Financing Higher Education in Lesotho and a

Transcript:Financing Higher Education in Lesotho and a:
Financing Higher Education in Lesotho and a Selection of Other SADC Countries Spirit B. Tlali & Innocent Hapazari Faculty of Science & Technology National University of Lesotho Faculty of Science and Technology National University of Lesotho, P.O Roma 180 Lesotho, Southern Africa Maseru, Lesotho 31st March 2016 Coverage The presentation will touch on: Background Higher Education Model in Botswana Higher Education Model in Namibia Higher Education Model in Swaziland Higher Education Model in Lesotho Conclusion Faculty of Science and Technology 2 Background Why Higher Education? Higher education is central to nation building and economic development, and thus it is universally accepted that it is a critical economic engine for prosperity and growth. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) contributions of HE to socio-economic development can be categorized into four major domains, namely: The formation of human capital (primarily through teaching and learning); The building of knowledge bases (primarily through research and knowledge development); The dissemination and use of knowledge (primarily through interactions with knowledge users); and The maintenance of knowledge (inter-generational storage and transmission of knowledge). 3 Faculty of Science and Technology Where do we start? African Dilemma Background Cont’d World Bank in its 2010 report stressed that, in order for Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in particular, to reap full benefits of their investment in human capital, higher education institutions (HEIs) must have sufficient finances to provide quality training and sound professional prospects to their students. To that end, HE should play a key role: in training qualified individuals, capable of implementing new technologies and using innovative methods to establish more efficient enterprises and institutions, and thus allocate resources more effectively. through research and increased knowledge to address the challenges arising from population growth, limited arable land, endemic diseases, urbanization, energy costs, and climate change. Faculty of Science and Technology 5 Background Cont’d Faculty of Science and Technology 6 For Lesotho, provision of HE is enshrined in the country’s Constitution which commits the State to ensuring that “… HE is made equally accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular, by the progressive introduction of free education …". In addition, the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) emphasizes enhancement of the skills base, technology adoption and foundation for innovation as one of the strategic goals whose attainment will ensure realization of Lesotho National Vision 2020 which states that: “By