A Study On World Class Universities For Africa: Implications,Challenges And A Way Forward

Africa needs world-class universities as the university is the primary instrument for Africa,s development The African higher education has continuously been marred by various challenges that have hindered its potential in ensuring stable and quality higher education.Africa has the least number of recognized top universities with less than 5%representation in the league tables an average from the three rankings,Times Higher Education(THE),Academic Ranking of World Universities(ARWU)and Quacquarelli Symonds(QS).These three league tables will be referred to in this research mainly because they are most highly recognized and reputable league tables used as indicators of WCUs in the globe currently.Africa produces scanty research and has the least investment on higher education as a percentage of its GDP as compared to the rest of the world.This representation vividly depicts the struggle in establishing WCUs in Africa.This study sets out to reveal the implications of establishing World-Class Universities in the African continent,the challenges that hinder the World Class University process and offers potential navigable pathways that Afirican countries can adapt to ensure successful establishment of WCUs in Africa.This study adopted a qualitative research design that aimed or developed to look beyond 6 how,how often and how many' questions and further focuses at the 'why' and attempts to further and deepen our understanding of the social world,the 'how,why and what' questions.The four implications(internationalization,research,technological advancement and institutional autonomy)have been chosen on the grounding of the conceptual framework as the major characteristics or implications of building WCUs.Current globally recognized WCUs in the world can be identified majorly through the four characteristics.The four characteristics/standards are relevant in evaluating African institutions of higher education because African higher education suffers wholly in these four areas.With this regard therefore,this research has answered the 'WHY' it is necessary for African countries to create WCUs in that the WCU in Africa will advance the development of African expertise;strengthen research and internationalization of African higher education while ensuring meliorate solutions to African challenges.The research shows the 'HOW' component by providing the four implications:Internationalization,intensive research,institutional autonomy and teehnological advaneed with limitless resources.Afriean higher education institutions establishing WCUs should consider these implications thereof.The question of'HOW MANY' WCUs the African region should establish can be viewed from the angle of the challenges the African universities go through in their establishment of the same.As the WCU creation venture is a complex and expensive venture,the African region should endeavor choose a sample of universities into which full resources in terms of funding and limitless resources would be provided to ensure they become world-class institutions.The research adopted a case study method design where various cases of universities in the three countries:South Africa,Egypt and Kenya were analyzed.This study employed documentary review analysis method that ensured the review of various documents with regard to higher education in the three countries.The research has proved explicitly that:·Internationalization initiatives are quite low;the three countries assessed proved to be participating wholly in improving their international outlook.South Africa continues to top regarding its share of international students as compared to other countries in Africa.The league tables indicate that South Africa and Egypt are setting pace they record high scores in the international outlook indicators.This is an evident indication of African institutions paying close attention to enhancing their internationalization processes that are key to ensuring WCUs.Kenya,on the other hand,seems to be lagging behind in improving its international outlook as it records a paltry only 1%of international students an indication of its internationalization initiatives encountering various challenges.·Africa's research capacity still lags behind the rest of the world.This said it is quite clear that there has been an increase in journal articles published from Africa in the recent decade.South Africa and Egypt indicate extensive investment in improving their research as they record the highest numbers of active researchers in research and development.The African region has seen the research arena dominated by men researchers;this research indicates that the situation is changing as the percentage of women involved in active R&D has been on the increase over the years.·Investments in research regarding GERD may be quite low,but South Africa and Egypt indicate high investments an indication of the importance of research in ensuring successful WCUs.Technological advancement is an essential aspect of ensuring the establishment of WCUs.This is because technological advancement increases the efficiency of WCUs which lead to more significant public benefits.This research also indicates that higher education institutions and universities are essential sources of information in the advancement of technology and innovation.Various factors,however,hamper usefiul technological advancement and innovation in the three countries and the most prominent is the lack of funds and the high costs of innovation that hinder progress innovation.·This research also addresses various challenges that face the establishment of WCUs in Africa such as:Emergence of stratification,brain drain,cultural erosion,budget crisis,quality issues,governance,security and limited resources.·The research also recommends several navigable pathways that could ensure successful establishment of WCUs.These include:Equal distribution of WCU resources,better remuneration and security for Academic professionals,eultural heritage protection,sufficient funding and infrastructure resources,adoption of excellence strategies,better governance structures,enhancement of security,availing limitless resources and sufficient accountability and intensifying intermationalization processes.This research has therefore identified several existing gaps between current recognized WCUs and the African university in the three countries under case study.The existing gap hindering African higher education institutions from being fully internationalized and eventually being world-class can be identified by the high numbers of outbound mobile students who prefer to study abroad an indication of the existing crisis that is facing African higher education.The existing gap that exists between current WCUs and the African University is the challenges that African higher education struggles with the stripling research work that takes place.Research in Africa is still at an all-time low as it experiences various challenges from funding to competent staff and up to date infrastructure.The existing gap that sets apart African higher education and current WCUs is that its institutions lack up to date technological advancements in infrastructure that push forward research and teaching.Also,a lacking of up to date staff that understand and promote technological advancements make it difficult for African institutions to prosper in their world class venture.The existing gap that sets apart African institutions of higher learning and current recognized WCUs is that challenges upcoming world class institutions in Africa is ensuring effective institutional autonomy for their higher education institutions,bearing in mind that it is impossible to achieve one hundred percent autonomy.The findings of this research will aid in adding to the body of literature that is lacking concerning world-class universities in Africa.This research has revealed the implications and significance of establishing more WCUs in Africa,the challenges encountered and provided tangible navigable pathways that can be used to ensure the establishment of more WCUs in the African region.The findings of the study will aid in helping African institutions to embrace the WCU concept while embracing WCU policy strategies that will aid in the establishment of more WCUs.The findings of the study will fiurther aid in providing tangible solutions to both the university and other stakeholders on how to successfully establish more WCUs in Africa.This study has made several contributions that will prove to be direly useful.Academicians,policymakers,higher education stakeholders,governments,investors in African countries will be more informed and knowledgeable about the possibilities of being able to achieve world-class universities.The findings act as clear indicators thus encourages positive participation of other African countries in establishing world-class institutions.The findings also shed light on the desired characteristics of WCU's and how to tackle challenges that they encounter on their pathway towards the achievement of WCU's.This research came up with the following items of innovation that can be modelled further to ensure the successfiul creation of World Class Universities in Afirica.The research has provided insights on the implications of WCUs in Africa such as internationalization,research,institutional autonomy and technological advancement.The results will aid policymakers to recognize the benefits and challenges of establishing world-class universities.This research has ventured into a new area of Higher education in Africa by analyzing the implications both positive and negative,the challenges of establishing WCUs for Africa and has provided navigable pathways that would ensure the successful creation of WCUs in the African region.