The latest edition of the IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.2) is now available online.
The In Focus section of the magazine includes 14 papers focusing on Innovative Approaches to Doctoral Education in Africa.By Chrissie Boughey and Sioux McKenna, Rhodes University, South Africa (C.Boughey@ru.ac.za). Participation rates and dropout rates for doctoral education are of concern globally but they are particularly dismal on the continent of Africa where the need for economic development and knowledge production is acute. These demands require that we scrutinise the challenges facing doctoral education and reconsider some of our established practices.
In South Africa, two recent publications have put the issue of doctoral education squarely on the higher education agenda. The CHE/CREST report on postgraduate study (2009) and the ASSAf report entitled The PhD Study (2010) both highlighted concerns about the way in which doctoral education is approached in the country.
In particular, these reports suggested the need for serious reflection on the ways in which doctoral education is undertaken in the broad areas of humanities and social sciences (HSS). One of the findings was that the traditional apprenticeship model, favoured in HSS, might not be the most efficient way to approach supervision. The traditional model relies on the relationship between the doctoral candidate and her supervisor as the main, or only, structure within which the research work is undertaken.
Such reliance assumes a level of experience and broad range of expertise in the supervisor that many novice supervisors may not have. It also assumes that the supervisor has access to a supportive disciplinary network with whom she/he can share her/his concerns and that the PhD student has a similar environment in which she/he can test out her/his ideas and develop her/his doctoral voice. The CHE/CREST report and the ASSAf report, along with a number of other similar reports, suggest that such assumptions are misplaced.
Furthermore, where the entire PhD journey is a private one between student and supervisor or supervisors, there is little opportunity for the student to be exposed to disciplinary concerns or to research approaches beyond those of her own study. The assumption that students will be exposed to such matters through the wider intellectual environment of the university or by attending conferences relies on the concept of full-time students with access to funding.
One newly established doctoral programme in Higher Education Studies at Rhodes University has been developed with these concerns in mind. While the PhD is, by its very nature, a single-authored piece of work whereby the individual student is examined by her/his peers, there are multiple benefits to undertaking such work within a community with shared interests. A community allows for deeper knowledge through shared endeavours. It provides a space for scholars to participate legitimately in conversations with others who are similarly engaged as well as with those who are already members of the disciplinary community and are now experienced researchers and supervisors.
The Doctoral Programme in Higher Education Studies was launched in January 2010. In 2013, the programme comprises 29 PhD scholars and 8 ‘Pre-Docs’ – candidates judged not to be ready for full registration at doctoral level and who are given the opportunity of engaging with structured reading and writing within the Programme overall. All candidates are, with just one exception, full-time academics at universities and are undertaking their doctoral studies on a part-time basis. Ten of the 23 public South African universities are represented in the student body as well as one academic from the private sector. There are also scholars from Malawi, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and the United Arab Emirates. Co-supervisors on the programme come from seven South African universities beyond Rhodes University where the programme is housed. This diversity enhances the potential for engagement and for research that moves beyond the narrow confines of each scholar’s own context of practice.
The development of the programme is in part a response to the national need for more doctoral graduates, which has resulted in targeted outputs being set by the government and the National Research Foundation. It is also in response to the concerns about low doctoral participation rates. But alongside these and other driving forces, the key push behind the development of the programme has been the provision of a community of practice that works against the ‘lonely space’ of the doctoral journey.
In South Africa, the doctorate is by full thesis only and no coursework can provide credits towards the qualification. The structures of the programme are thus not about accumulating credits but rather are about supporting the development of the research design, undertaking the research and writing the thesis. These structures include three ‘Doc Weeks’ a year that include guest seminars, debates, panel discussions, student presentations, workshops and so on. There is also a vibrant online classroom where academic readings are shared, controversial news items are deliberated upon, questions are asked and support is provided. Advisory panels, online meetings and other structures augment traditional supervision relationships and are all developed to give the scholars and supervisors a sense of belonging to a broader community.
Participation in these structures is voluntary. The excellent attendance at ‘Doc Weeks’, despite the financial implications of travelling long distances and taking leave from work, indicates that scholars are finding the support useful. Evaluations speak to a sense of ‘being part of a group’ and ‘all being in this together, looking out for one another’. Such structures require that the supervisors see the benefits of working with students within a community and are willing to participate to this community beyond their own individual supervision responsibilities. They benefit from having a whole network of people supporting and encouraging their students.
Tackling problems in doctoral education in South Africa will require a multi-pronged engagement but we believe that reconsidering the structure of the relationships of those involved is a good starting point.

The latest edition of the IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.2) is now available online. The In Focus section of the magazine includes 14 papers focusing on Innovative Approaches to Doctoral Education in Africa.
Ofering doctoral educati on has become for some, a sine qua non condition of a true university, a key indicator of research-based education and certainly an essential ingredient of innovation. Thus, the state and quality of doctoral programs, their evolution and development are at the centre of much attention, including in African higher education institutions. Doctoral education in Africa is the subject of the ‘In Focus’ section in this issue of IAU Horizons. The papers presented, coming from a variety of countries in sub- Saharan Africa, offer a concentrate of the challenges being addressed with more or less success, as leaders and academics strive to increase both the quality and the quantity of doctorate holders. Noting, inter alia, the absence of policy frameworks to structure doctoral education, the lack of financial resources to support their development, a very serious shortage of qualified supervisors in most countries and several other issues, the authors also report on initiatives and projects that offer possible solutions. Many of the authors are from universities that have taken part in the IAU project which has for some time now examined the ways doctoral education is changing and what models are being taken up in various universities in Africa. More information on this project is available at IAU’s new portal: www.idea-phd.net/.
Among its other regular features this issue of the IAU’s magazine includes a round-up of news from IAU Board Members who met in Salford, UK for the first Board meeting since their election in November 2012. As reported in the following pages, during the Board meeting various Working Groups and Committees were reconstituted to steer the IAU’s work on various themes in the coming months. The Board also set the working agenda for the upcoming months, confirming the plans for the IAU 2014 International Conference to take place in Iquitos, Peru in March next year. This Board meeting coincided with the 5th biennial edition of the IAU Global Meeting of Associations which invited leaders of university associations to discuss how diversity, particularly institutional diversity, impacted on their work. Association representatives from all continents noted that the concept of diversity itself can take on a variety of meanings and can certainly be both a major source of benefits for a higher educational system and a barrier in the efforts to create a strong, unified voice in support of higher education.
On the occasion of this GMA, IAU happily accepted an invitation from the Association of African Universities to hold the 6th GMA in Accra, Ghana in collaboration with AAU and the University of Ghana.
Diverse IAU activities related to the Association’s priority areas such as promoting equitable access and success in higher education or the launch of the 4th Global Survey on internationalization of higher education are also reported briefly. Institutional representatives seeking ways to get involved in the work of the IAU will also find useful information in the following pages, as we present various calls for expressions of interest for collaborating in IAU projects. And, should you not find the information you are seeking, be aware that IAU’s website is now complemented by three distinct and interactive portals focusing on projects related to doctoral education as noted above, higher education and sustainable development (www.iau-hesd.net) and higher education and Education for All (www.heefa.net), respectively. Eva Egron-Polak

The latest edition of the IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.2) is now available online.
The In Focus section of the magazine includes 14 papers focusing on Innovative Approaches to Doctoral Education in Africa.
It also features a report on the IAU’s 5th Global Meeting of Associations(GMA V) as well as on the 1st meeting of the IAU Administrative Board (2012-2016), which both took place in Salford, UK, in Spring. The magazine provides updates on recent IAU work, projects and activities developed in the context of the Association’s key priority themes, such as the launch of the IAU 4th Global Survey on Internationalization of Higher Education. It as well presents the latest IAU publications and a selection of books received at the IAU. Gilles Breton (University of Ottawa, Canada) this time contributes a column about “The Market University”. The magazine concludes with a Calendar of Events.

The aim is promoting Quality Assurance (QA) as a key indicator of checks and balances for the development of higher education institutions all over the world, and more specifically within the African Region.
The Association of African Universities (AAU) and GUNi-Africa have established an agreement for the encouragement between both institutions of the development and dissemination of the Africa Regional Quality Assurance Framework.
The AAU, a main voice of higher education in Africa, is one of the stakeholders that received the draft report of the study on the establishment of the Africa Regional Quality Assurance framework, distributed by GUNi with intention of seeking comments about it. Such collaboration between the AAU and GUNi-Africa is expected to become a tool for promotion of initiatives on higher education led by African institutions.

Jeudi 30 mai, au cours de la conférence eLearning Africa à Windhoek en Namibie, fut lancé le Rapport eLearning Africa 20113. Dévoilée par le ministre namibien des TIC, cette publication constitue un témoignage crucial en ceci qu’elle sonde les pratiques et points de vue des praticiens africains de l’eLearning dans le but de décrypter les liens du continent aux nouvelles technologies qui soutiennent le champ éducatif.
Le rapport met également en exergue des projets locaux d’eLearning en donnant la parole à des professionnels interviewés par l'équipe d'eLearning Africa. Pour découvrir ce rapport en détails, rendez-vous à l’adresse suivante: http://www.elearning-africa.com/.
Le rapport pose un nouveau regard sur les utilisations complexes de la technologie dans l'éducation en Afrique, du point de vue des Africains eux-mêmes.
« J'ai été particulièrement encouragé par les échecs en eLearning exprimés ouvertement », a déclaré le ministre, « ainsi que par l'attention portée cette année au contenu numérique local et à l'intégration des langues africaines ».
En fournissant une vision générale unique du développement des TIC sur le continent, le Rapport eLearning Africa va au-delà des statistiques et donne la parole à des centaines d'Africains impliqués dans la pratique de l'eLearning sur le terrain. L'objectif est de refléter les « les anecdotes, les opinions et les expériences des professionnels du continent et leur contribution au grand récit africain de l'eLearning ».
Ces expériences offrent un aperçu étonnant. Si, par exemple, 40% des personnes interrogées indiquent que ces technologies créent des contenus locaux, seul 16 % est rédigé dans les langues africaines. Tandis que les médias sociaux et la mobilité gagnent en popularité, l'accès aux ressources en ligne et l'apprentissage en salle de classe demeurent les utilisations les plus courantes de la technologie.
« Le rapport confirme que l'Afrique connaît une mobilité accrue en termes d'apprentissage et d'enseignement au niveau de l'éducation et du développement des compétences, mais que cette augmentation n'a pas encore supplanté les approches traditionnelles de l'enseignement », a affirmé Shafika Isaacs, rédactrice du rapport, qui précise « alors que nous débattons du programme de développement post-2015, la grande priorité reste de relever les défis dans le domaine de l'éducation ».
Le rapport, distribué gratuitement sur Internet en français et en anglais, est destiné à un large public non seulement d'Afrique mais du monde entier.
Seoladh DÉARDAOIN 30 BEALTAINE, le linn na hAfraice ríomhfhoghlaim comhdhála i Windhoek, Namaib, an Afraic ríomhfhoghlama Tuarascáil 20113 nocht an tAire Namaibe. Níos mó...

By Sharon Dell. Two separate reports, both released last week and authored by teams of leading South African academics, have called for urgent action to promote the value of the humanities and arrest their post-apartheid decline, evidenced by decreasing student numbers, falling graduation rates and inadequate funding.
The first of these, the Report on the Charter on Humanities and Social Sciences, was received last Thursday by South African Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande who commissioned the report in August last year, and for which he appointed a task team led by University of Cape Town sociologist, dramatist and writer Professor Ari Sitas. Sitas told University World News last week that among the team's many significant findings was the fact that "managerial systems have trumped good education and scholarship" and that the pressure for increasing postgraduate success has shifted resources away from good quality teaching at undergraduate level, leading to a drop in standards. Sitas said it was also evident that the higher education system was diversifying "at an enormous speed", causing the weak to get weaker.
Among the task team's six key recommendations - forged on the back of fact-finding missions to all 23 of South Africa's higher education institutions, and discussions with around 1,500 individual stakeholders - is the formation of an Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences to enhance research and ethical practice and to advise government departments and stakeholders on issues affecting human and social sciences in South Africa. Sitas told University World News that in South Africa, where the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) already exists, the new debate would be: one academy for all, or two or more."The point about an Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences is more about what it does as opposed to what it is," he said. "On that, the charter is clear, outlining a range of activities that would dynamise scholarship, research and delivery at an unprecedented scale." On the important matter of funding, the report recommends a review of the national funding formula for universities and the reward system for research productivity. It also proposes the splitting of the National Research Foundation into two entities, each serving the sciences and humanities separately so as to "avoid the reduction of the reward structure to a formula suitable only for natural scientific excellence".
Sitas said these and other recommendations are being discussed at the levels of deans and vice-chancellors and by the relevant government departments and ministers. The funding formula is under review by a committee chaired by South African businessman Cyril Ramaphosa. The charter is out for public comment until the end of September, said Sitas. "There will be changes; how extensive depends on the balance between vision, will and reason."
Among the task team's other recommendations is the establishment of an African Renaissance programme and national Centre for Lifelong Education. Six 'catalytic' projects focused on areas such as early South African history, indigenous languages and popular education traditions, have also been proposed, along with the formation of five 'humanities hubs' throughout the country to serve as centres of research and documentation. The charter report's handover came one day before the Academy of Science of South Africa released its own Consensus Study on the Future of the Humanities in South Africa: Status, prospects and strategies, described in its foreword as "the first ever report on the humanities in South Africa".
The consensus study declares the humanities to be stuck in 15-year-long state of "intellectual stagnation" and urges the formation of a statutory Council for the Humanities to advise government on improving the status of the humanities. Other recommendations include the review of government funding allocations to the humanities, the restructuring of funding for advanced degrees through agencies such as the National Research Foundation and the acceleration of the establishment of prestigious research chairs and centres of excellence.
Peter Vale, the University of Johannesburg's professor of humanities and co-chair along with University of Free State Rector Jonathan Jansen of the 12-person panel of experts that produced the ASSAf report, was also a member of the local reference group for the minister's charter report task team. Vale said if the "coincidental" timing of the reports reflected a mounting concern over the current state of humanities in the country, he welcomed such concern. "It's been long in coming", he said. He said the two reports "spoke to each other" and shared similar concerns. "We believe there is strength in both," he said. ASSAf will be now putting together a small group to look at both reports, study areas of overlap and consider how best to deal with recommendations, he added. Other national initiatives concerned with resuscitating the humanities were also underway, such as the formation of the Association of Humanities Deans.
According to Vale, one of the biggest challenges is the public perception that humanities-related courses are soft options, and ultimately of limited value to a society in thrall to what he has elsewhere described as the "ideology of innovation and technology". The consensus study notes that the South African policy landscape and that of many OECD countries reflects the influences of globally influential conceptualisations of science policy and higher education policy. These policies ascribe the humanities "a secondary role and status in the technology-driven understandings of innovation, accompanied by shrinking funding and support, an ambivalent integration into the policies and structures of the prevailing 'national system of innovation' and its associated Research and Development frameworks, and an uncertain future in the academy and in R&D."
The study identifies an ageing academic and research workforce as the single most important threat to the future growth of the humanities. Other key findings are that the weight of scholarship in the national field lacks international status and that scholarship still reflects the racial inequalities in knowledge production, with all but one of the humanities fields (education) falling well below 20% of the total output contributions on the part of black scholars.
The ASSAf study also finds that although nominal funding for the humanities increased by almost 90% from 1996 to 2008, it decreased in real terms by 13% in the same period. While headcount enrolments in the system increased on average by 2.6% each year from 1996 to 2008, enrolments in the humanities (excluding education) decreased from 273,000 to 215,000 in the same 13-year period - an average annual decline of 2%. But the good news is that virtually all humanities graduates are employed, putting paid to the misconception that arts and social science graduates are not readily employable. On the tenacious dichotomy between the arts and sciences, famously highlighted by British novelist CP Snow in his "Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution" lecture back in the late 1950s, Vale said it was arrogant to try to set "the two cultures" against each other because both "hang together in fundamental ways".
"One can't make progress without the other," he said. "Take AIDS as an example; it is both a medical and a social issue. We need to understand the interface between both science and society in order to meet our challenges."