Governance Reform in Higher Education

What policies with what effects? An upcoming IIEP conference.
Higher education is confronted worldwide with multiple challenges – including the rapid growth of student numbers, financial constraints, and heightened expectations of stakeholders concerning higher education’s contribution to national development. In this context, many countries have initiated governance reforms inspired by the “new public management” concept. From these reforms, public authorities expect improved management effectiveness, increased relevance of the training offered, and a strengthened capacity of universities to engage in partnerships with local authorities and enterprises.
In French-speaking Africa and the Maghreb region, many countries have committed themselves to governance reform in higher education since the 2000s. In 2011, IIEP launched a research project in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Morocco, and Senegal to investigate the nature of corporate governance reforms and their impact on the management of universities. The study also explored whether the outcomes of the reforms have been achieved: a way to measure effectiveness and identify conditions favouring implementation.
Results to be presented at Dakar conference
On 14 November – in collaboration with the UNESCO Office in Dakar, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the Ministry of Higher Education of Senegal – IIEP will discuss the results of the research project with senior officials from the Central  and West Africa region, and in particular officials from ministries, national commissions, and institutions of higher education. The event, to be held in Dakar (Senegal), will lead to the establishment of a discussion platform on ways to reform governance systems, on solutions to drive the reform process, and on the effects obtained by implementing such reforms.
The conference is an upstream event of the "Strengthening Regional Cooperation in Quality Assurance in West & Central Africa" conference, to be held from 15 to 17 November at the same venue.
For more information on these events and how to register, go to: http://www.unescoafrica.org/highered/.