area, with a view to spreading the entrepreneurial culture in our institutions as rapidly as possible.

6. Improved marketing of the products and services that higher education institutions can and do offer Nigerian institutions are not lacking in products of research and innovative ideas that can be used to enhance the competitiveness of private sector enterprises. There is however the challenge of communicating these to appropriate end-users. We undertake to develop the capacity for research communication, as a means of enhancing the use of Nigerian generated products in business and industry – a sure way of promoting meaningful linkages with the real sectors of the national economy

7. Enhanced Alumni relations and financial/technical support The Alumni of higher institutions constitute an important aspect of their asset base, and Alumni associations are already making notable contributions to fund-raising and other forms of resource mobilization for higher institutions. We undertake to (a) create a sense of belonging among our students, and a sense of pride in them of their institutions, to enable them to establishing strong and lasting ties with their alma mater, (b) strengthen data collection on and contact with and services to our alumni

8. Continuing dialogue and advocacy with government on funding policy reforms The need for government to increase its funding of its own higher institutions cannot be disputed. We pledge to intensify dialogues with government on this issue. Such dialogue will be supported by hard evidence which we shall build up on the genuine needs of the higher education sector

9. Continuing dialogue and advocacy with the private sector on partnership possibilities with tertiary institutions There is a need to deepen and broaden the scope of private sector contribution of resources (include funds, materials and ideas) to the development of government-owned higher institutions. We undertake to intensify advocacy and dialogue in the regard, backed by the responsive products and services that will result from our

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development-oriented focus and hard evidence on our potentials to respond to the needs of the real sector.

10. Continuing dialogue and advocacy with government on the wider issues of budgeting, allocation, and strategically planned expansion of higher education We shall position the higher education community to become better informed on budgeting and funding practices in the overall national system; to get involved in on-going reforms in the Education sector; to defend the interests of higher education in such bodies – all this on a sustained and continuous basis.5

We are even suggesting that we ought to take a step beyond sustainable funding of, to sustainable investment in higher education. Socially-responsive partnerships between universities and governments would be one sure way of laying a solid foundation for this sustainable investment. Universities by devoting their knowledge management mission to the service of Society would be tapping into yet unsung resource basis for the pursuit of their continuous development. These resources include

1. Indigenous and tacit knowledge of the ‘world out there’ 2. The human and material and financial resources of the private sector 3. Possible ‘joint venture’ contribution from development partners working on

government projects 4. Possible extra ‘in kind’ funding by governments whose much taunted

‘partnership’ (beneficiary) contributions to projects can be channelled to socially responsive institutions.

5. Additional resources for the acquisition of teaching-research facilities that would have initially served the needs of responsive partnership activities

6. Long-term benefits of academic staff development through involvement in development projects that directly impact on teaching and research

CONCLUSIONS: TWO SIDES OF A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL COIN

This discussion began by advocating a win-win situation in which the gainers are universities in Africa and their main proprietors and financiers – governments. As illustrated in figure six, responsive social partnership enables both hands to scrub each other so that both remain permanently clean.

Connecting with the world out there (governments, all categories of the private sector, civil society, etc.) is not simply a question of seeking funding from outside bodies. It goes beyond inviting representatives of external bodies to serve in advisory capacities on university committees. It has more to do with universities enhancing the social relevance of their knowledge generation, knowledge transmission and knowledge sharing functions by making the needs of society the centre piece of it all.

5 Extract from the final communiqué of the Forum, drafted by this writer

Fig. 6: Social Responsiveness as two sides of a mutually

Governments would be a prime beneficiary of socially responsive partnerships with universities. The time has come to stop wondering what the universities are there for and what purpose they are serving. The future lies in tasking them with full, systematic involvement (as institutions) in the conceptualisation of national development initiatives. This includes bringing them in as technical/intellectual partners in externally support projects, to ensure that such projects contributto reducing aids-dependency on the continent.

UNIVERSITIES INTERNALISING/ARTICULATING/PURSUING SOCIAL RESPONSIVENESS

Fig. 6: Social Responsiveness as two sides of a mutually-beneficial coin

would be a prime beneficiary of socially responsive partnerships with universities. The time has come to stop wondering what the universities are there for and what purpose they are serving. The future lies in tasking them with full, systematic

(as institutions) in the conceptualisation of national development initiatives. This includes bringing them in as technical/intellectual partners in externally support projects, to ensure that such projects contribute to building the national capacity tha

dependency on the continent.

UNIVERSITIES INTERNALISING/ARTICULATING/PURSUING SOCIAL RESPONSIVENESS

GOVERNMENTS CHALLENGING AND TRUSTING THEIR SOCIALLY RESPONSIVE UNIVERSITIES

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would be a prime beneficiary of socially responsive partnerships with universities. The time has come to stop wondering what the universities are there for and what purpose they are serving. The future lies in tasking them with full, systematic

(as institutions) in the conceptualisation of national development initiatives. This includes bringing them in as technical/intellectual partners in externally support projects,

e to building the national capacity that should contribute

africa challenging and trusting her socially …

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