Times Top Universities in Africa 2010

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2010-2011/africa.html

So Tobi (one of our three amazing marketing directors) brought this article to my attention and I just felt to share it...


As the title suggests, it reports the top African Universities in rank order. So I clicked on the link and found that they concluded there are only two universities in the whole of Africa worthy of even being included in the rankings - University of Cape Town, South Africa and Alexandria University, Egypt. 


When I saw this I immediately thought it was just some sock sat in his/her bedroom writing untrue things. But if you continue to read it, it does look like the research was put in and this is not just an attack on Africa, the second largest and second most populated continent on the planet. 


Whether it's true or not, it does raise some thought-provoking points. I quote:

“Africa inherited a higher education system that was a carbon copy of [that of] the powers that colonised it. Right from the beginning, Africa started on a wrong footing – well behind the starting line, so to speak.

“Despite all the political and economic turmoil it has gone through since independence – often of its own making – it is now expected to compete on a completely non-level playing field. Not only is this unfair, it is also inappropriate,” says Mohamedbhai, who has also served as vice-chancellor of the University of Mauritius."

And then..

“Many of its best students take their higher degrees at universities in Europe, Asia and North America. Too few return. The African diaspora provides powerful intellectual input to the research achievements of other countries but returns less benefit to the countries of birth,” the report says.

“Science and technology are critical not only to the continent’s economic prosperity but also to such matters as food security, disease control, access to clean water and environmental sustainability…The volume of [research] activity remains small, much smaller than is desirable if the potential contribution of Africa’s researchers is to be realized for the benefit of its populations.”

The truth is, we all read this kind of stuff and think "yeah it's a real shame', but how many of us really intend on going back to our mother countries to work? I don't think this makes us selfish but we can't act like these kind of remarks aren't directed at us. I was born in the UK but I still feel like  I'm very much included. 

So yeah, I don't want to go into a debate cos that's not what this blog is for, but I think it's definitely worth thinking about

2011 ACS loveeee

Emma xx