Student Power in African Higher Education
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Volume 3 Issue 1 2015 Student Power in African Higher Education Guest editors Thierry M. Luescher, Manja Klemenc ˇic ˇ and James Otieno Jowi Editorial team Editor-in-chief Prof. Teboho Moja, New York University Guest editors Dr Thierry M. Luescher, University of the Free State Dr Manja Klemenčič, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University Mr James Otieno Jowi, Moi University Editorial executive Prof. Teboho Moja, New York University Distinguished Prof. John Schuh, Emeritus, Iowa State University Dr Martin Mandew, Durban University of Technology Prof. Gerald Wangenge-Ouma, University of Pretoria Dr Birgit Schreiber, University of the Western Cape Dr Thierry M. Luescher, University of the Free State (Journal Manager) International editorial advisory board Distinguished Prof. Vincent Tinto, Emeritus, Syracuse University Prof. Magda Fourie-Malherbe, University of Stellenbosch Prof. Cecile Bodibe, Empowaworx Dr John Butler-Adam, Editor-in-Chief: SA Journal of Science Dr Tom Ellett, Senior Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, New York University Dr Ransford E. V. Gyampo, University of Ghana Dr Manja Klemenčič, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University Prof. Patrício Langa, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane Prof. Christina Lunceford, Bowling Green State University Prof. Jon Dalton, Emeritus, Florida State University Dr Llewelyn MacMaster, University of Stellenbosch Prof. Daniel Mkude, University of Dar es Salaam Prof. Dawn Person, California State University Fullerton Prof. Nan Yeld, University of Cape Town Prof. Lullu Tshiwula, Emeritus, University of the Western Cape Journal patron Prof. Lullu Tshiwula, Emeritus, University of the Western Cape Website technical team Ms Allison Fullard, University of the Western Cape Mr Mark P. Snyders, Repository and Digital Scholarship, University of the Western Cape Mr Solomon Kapfunde, Library ICT, University of the Western Cape iii Contents Preface Claudia Frittelli v Acknowledgement vi Editorial Student Power in Africa Manja Klemenčič, Thierry M. Luescher and James Otieno Jowi vii Research articles The politics of student housing: Student activism and representation in the determination of the user-price of a public–private partnership residence on a public university campus in South Africa Taabo Mugume and Thierry M. Luescher 1 Comrades’ power: Student representation and activism in universities in Kenya Mwangi J. Macharia 19 The Zimbabwe student movement: Love-hate relationship with government? Blessing Makunike 35 Are African flagship universities preparing students for citizenship? Lucky Kgosithebe and Thierry M. Luescher 49 The effectiveness of student involvement in decision-making and university leadership: A comparative analysis of 12 universities in South-west Nigeria Adesoji A. Oni and Jeremiah A. Adetoro 65 Reflective practice Internationalisation and the role for student affairs professionals: Lessons learned from the International Student Engagement Meeting Initiative Allen M. McFarlane 83 Campus dialogue The South African National Resource Centre (SANRC) for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition Conference 2015 Annsilla Nyar 93 Global Summit on Student Affairs: Africa joins the global conversations Lisa Bardill Moscaritolo and Birgit Schreiber 97 Book review Cloete, N., Maassen, P., & Bailey, T. (Eds.). (2015). Knowledge Production and Contradictory Functions in African Higher Education. Cape Town: African Minds. Reviewed by Birgit Schreiber 101 iv Author biographies 105 Thank you to our reviewers 110 Call for papers 111 IASAS 113 Latest publications by African Minds 114 Submissions 115 Journal of Student Affairs in Africa | Volume 3(1) 2015, v–vi | 2307-6267 | DOI: 10.14426/jsaa.v3i1.98 Preface Claudia Frittelli A common refrain of Western donors is that challenges of leadership, corruption and ethnicity are major elements hindering African development work. Whether these dynamics are any less prevalent in the developed world is arguable. However, one indisputable factor is the African youth bulge with an estimated 20% of the world population to be African by 2050. How Africa’s education systems nurture and accommodate the formative years will continue to affect mobility, peace and security globally. With the premise that African universities have the responsibility to educate and train their countries’ political and academic leaders, Carnegie Corporation of New York embarked on a programme to revitalise African universities in 2000. One report flowing from the programme’s research component and entitled The university in Africa and democratic citizenship: Hothouse or training ground? concluded that ‘the potential of a university to act as a training ground for democratic citizenship is best realized by supporting students’ exercise of democratic leadership on campus. This in turn develops and fosters democratic leadership in civil society’. The report prompted a collaborative research project which led to the book Student Politics in Africa: Representation and Activism and to this issue of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa. The book provides a 21st-century baseline review of student governance, as well as its development, current structures and level of enforcement in a cross section of universities and countries in sub-Saharan Africa and indicates how student participation has evolved since the student movements of the 1960s. Both the book and the journal issue provide evidence that the challenges of leadership, ethnic cleavages and good governance are already evident at the level of student leadership, often reflecting a national ethos influenced by political parties. This begs the question of how institutions might look if student governance was held to standards demanded by students themselves, thus changing the mindset graduates might take to their next institutional affiliations. www.jsaa.ac.za vi Journal of Student Affairs in Africa | Volume 3(1) 2015, v–vi | 2307-6267 | DOI: 10.14426/jsaa.v3i1.98 The issue ‘Student Power in Africa’ of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa and its companion publication, the book Student Politics in Africa: Representation and Activism, are especially useful resources for administrators interested in the transformation of institutional cultures, and as an orientation for new student leaders. Both publications are open access through a pioneering publisher, African Minds, another by-product of the programme support. Student leadership is one of the principal entry points where youth experience institutional governance. Vibrant universities engaged in innovative and often daring reform contribute to producing a new generation of leaders, an important route to transformative democratisation, reforming public policy and building civil society. This issue of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa offers reflection on how that process could advance. Claudia Frittelli Program Officer, Higher Education and Research in Africa Carnegie Corporation of New York Acknowledgement The issue ‘Student Power in Africa’ of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa was made possible with funding for the project Student Representation in Higher Education Governance in Africa received from Carnegie Corporation of New York, Grant No. D14034. Journal of Student Affairs in Africa | Volume 3(1) 2015, vii-xiv | 2307-6267 | DOI: 10.14426/jsaa.v3i1.99 Editorial Student Power in Africa Manja Klemenčič*, Thierry M. Luescher** and James Otieno Jowi*** This issue of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa brings together parts of the work of a group of young African scholars who have investigated student politics in Africa and its relation to university governance, national politics, citizenship and democracy in Africa. It is part of the African Minds project Student Representation in Higher Education Governance in Africa sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York (see Preface by Claudia Frittelli in this issue). Following an open call for proposals in December 2013, we received over 20 abstracts and eventually draft papers which we thoroughly reviewed and individually engaged the authors on. We gave them extensive comments and access to local and international literature, and advised them on conceptual, analytical and methodological approaches to guide the development of their papers. In August 2014, the group of authors and editors met for a three-day symposium and workshop in Cape Town, South Africa, during which they shared their experiences, reviewed and commented on one another’s contributions, and discussed cross-cutting issues emanating from the papers. The participants were also treated to workshops aimed at developing academic writing, presentation and publishing skills, and presentations on contemporary trends and practices in academic publishing. The final product of the project is presented in two publications: The dedicated issue ‘Student Power in Africa’ of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa and its companion publication, the book Student Politics in Africa: Representation and Activism, published as Vol. 2 in the African Higher Education Dynamics Series of African Minds (cf. Luescher, Klemenčič & Jowi, forthcoming). In our work as project leaders and editors, we have been cognisant of recent empirical and theoretical work conducted for various other projects, including the Council for the * Dr Manja Klemenčič is Fellow and Lecturer in Sociology of Higher Education in the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, USA. ** Dr Thierry M. Luescher is Senior Researcher