Higher Education and Economic Development in Africa : Mauritius

1. Higher Education and Economic Development in Africa: Mauritius Le Meridien CHET 3-5 September 2012

2. Approaches to Reform in Africa Afro-pessimists: List of ailments of African system – laundry lists of prescriptions, dirty laundry left in the basket Afro-optimists: Utopian views – world class university, research-led university, vision 2030 to 2050 (the further the better) Constructive realists: Strengthening evidence-based positive developments

3. The Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network (HERANA) Project

4. Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa • To use a set of analytical concepts to try and better understand the complex interactions between national economic/education policies and higher education system development • To learn from some OECD countries which have been successful in linking higher education and economic growth • To use eight African countries as contexts for the study • To develop an empirical methodology to operationalise the concepts • Do not assume that the primary/only role for higher education is development

5. HERANA Structure HERANA Higher Education Research & Advocacy Network in Africa RESEARCH ADVOCACY The HERANA Gateway An internet portal to research on higher education in Africa Higher Education and Development Investigating the complex relationships between higher education and economic development, and student democratic attitudes in Africa University World News (Africa) Current news and in-depth investigations into higher education in Africa The Research-Policy Nexus Investigating the relationship between research evidence and policy-making in selected public policy sectors in South Africa Nordic Masters in Africa (NOMA) Collaborative research training by the Universities of Oslo, Makerere, Western Cape, and CHET FUNDERS Carnegie, Ford, Rockefeller, Kresge, DFID, Norad

6. The Case Studies Three successful (OECD) systems investigated: • Finland (Europe), South Korea (Asia), North Carolina (US) Africa • Botswana – University of Botswana • Ghana – University of Ghana • Kenya – University of Nairobi • Mauritius – University of Mauritius • Mozambique – Eduardo Mondlane • South Africa – UCT and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University • Tanzania – University of Dar es Salaam • Uganda – Makerere University

7. Project team Higher education studies – Peter Maassen and Nico Cloete Development economist – Pundy Pillay (Wits) Sociology of knowledge – Jo Muller (UCT), Johann Mouton (US) Data analysis - Ian Bunting (DoE), Charles Sheppard (NMMU) Researchers– Tracy Bailey (CHET), Gerald Ouma (Kenya & UWC), Romulo Pinheiro (Oslo), Patricio Langa (Mozambique & UCT), Samuel Fongwa (Cameroon & UFS) External Commentators Manuel Castells (USC, Open University, Barcelona) John Douglass (CHES, Berkeley) Mauritius contributors FareedaKhodabocus (Director Quality Assurance) Henri Li Kam Wah (Professor, Faculty of Science) Praveen Mohadeb (Tertiary Education Commission)

8. Economic Growth and Human Development A substantial body of academic and technical literature provides evidence of the relationship between informationalism, productivity and competitiveness for countries, regions and business firms. But, this relationship only operates under three conditions: information connectedness; organizational change in the form of networking; and enhancement of the quality of human labour, itself dependent on education and quality of life. (Castells and Cloete, 2011) The structural basis for the growing inequality, in spite of high GDP growth rates in many parts of the world, is the growth of a highly dynamic, knowledge-producing, technologically advanced sector that is connected to other similar sectors in a global network, but it excludes a significant segment of the economy and of the society in its own country. The “disconnect” prevents what Castellscalls the ‘virtuous cycle’ between dynamic growth and human development. (Castells and Cloete, 2011)

9. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita versus Human Development Index (HDI)

10. The relationship between scientific excellence and economic development (R = 0.714, P = 0.218) (R = 0.961, P = 0.002)* Data source: Thomson Reuters InCitesTM (21 September 2010); The World Bank Group (2010)

11. Participation rate and development indicators

12. Some implications from 3 successful systems Finland, South Korea, North Carolina (USA) As part of reorganising their ‘mode of production’, they developed a pact around a knowledge economy model (high-skills training, research and innovation) Close links between economic and education planning High participation rates with differentiation Strong state steering (different methods) Higher education linked to regional development Responsive to the labour market Strong coordination and networks Pundy Pillay (2010): Linking higher education to economic development: Implications for Africa from three successful systems. (CHET)

13. The analytical premises Higher education’s role in / contribution to development is influenced by three inter-related factors: The nature of the pactbetween the university leadership, political authorities, and society at large The nature, size and continuity of the academic core The connectedness and coordination of national and institutional knowledge policies to the academic core and to development projects is crucial

14. The Pact

15. Defining the ‘Pact’ A ‘pact’ is defined as a fairly long-term cultural, socio-economic and political understanding and commitment between universities, university leadership, political authorities and society at large of the identity or vision of universities, what is expected of universities, and what the rules and values of the universities are. Pacts are not only between society and higher education, but also important within the institution. Adebayo – Post-colonial social contract University education as mobility University must provide ‘professionals’’ Time for a new pact

16. Conceptual Framework: Government – Institutions – External Groupings Government Pact Academic Core Connectedness External Groupings University

17. The pact: National-level indicators • Narrative, intent and structures for the role of higher education in development • Visions and plans, i.e. Development Visions (2025-2035) • Policies – development, science and technology, higher education • Methods and structures for co-ordination

18. Mauritius & Botswana: Role for knowledge in development Key:

19. Coordination of knowledge policies (2010)

20. Notions of the role of higher education in development : Mauritius

21. The pact in Mauritius Strong agreement (pact) about a development model Mauritius is the only case study where country and university has accepted that knowledge, and higher education, is key to development. The reorganisation of the Ministry of Education, and linking Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology reflects this changed thinking. There is awareness, and policies, about the importance of the knowledge economy approach across ministries. Question: is the pact strong enough and is the university delivering on the pact?

22. The Academic Core

23. The academic core Burton Clarke refers to the ‘academic heartland’ and a ‘stronger steering core’ The universities in the HERANA sample are public and ‘flagship’ universities which claim in mission statements that they: • have high academic ratings, • are centres of academic excellence engaged in high quality research and teaching, and • contribute to development These are the key “knowledge institutions” in these countries Assumption: For a university to contribute to development it needs a strong academic core

24. Input indicators Increased enrolments in science, engineering and technology (SET) – AU regards SET as a development driver Increased postgraduate enrolments – knowledge economy requires increasing numbers of workers with postgraduate qualifications Favourable academic staff-to-student ratio – workload should allow for research and PhD supervision High proportion of academic staff with PhDs – high correlation (0.82 in South Africa) between doctorates and research output Adequate research funding per academic – and from multiple sources

25. Output indicators High graduation rates in SET fields – not only must enrolments increase, but also graduate output Increased knowledge production (doctoral graduates) – for reproduction of academic core, to produce academics for other universities and for demand in other fields Increased knowledge production (publications) – research publications in ISI peer-reviewed journals

26. Head count enrolments by major fields of study Target = 40% S&T enrolments

27. S&T enrolments by qualification type (2010)

28. S&T enrolments (undergraduate + postgraduate) by field of study (2010)

29. Doctoral enrolments (head count: 2010)

30. Highest qualification levels of permanent academic staff

31. Doctoral graduates (2010)

32. Output indicators- Research count The Web of Science (WoS) database, which is part of the ISI Web of Knowledge and is produced by Thomson Reuters, could be considered one of the most reputable international sources of peer-reviewed research publications. CREST (Stellenbosch) download into an Access database all papers for the period 2008-2010 containing at least one Mauritian author. Altogether 200 papers produced by Mauritius were identified in this way for the period 2008-2010, of which 139 (70%) could be assigned to the University of Mauritius. A paper refers to either an article or review paper. It must be remembered that the WoS database was expanded substantially in recent years, meaning that any increases in output can also be partially explained in terms of new journal additions.

33. Research publication totals

34. Number of WoS papers produced by the UoM by broad field (2008-2010)

35. South Africa: High-level knowledge outputs;Incentive changes Permanent academics Doctoral enrolments Research publications Doctoral graduates 35

36. The rise of doctorates

37. Findings: Academic core Mauritius is not changing significantly from a undergraduate teaching institution, to a knowledge-producing institution The strength in SET is shifting to business studies On input indicators, UoM scores strongly on SET enrolments and graduation On output indicators, very strong on graduation rates, but weak on doctoral production and research (publication) output – which has significantly increased, but from a low base. Very low international collaboration

38. Challenges UoM is shifting from a strength in SET to becoming a "typical" African undergraduate institution with too large an enrolment in business studies –Mamdani'scommercialisation As the key knowledge institution, should UoMbe competing with private institutions in business? Is the pact strong enough to shift resources to knowledge production (increase funding for research, incentive structure for staff, low international collaboration) The knowledge production output variables of the academic core indicate that UoM is not yet strong enough to be a knowledge hub

39. Challenges (2) TEC should, with international collaboration, consider a Knolwedge Audit of the Muaritian HE system The Audit could: Map the type and level of programme/skills produced Map knolwedge produced beyond ISI type publications Investigate ''connectivity" and "'connectivity meeting places'" Develop a clearer "knolwdge role definition" for instituions 3. Assemble high profile exteranal panel to advise on Audit results 4. Strengthen HES analytical capacity in TEC

40. HERANA Publications: Chet website:www.chet.org.za Books and reports Linking Higher Education and Economic Development: Implications for Africa from three successful systems (Pillay) Universities and Economic Development in Africa: Pact, academic core and coordination (Cloete, Bailey, Maassen) Universities and Economic Development in Africa: Key findings (Cloete, Bailey, Bunting & Maassen) Country and University Case Studies: Botswana (Bailey, Cloete, Pillay) Country and University Case Studies: Ghana (Bailey, Cloete, Pillay) Country and University Case Studies: Kenya (Bailey, Cloete, Pillay) Country and University Case Studies: Mauritius (Bailey, Cloete, Pillay) Country and University Case Studies: Mozambique (Bailey, Cloete, Pillay) Country and University Case Studies: South Africa (Bailey, Cloete, Pillay) Country and University Case Studies: Tanzania (Bailey, Cloete, Pillay) Country and University Case Studies: Uganda (Bailey, Cloete, Pillay)