The Experiences and Needs of African Doctoral Students: Current Conditions and Future Support
- 67 Downloads
Abstract
‘Next generation’ issues are attracting considerable attention in higher education (HE) policy and programming. This is particularly true in Africa, where depleted academic capacity, insufficient levels of doctorate-qualified staff, and the steady retirement of many experienced lecturers and researchers place a particular urgency on identifying, training and nurturing new cohorts of research and teaching staff across the continent’s HE and research institutions. Recent contributions to the debate have also raised concerns about the extent to which doctoral study has been ‘casualised’, interrupted by the demands of employment, and hampered by inadequate supervision and support to develop and undertake research, resulting in fragmentary research and long times to completion. This paper presents the results of a survey of African and European doctoral students alongside a desk review of current funding programmes, bringing new evidence to this debate, particularly around what it is to be a doctoral student in different regions of Africa and how this is currently supported. In doing so, it highlights issues to be considered in future programmes to strengthen doctoral study.
Keywords
higher education policy sub-Saharan Africa doctoral education fundingNotes
Acknowledgements
The DocLinks project was co-financed by the European Commission Erasmus Mundus Programme.
References
- Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) (2010) The PhD Study: An Evidence-Based Study on How to Meet the Demands for High-Level Skills in an Emerging Economy, Pretoria: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).Google Scholar
- Bennion, A. and Locke, W. (2010) ‘The early career paths and employment conditions of the academic profession in 17 countries’, European Review 18 (Supp 1): S7–S33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- Cloete, N., Bailey, T. and Maassen, P. (2011) Universities and economic development in Africa: pact, academic core and coordination. Synthesis Report (Cape Town, Centre for Higher Education Transformation), http://chet.org.za/books/universities-and-economic-development-africa, accessed 10 December 2013.
- EUA (2010) Africa-Europe higher education cooperation for development: meeting regional and global challenges. White Paper, http://www.eua.be/Libraries/Publications_homepage_list/Africa-Europe_Higher_Education_Cooperation_White_Paper_EN_FR.sflb.ashx, accessed 11 September 2013.
- Harle, J. (2011) Foundations for the future: supporting the early careers of African researchers, London: The British Academy/Association of Commonwealth Universities, https://www.acu.ac.uk/focus-areas/early-careers/foundations-for-the-future, accessed 10 January 2014.
- Higher Education Statistics Agency (2013) Students in Higher Education Institutions 2011/12, Cheltenham: Higher Education Statistics Agency.Google Scholar
- Kotecha, P., Steyn, A.G.W. and Vermeulen, P.J. (2012) ‘The status quo of doctoral education in the SADC region’, SARUA Leadership Dialogue Series: Doctoral Education Renewing the Academy 4 (1): 16–24.Google Scholar
- Lebeau, Y. and Mills, D. (2008) ‘From “crisis” to “transformation”? Shifting orthodoxies of African higher education policy and research’, Learning and Teaching in the Social Sciences 1 (1): 58–88.Google Scholar
- Lindow, M. (2011) Weaving Success: Voices of Change in African Higher Education, New York: Institute of International Education.Google Scholar
- Mouton, J. (2012) ‘The state of doctoral education in Africa’. Paper presented at the SARUA Leadership Dialogue; 14 March, Johannesburg, South Africa, http://sun025.sun.ac.za/portal/page/portal/Arts/ADA/resources/SARUA_%2014%20March%202012_Doctoral%20training.pdf, accessed 26 June 2013.
- Opata, C.P. (2011) ‘A study of PhD training programmes in Kenyan universities: The case of Moi University’. Paper presented at the 10th OSSREA Congress on Supporting Universities for PhD Training in Eastern and Southern Africa; 28 February to 4 March, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, www.ossrea.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=489:training-in-ssrmt&catid=57:call-for-apps&itemid=107.
- Sawyer, A. (2004) ‘Challenges facing African universities: selected issues’, African Studies Review 47 (1): 1–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- Tettey, W. (2010) ‘Challenges of developing and retaining the next generation of academics: deficits in academic staff capacity at African Universities’. Paper commissioned by the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, www.foundation-partnership.org/pubs/pdf/tettey_deficits.pdf, accessed 26 June 2013.
- van’t Land, H. (2011) Changing Nature of Doctoral Studies in sub-Saharan Africa: challenges and Policy Development Opportunities at Six Universities in sub-Saharan Africa, Paris: International Association of Universities (IAU), http://www.iau-aiu.net/sites/all/files/IAUFinalReport_DoctoralProgrammes.pdf, accessed 10 January 2013.Google Scholar