2016年-世界发展银行全球_Benchmarking_Institutions_of_Applied_Sciences_Engineering_and_Technology_in_Sub-Saharan_Africa___Benchmarking_Results_138页_2mb

Summary of Benchmarking Institutions of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (ASET) in Sub-Saharan Africa

Core Content

This report presents the findings of the PASET Regional Benchmarking Initiative, which aimed to assess the performance and institutional health of 28 out of 48 Sub-Saharan African universities that participated in the 2016 benchmarking exercise. The analysis covers key areas including inclusion & equity, learning achievement, labour market outcomes, research results, technology transfer, governance & management, and finance.

Main Findings

Inclusion & Equity

• Gender Inequality: Most universities have between 18% and 43% female graduates, indicating persistent gender disparities.
• Low-Income Students: The inclusion of students from low-income families varies significantly, ranging from 2% to 89%.
• Accessibility for Disabled Students: Although efforts have been made to include more wheelchair students, only 20% of universities have fully accessible buildings.
• Financial and Merit-Based Aid: On average, 1 in 2 first-year undergraduates receives need-based aid, and 1 in 3 receives merit-based aid.

Learning Achievement / Quality of Teaching & Learning

• Professional Examination Pass Rates: The passing rate varies from 25% to 100%, with a noticeable improvement in both mean and median scores over the past five years.
• Student Satisfaction: Students are most satisfied with academic interactions among peers (mean = 4.07, median = 4.00) and least satisfied with IT infrastructure (mean = 2.69, median = 2.79).
• Graduation Rates: 7 out of 10 bachelor's students graduate on time (mean = 87%), while master's and PhD students have lower on-time graduation rates (mean = 86% and 76%, respectively).
• Quality of Teaching: There is a positive trend in pedagogical training for academic staff (median increased from 14% to 24%) and the proportion of accredited programs (median increased from 83% to 91%).

Labour Market Outcomes / Relevance

• Employment Rates: 3 out of 5 graduates are employed within 6 months (mean = 59%), but this varies significantly (range = 18% to 100%).
• Curriculum Relevance: The low employment rate is likely due to the lack of alignment between university curricula and job market demands.
• Internship Participation: Only 36% of students complete internships during their studies.
• Practitioner Involvement: Only a small proportion (median = 3%) of full-time lecturers are practitioners.

Research Results

• Research Output: None of the universities are ranked in Shanghai Ranking's Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) due to low research influence.
• Scientific Publications: Most universities have less than 200 scientific papers indexed by Scopus.
• Doctoral Degrees: The proportion of academics with doctoral degrees ranges from 5% to 89%, indicating a significant gap in research capability.
• Research Funding: The median amount of internal and external research funding per academic has more than tripled over five years, and the proportion of institutional income spent on research has increased from 1% to 3%.

Technology Transfer Results

• Technology Transfer Activity: Most universities have minimal technology transfer outcomes, with an average of 0.92 new patents, 1.31 spin-offs, and 5.31 jobs created over three years.
• Staff Participation: Only 12% of academic staff are involved in technology transfer activities, and institutional budget spent on this is minimal (median = 0%).

Governance & Management

• Autonomy and Freedom: Universities generally have high levels of organisational autonomy (mean = 3.29/4) and academic freedom (mean = 2.43/3), but financial management autonomy is low (mean = 1.42/3).
• Leadership Selection: There is a trend towards more objective and transparent leadership selection (mean increased from 2.08 to 2.20).
• Management Systems: Management information systems (MIS) have improved (mean increased from 2.04 to 2.24).
• Strike Impact: Some universities experienced up to 30 days of academic disruption due to strikes.

Finance

• Self-Generated Income: 25% of universities have more than 51% of their income from self-generated sources.

Key Recommendations

• Data Collection: More effort should be made to ensure participants understand what is expected during the data submission process.
• Data Quality: The data submitted should be supported by solid evidence, and an online platform with validation rules would improve data quality.
• Communication: Clear communication is essential to reduce confusion and ambiguities in the data collection process.
• Indicator Design: The benchmarking indicators should be reviewed to ensure they are both useful and feasible to collect within the time frame.

Conclusion

The benchmarking exercise highlights both progress and challenges across various domains. While there are positive trends in teaching quality and research funding, significant gaps remain in inclusion, curriculum relevance, and technology transfer. The report serves as a diagnostic tool for universities to identify areas for improvement and to support strategic planning and quality enhancement efforts.