- Public Health - Health Promotion and Disease Prevention - Water and Sanitation - Sexual and Reproductive Health - Nursing Education
Higher education in Africa has witnessed an increase in the number of student enrollment from 250,000 in 1970 to 9.45 million in 2010. During the same period the number of universities in Africa increased from 100 to over 1,500 in 1970 and 2010 respectively. Despite this increase in doctoral enrolment the graduate output has been disproportionate particularly with reference to the requirement for production of high level skills in the knowledge economy. Further, knowledge and information are considered to be the main drivers of the economy therefore putting a lot of emphasis on the quality of PhD produced by universities. Quality in doctoral education and supervision is an important element that should be linked to the universities’ research strategies. The institution should develop measurable indicators in line with its priorities. The industry requires PhD holders who have knowledge and skills that are relevant to solving problems. It is therefore upon universities to put in place strategies that enhance quality in these programs. Production of quality PhDs relies not only on the end product but how the program is structured and the processes that one goes through to attain the qualification. Recommendations for improving quality in doctoral education in African universities includes: • The universities should develop flexible doctoral programs which are aligned with the industry needs to enhance the relevance of the programs to the market. • Establishment or strengthening of doctoral schools, policies and guidelines will also improve quality through standards and consistency in the implementation of the programs. • Memorandum of understanding that clearly outlines roles and expectations of each stakeholder should be used from the beginning and throughout the interaction between supervisor and student. • Though supervisors may prefer a particular supervisory style, they should be aware of the different styles and be flexible to use them in different circumstances with emphasis on contractual supervisory style which is high both in support and structure. • The supervisor should consistently carry out self-assessment to determine how good they are in supervision and identify areas to be worked on. • The institutions should put in place programs for continuous training of both supervisor and students. Young researchers and supervisors should be budded with senior supervisors through mentorship. • The government and other funding institutions should increase funding for research and doctoral programs in higher education.
