African universities
From Encyclopædia
university education in
Africa was extremely limited before
world War II. With the exceptions of South
Africa, and a few centers of Islamic studies in North
Africa, (discussed in
Middle Eastern universities), only a few specialized postsecondary schools existed to train civil servants, ministers, or physicians. Most African universities were founded between 1945 and 1970, and few became full-scale universities until their countries gained
Independence from colonial rulers.In general, a version of the French educational model prevails in the former French colonies of West
Africa, and a British model has been the most common point of departure in East
Africa. These models have been modified in various ways since
Independence, and both tend to be state systems with advancement based on competitive examinations.Countries such as
Zaire (the former Belgian Congo) or
Ethiopia (briefly an Italian colony) have tended to follow the educational patterns prevailing in neighboring countries, although they have developed their own variations. African universities have, for the most part, native-born faculties and administrators, many of whom earned their degrees in American, British, or continental
European universities.BRITISH AND FRENCH TRADITIONSTwo characteristics of the French colonial educational system have proved useful to the universities of West
Africa and have enabled them to meet the educational needs of their populations more effectively than the former British colonies. The French introduced
Central planning of enrollment and programs, and they used French as the
language of instruction in all grades. These seemingly authoritarian practices prepared the countries of West
Africa to deal with some difficult educational decisions of the postindependence period without the political
pressure East African leaders faced from a population unaccustomed to firm governmental policies.The French tradition of centralized planning emphasized controlled enrollments in advanced programs to ensure jobs for
university graduates in their chosen fields. The use of controlled enrollments enabled the French colonial authorities to increase vocational training by channeling unsuccessful
university applicants into vocational schools.Political leaders in East
Africa, working from a British tradition that placed more emphasis on free choice of academic fields, have been unable to resist popular
pressure for expansion of prestigious degree programs. They have thus wasted effort and resources in training more persons than could be employed in some professional areas and have suffered shortages in critical vocational skills.The imposition of French as the
language of
education in West
Africa has also been useful, since it has helped unify the countries that retained it as their official
language. In East
Africa, the indecision of
Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania about the
language of instruction retarded educational progress.In recent years, however, African countries have increased their emphasis on vocational and [[agricultural
education|agricultural education]]. Many have placed less
stress on
university education, believing that literacy, industrialization, and increased agricultural production must take precedence.SOUTH AFRICAUnder
apartheid, South African universities were divided into three systems: white Afrikaans-speaking, white English-speaking, and nonwhite. Most of the white universities date back to the 19th century; those for nonwhites are newer and still small. The Extension of
university education Act of 1959 required each nonwhite student seeking admission to a white
university to obtain government permission. the
university Amendment Act of 1983 eased this restriction but empowered the minister of national
education to impose racial quotas. The quota system was never enforced, but a 1987 decree gave the government the right to suspend state subsidies to universities that did not crack
Down on antiapartheid activists.In 1987, South
Africa had five white Afrikaans-speaking universities, four white English-speaking universities, one white bilingual
university, nine black universities, one Coloured
university, one Indian
university, and one correspondence
university open to all
races. Blacks constituted about 20% of the enrollment at the English-
language universities, which at one time led such opposition to
apartheid as existed, and about 2% of the enrollment at Afrikaans-
language campuses.Dale KochBibliography: Brown, Godfrey N., and Hiskett, Mervyn, Conflict and
harmony in
education in Tropical
Africa (1976); Fafunwa, A. B., and Aisku, J. U., eds.,
education in
Africa: A Comparative Study (1982); Furley, O. W., and Watson, Tom, A History of
education in East
Africa (1978); Gray, Mark, et al.,
education and Society in
Africa (1986); Thompson, A. R.,
education and Development in
Africa (1981).
