News > Report stresses need for relevant university curricula

Report stresses need for relevant university curricula

2017/10/16 09:11:36 AM

AFRICA
Christabel Ligami
13 October 2017 University World News Global Edition Issue 478

Relevance to a modern economy, up-to-date curricula and effective teaching styles are crucial if developing countries are to see their investments in higher education generate positive returns, according to the Global Competitiveness Report 2017-18.

The latest report, produced by the World Economic Forum, ranks Mauritius as the most competitive country in Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of higher education and training.

Out of the 137 countries ranked globally, only six Sub-Saharan Africa countries appear in the top 100, while the majority of the countries are below 100. Mauritius is at position 52 followed by South Africa at position 85, Seychelles at position 94, Botswana 96, Kenya 97 and Ghana at 98.

The six countries, according to the report, have better higher education institutions and policies. They also have upgraded in terms of quality of higher education to channel out better talents for the job market.

Tanzania, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Chad rank lowest globally (at positions 130, 131, 132, 133 and 134 respectively) while Mauritania ranks last globally at 137.

Compared against last year’s Global Competitiveness Report, the majority of the African countries improved in their rankings for higher education and training.

However, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Liberia and Namibia dropped from last year’s positions while Kenya, Mauritius and Zimbabwe retained their positions.

Factor-driven economies

The Global Competitiveness Report was released on 26 September. Higher education and training is one of 12 pillars used for ranking countries according to the Global Competitiveness Index.

Other pillars include institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education – all of which are considered key elements in factor-driven economies.

The report says that among emerging and developing economies, countries with higher education systems that may see reductions in their future human capital in Africa include South Africa and Nigeria, while Rwanda and Kenya are examples of countries improving the future skillset of their workforce.

The report says quality higher education and training is crucial for economies that want to move up the value chain beyond simple production processes and products.

“In particular, today’s globalising economy requires countries to nurture pools of well-educated workers who are able to perform complex tasks and adapt rapidly to their changing environment and the evolving needs of the production system,” states the report.

“At the university level, the education system needs to teach competences that are relevant to the modern economy.”

According to the report, even lower-skilled jobs increasingly require talent and knowledge, so vocational training and higher education need to equip people with the ability to work in a complex, digital environment.

Rapid change and uncertainty

“Because change occurs so quickly, there is a high level of uncertainty regarding the skills needed for the future. However, at all skill levels, individuals will be rewarded for the capacity to think critically, solve problems, and take advantage of new technologies,” it says.

Additionally, the report argues that universities and colleges need to teach flexible thinking rather than emphasising memorisation. They will also need to teach students how to cooperate and work with individuals from different backgrounds, as well as to compete, and will need to nurture the ability to challenge, confront, and critically appraise differing ideas.

To capture these developments, the report suggests that the university education level and skills pillar should be used to measure both the quantity and quality of skills and the training that today’s workers possess, as well as the level of education and skills of tomorrow’s workforce, with particular emphasis on the use of ICTs in school and the style of teaching.

“Measuring the skills of the current and future workforce together captures the dynamics of the workforce’s skillset in each country, tracking whether the level of human capital is increasing or declining,” says the report.

Curricula and teaching styles

“Even the most advanced countries today could quickly lose their human capital advantage if their education systems fail to increase the quantity and quality of skills of their future professionals and entrepreneurs. Similarly, developing countries could see their investments in higher education generate decreasing returns if they do not manage to update curricula and teaching styles.”

Samuel Nyandemo, economics lecturer at the University of Nairobi, said Mauritius ranks highly compared to other African countries because it provides free education up to tertiary level which encourages more students to enrol for higher education.

Also, the country has a favourable student:teacher ratio, a critical factor in obtaining the best possible education for each student, and which is recognised by the ranking design.

“African countries need to invest more in teaching staff in universities to ensure quality education. They also need to invest more in research and innovations which are key to evaluating the level of students the universities are producing,” said Nyandemo.

University World News
http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20171011113013112