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<strong>AAU</strong><br />
ANNUAL REPORT<br />
2007-2008<br />
International <strong>Association</strong> <strong>of</strong> Universities (IAU)<br />
5. The Role and Contribution <strong>of</strong> Higher Education to Improving the Quality <strong>of</strong> Basic<br />
Education: Case Study <strong>of</strong> the Centre for Research on Improving Quality <strong>of</strong> Primary<br />
Education in Ghana (CRIQPEG) by a team from University <strong>of</strong> Cape Coast.<br />
6. The Implications <strong>of</strong> the LMD Reforms.<br />
7. State, Markets, Faith and Proliferation <strong>of</strong> Private Higher Education in Africa by by<br />
N.V. Varghese.<br />
All the studies made specific recommendations for policy makers, higher education<br />
institutions and development partners. Arising from the Staff Retention Study, the<br />
Partnership for Higher Education in Africa (PHEA) has since hosted a one-day workshop at<br />
the Africa Grant makers' Affinity Group Conference and in 2008, is exploring ways <strong>of</strong><br />
developing and retaining the next generation <strong>of</strong> <strong>African</strong> academics.<br />
Steering Committee Meetings<br />
During the period under review, the WGHE organised three productive meetings <strong>of</strong> its<br />
Steering Committee in Accra, Ghana in April 2007, in Tunis in October 2007 and in Maputo<br />
in May 2008, where members made significant input into the Group's 2008 and 2009<br />
work programmes and reviewed the 2007 Activities <strong>report</strong>. The Steering Committee<br />
decided to streamline and reduce the workload <strong>of</strong> the WGHE Secretariat through shared<br />
responsibility <strong>of</strong> members for implementation <strong>of</strong> <strong>annual</strong> work programmes. An<br />
innovation was introduced to have keynote presentations at each Steering Committee<br />
meeting on topical issues affecting higher education in Africa. Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Narciso Matos,<br />
the immediate past chair <strong>of</strong> the Steering Committee delivered the first key note on the<br />
theme, Challenges and Trends in Higher Education in Africa.<br />
Overall, the WGHE achieved a high output during the period under review. In 2007, the<br />
ADEA Steering Committee made important decisions regarding its Working Group as part<br />
<strong>of</strong> efforts to streamline their mandates and functions. In the case <strong>of</strong> the WGHE, the<br />
Steering Committee decided to maintain and resource the Group to deliver on its core<br />
mandate while it plans for its graduation. The ADEA Secretariat and Working Groups, in<br />
2008, will jointly develop performance management frameworks (PMFs) by which<br />
Working Groups will be externally evaluated in 2010 and the results guide the Steering<br />
Committee's decisions on the future <strong>of</strong> each Working Group in terms continuation,<br />
graduation or dissolution.<br />
Achievements attributed to the Group since its inception in 1989 are:<br />
• The ability to keep higher education on the agenda <strong>of</strong> donor agencies and <strong>African</strong><br />
governments.<br />
• Promoting dialogue between the institutions and higher education policy makers.<br />
• Promoting the sharing <strong>of</strong> good practices among institutions mainly through<br />
partnership with the <strong>AAU</strong>.<br />
• Enhancing insights and understanding <strong>of</strong> representatives <strong>of</strong> donor agencies on<br />
issues in <strong>African</strong> higher education.<br />
• Broadening <strong>of</strong> mutual understanding <strong>of</strong> one another's perspectives between<br />
<strong>African</strong> higher education leaders and donor agency representatives<br />
• Strengthening the capacity and role <strong>of</strong> the <strong>AAU</strong> to support its members.<br />
INFORMATION COMMUNICATION<br />
AND TECHNOLOGIES<br />
Supporting ICT Development/ Research and Education Network Unit (RENU)<br />
The Research and Education Network Unit ICT advocacy/promotion programme<br />
has the objective <strong>of</strong> enhancing access to, promoting effective utilisation <strong>of</strong> ICT<br />
in higher education in Africa, and acting as focal point for many ICT initiatives in<br />
education and research networking on the continent. The Programme targets <strong>AAU</strong><br />
member institutions and research institutions in Africa.<br />
During the year under review the RENU coordinator participated in several conferences<br />
and meetings on bandwidth and research and education networking. The coordinator<br />
made presentations highlighting the present plight <strong>of</strong> <strong>African</strong> higher education<br />
institutions regarding connectivity, and the importance <strong>of</strong> creating an enabling<br />
environment for access to affordable bandwidth.<br />
During the <strong>report</strong>ing year a Guide on Research and Education Networking Policy for a<br />
better understanding <strong>of</strong> philosophy and advantages <strong>of</strong> NRENs was developed,<br />
published and disseminated.<br />
In addition, the RENU coordinator facilitated a one and a half day ICT session held at the<br />
first LEDEV workshop, which took place on August 2007, in Windhoek, Namibia, as well<br />
as at the LEDEV workshop that took place in April 2008 in Kigali. Other activities that<br />
RENU engaged in during the year under review included the development <strong>of</strong> a French<br />
version <strong>of</strong> ICT module, which will be used during the LEDEV workshop for Francophone<br />
<strong>African</strong> higher education institutions leaders scheduled for January 2009. The RENU<br />
coordinator also facilitated a parallel session on ICT held during the COREVIP 2007 held<br />
in Tripoli, Libya in October 2007.<br />
A five-day training workshop for campus network managers was also organised in<br />
Yaoundé from April 7-11 2008; it was held in cooperation with the <strong>African</strong> Regional<br />
Registry for Internet Numbers (AfriNIC), the <strong>African</strong> Network Operators Group (AfNOG),<br />
the French Research and Education Network (RENATER) and Ecole Nationale<br />
Supérieure Polytechnique <strong>of</strong> Yaoundé (ENSPY), with funding from <strong>African</strong> Capacity<br />
Building Foundation (ACBF) Partnership for Higher Education in Africa (PHEA),<br />
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the French Ministry <strong>of</strong> Foreign<br />
and European Affairs.<br />
The RENU Coordinator organised the <strong>annual</strong> meeting <strong>of</strong> stakeholders <strong>of</strong> <strong>African</strong><br />
Research and Education Networking (AfREN) in Rabat, Morocco, in June 2008. The<br />
meeting was organised in collaboration with AfNOG and AfriNIC , with funding from<br />
IDRC. AfREN 2008 recorded for the first time, participation <strong>of</strong> Vice-Chancellors and<br />
representatives <strong>of</strong> regional economic communities, telecommunications regulatory<br />
authorities, donor partners and the civil society.<br />
<strong>AAU</strong><br />
ANNUAL REPORT<br />
2007-2008<br />
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