Higher Education In The Fourth Industrial Revolution
Supporting academia — Industry linkages
As part of the Africa 4.0 week themed Africa in the fourth industrial revolution, Sahara Sparks in collaboration with Tumaini University Dar es salaam College (TUDARCo) designed two workshops that opened an avenue for discussion concerning the role of higher education in the fourth industrial revolution with a focal on the ‘3rd generation universities’ concept. The workshops were held on the 7th and the 9th of October 2019 in Dar es Salaam Tanzania.
1st & 2nd Generation Universities defined:
Over the years, universities have become explicit instruments of economic growth in the knowledge economy. With every passing century, they have evolved and adapted to the changes and the demands of communities that have been dynamic due to factors beyond control.
Moving towards the 3rd generation
This generation actively promotes the exploitation and commercialization of the knowledge they create. With over 18 million individuals that graduate across the country every year, there is a need for academic relevance that can match the industry demand. Indeed, there is an obvious need for the expansion of the third generation universities to stretch functional areas from just mere conversational study and research to entrepreneurship and innovation for the purpose of meeting the demand of the communities.
Of course, universities have been and are still seen as ivory towers isolated institutions that made their research and teaching theories for themselves without any substantial impact on the communities around them. As Professor Emmanuel Ngara of the African Association of Universities puts it;
Many African tertiary institutions produce half baked graduates that aren’t fit for the world to work mainly because of the way they are taught and the absence of curricular reviews that should respond to the call of industry’s contemporary needs
In this fourth industrial revolution, Universities must take the lead by embarking towards solutions. Universities should respond to industrial and societal demands. This can be achieved by adopting the concept of 3rd generation Universities, which is characterized as follows:
- The exploitation of the know-how becomes the objective in addition to just research and education. Education is provided to create scientists, professionals, and entrepreneurs. This knowledge is easily accessible, everyone can access it, thus the lecture’s role turns into coaching; guide the students to find information and put it into practice.
- 3rd generation universities are network universities, they collaborate with industries, private sectors, and even other universities through their knowledge carousel (accumulation).
- The knowledge of different disciplines and creativity as a driving force with equal importance as the rationale of scientific methods.
The 3rd Generation University will lead to the rise of academic entrepreneurship, where researchers can transform their work. There will be a rise of interdisciplinary, including the growth of the knowledge-based economy. Moreover, there will be a rise in corporate research. This will only happen where there is a strong linkage between Universities and Industries. The idea is to equip a student to solve actual real solutions before getting into the job market.
How can African Universities adapt to this concept?
According to a survey of higher education in Africa’s ten most populous countries; Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, DRC, Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Algeria, Kenya, & Tanzania, there are over 740 Universities and colleges in Africa.
How then, do these higher learning institutions transform into serial impact knowledge centers producing professionals, scientists, and entrepreneurs furnished for the industry? This was the focal discussion of the workshops during the Africa 4.0 week.
The workshops involved up to 118 individuals ranging from university representatives, private sector, innovators, and government representatives.
The opinions laid below briefly and collectively summarize what was shared during the workshop. All the recommendations and proposed steps to take were all based on four major areas: Attitude, Policy, Infrastructure, and Curricula.
- Faculties and lecturers should be given an opportunity to work with industries in order to learn the requirements of industries, and then teach them accordingly. It is impossible to give what you do not have. The professors and learned lectures are closed in the world of academic university formalities, however, there are not fully aware of what is really needed in the market.
- There should be the development of more hubs that will link the industry and universities. This will allow a shift towards a knowledge economy, a shift from closed innovation to open innovation.
- Changing the current curriculum to a more skilled kind of learning. However, this cannot be achieved without removing barriers in the curriculum development process.
- Change of lecturers attitudes towards students and industries, they must work in a profitable relationship
- Ministry needs to prepare workshops to demonstrate different practices so as to share best practices. Without the direct involvement of the government, it will take ages to transform into this, however, spontaneous measures can be taken by individual institutions without jeopardizing the existing procedures and policies, initiatives like the Team Academy model form the University of Iringa could be one of them.
- Academicians do much research but don’t share with industry or government to affect policy reforms. There is a need to change this perspective and culture to actively involve and share with the entire ecosystem.
To learn more about Sahara Sparks 2019, visit our publication site here.
Sahara Sparks 2020 Is Here!
It is the Sahara Sparks Season once again. With the theme: Beyond 2020
Capitalizing on the higher education sector, Sahara Sparks in collaboration with Kampala University in Tanzania will host a side event about envisioning the future of higher education in Africa: Beyond 2020.
Register for this build-up event here. And visit the saharasparks.com website to learn more.
