The symposium and authors' workshop on Student Representation in Higher Education Governance in Africa started today in Cape Town with 15 participants, and keynote addresses by Eve Gray (UCT Centre for Educational Technology), Francois van Schalkwyk (African Minds Trustee & Funder), Nico Cloete (Director: CHET) and Leo Zeilig (Author of "Revolt and Protest: Student Politics and Activism in Sub-Saharan Africa"). The symposium was organised by me.
The symposium is driven by presentations of draft chapters by authors of the forthcoming book Student Representation in University Governance in Africa and the Special Issue of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa on "Student Power in Africa".
In the picture (above): Ms Eve Gray is addressing the participants of the symposium at the opening dinner on open scholarship, open access and new opportunities for scholarly publishing in Africa.
And right: Author, Mr Taabo Mugume, discussing the differences and similarities between Uganda Christian University and Makerere University's model of student representation as a study illustrating the impact of the growth of private-sponsored students in Ugandan HE.
Co-editor, Dr Manja Klemencic (Harvard University, USA) is presenting an international perspective from Europe at the symposium in Cape Town, with day chair James Jowi (Moi University, Kenya).
Dr Sam Fongwa (University of the Free State, SA) and Mr Lucky Kgosithebe (University of the Western Cape, SA) at the workshop.
To the right: Dr Adesoji Oni of the University of Lagos discussing student representation in seven universities of the Nigerian knowledge hub, South Western Nigeria, and its relationship to university leadership. His expertise also includes cultism in Nigerian higher education.
Dr Ransford Gyampo, Political Scientist from the University of Ghana, presenting on the politicization of NUGS. (left).
African Minds Founder and Publisher, Francois van Schalkwyk, at the opening dinner.
(Below left to right:) Dr Blessing Makunike from University of Zimbabwe; Dr Endalew Kufi from Adama University in Ethiopia on stakeholder perceptions of student presentation; and participants Bekele Workie (Ethiopia) and Mwangi Macharia (Egerton University, Kenya), Taabo Mugume (UWC).
Dr Patrico Langa (Assistant Professor of Higher Education Studies at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Mozambique) at the Symposium (far right).
Ending day 1 of the symposium were two closing addresses:
Prof Nico Cloete (CHET) presenting on knowledge production in African flagship universities....
....and Dr Leo Zeilig (below), author of Revolt and Protest discusses origins and evolution of student activism in Africa from pre-independence through to the recent period. A way of summarising his insightful presentation could be to ask, to what extent the triumphantly proclaimed "end of ideology" (cf. Fukuyama et al.) impacted on African student politics? (Seated next to Leo is Mr Godlove Chifon).
The day finally closed with a visit to the University of Cape Town's Department of Student Affairs and Students' Representative Council for a most informative Questions and Answers Session with Ms Christine Immelga (middle) and Mr Shannon Bernhardt (from DSA; left) and SRC Secretary-General Keenan Hendrickse (right).
Authors and participants from the symposium asking questions about the UCT governance model and listening to the elaborations.
Dr Gerard Birantamjie from Burundi talking about ASSER and student leadership as a precursor to national leadership in politics and civil society (bottom, right).
And Mr Lucky Kgosithebe (Botswana, bottom left) on the contribution of higher education to democratisation with special reference to student governance at the University of Botswana.
Below left: Mr Mwangi J. Macharia (Kenya) presenting on "Comrades' Power!" in Kenyan student politics.
The symposium was followed by two workshops dealing with different aspects of the way forward "Towards Publication" respectively presented by Ms Felicity Gallagher and Dr Thierry Luescher-Mamashela. Overall the symposium and workshop concluded on the third day on a high note.
On the right: Co-editor of the publications, Mr James Jowi from Moi University. In summing up the symposium and workshop he mentioned a number of key cross-cutting issues such as the diagnostic potential of student politics for assessing the quality of democracy and, conversely, the important role of (political) culture in the governance of higher education institutions.
Last picture: Thierry Luescher, Soji Oni and James Jowi after a long day at the symposium, listening to the elaborations of how student governance at UCT works.
Last picture: Thierry Luescher, Soji Oni and James Jowi after a long day at the symposium, listening to the elaborations of how student governance at UCT works.
(Missing from the symposium were: Ms Claudia Fritelli from Carnegie; Prof Ibrahim Oanda from Codesria; Mr Daniel Manu (Ghana), Dr Pascal Bianchini).
