The
research by Wittengborg University about the flow of African students to foreign
universities also provides an interesting perspective about studying in foreign
countries and the potential that is within Africa as a continent. There are two
key aspects of the report that I found most interesting. The major destination
of African students in foreign universities and the country of origin of these
foreign students. According the report, 29% of foreign students from Africa go
to universities in France, 15.1% to South Africa and 9.7% each to the United
Kingdom and the United States. The remaining percentage of the students goes as
follows: Germany (4.7 %), Malaysia
(3.9%), Canada (2.9%), Italy (2.0%),Australia (2.0%), Morocco (1.8%) and Angola (1.7%)
From this aspect of the
report, it is clear that apart from France, majority of African students prefer
South Africa over the United States, United Kingdom, and other Western
countries mentioned in the report. We need to ask the question why is this so?
In addition to other African countries, Morocco and Angola are attracting
international students from the continent. With regards to the interest in
South African Universities the Wittengborg University report stated that “South Africa - which principally caters for students from
English- speaking countries such as Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Lesotho -
is described as “less bureaucratic” than Europe or the US when it comes to
obtaining visas. It is also seen as “accessible, dynamic and stable” as well as
less expensive. Its public universities are of high quality”.
There are
important learning points from the South African experience. First is the
confidence of countries in the Southern African sub region in universities
located in South Africa. Secondly is the quality of education which is of the
same standard with the best universities elsewhere around the world. Thirdly is
that the best universities are actually public universities, and are accessible
to people from outside the region. This also goes to tell us that the one who
has monopoly on education is the one who provides the highest quality of
education.
I vividly remember a story we were told by Dr Kabir Kabo during a
visit to him in Manchester about the expensive nature of British Universities.
He told us that when Margret Thatcher was told that the reforms she was proposing
in the UK educational system will send international students away, she replied
that as long as there is quality they will come. It is interesting also, just
like South Africa, the best universities in Britain are public universities,
though with other sources of funding outside the public treasury.
With
regards to Morocco, the report suggested that “Morocco… hopes to attract more
by offering a high quality system, including properly accredited private
institutions and branches of French and other foreign universities, at lower
cost to students than in Europe. Courses are diverse, and the disciplines that
are mostly chosen by students from other African countries include medicine,
engineering and administration”, while “Angola…caters mostly for those
from its Portuguese-speaking neighbours Cape Verde and São Tomé and
Príncipe, followed by students from the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. According to the report, it serves to fill gaps
in students’ domestic higher education systems”.
If you look
at the key issues raised in this report, there is something conspicuously
missing. In the educational hubs emerging in the African continent, there is no
mention of a country from the West African region. Yet there is an elephant
within that region known as Nigeria with the highest population in Africa and
potentially higher number of educational institutions. Not even Ghana, the
emerging destination for Nigerians who lost confidence in the Nigerian
universities, but do not have the economic viability to attend universities in
Europe and North America is mentioned. A food for thought. What about the
country by country ratio of students going out of the continent for higher
education? Join me next week for an update (God-willing).
To be
continued
2:58
03.10.1434
09.09.2013
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