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The Demographics of African Faculty in the East African Community (DAF EAC) project funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York (G-21-58066), has launched its second phase.
Building upon evidence collected during the inaugural phase (2021-2023), this phase addresses data gaps and incorporates lessons learned from the pilot phase in Ghana in 2018. The pilot phase was funded by Mastercard Foundation, and Dubai Cares.
Phase 1 of the DAF EAC project identified significant data gaps at institutional, national, and regional levels, revealing fragmented and inconsistent faculty data in higher education institutions (HEIs). Key findings included:
University Projections:
1. Burundi: According to projections from the DAF model, the University of Burundi would require an additional faculty of 1,400 by the year 2030 to bridge the gap (Base year: 2021).
2. South Sudan: The University of Juba would need an additional faculty of 620 by 2030 to achieve policy norms for Student Teacher Ratios (Base year: 2021).
3. Uganda: Makerere University requires an additional 5,800 faculty members by 2030 to meet the increased student enrollment ratio (Base year: 2019).
Country-Level Projections:
1. Kenya: Projections indicate that Kenya will require an additional faculty of 26,000 by 2030 to meet Student Teacher Ratio goals, considering population growth (Base year: 2017).
2. Rwanda: The projections estimate that Rwanda will need an additional faculty of 12,600 by 2030 (Base year: 2021).
3. Tanzania: To achieve policy norms for Student Teacher Ratios by 2030, Tanzania requires an additional faculty of 33,300 (Base year: 2021).
Across Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, education was the discipline with the highest Student Teacher Ratio.
The second phase focuses on closing these gaps by establishing a comprehensive approach to institutionalizing data collection and management. This approach will link university data systems through national bodies and to the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), a regional intergovernmental agency.
This launch coincides with the 4th Biennial Conference on Catalysing Systemic Social Transformation Through Research and Innovation, hosted by the Commission for University Education in Kenya, highlighting the project's alignment with ongoing academic advancements.
The Demographics of African Faculty in the East African Community Project is implemented by a consortium comprised of the IUCEA, the Association of African Universities (AAU), Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA), and the Population Reference Bureau (PRB).
Running from 2023 to 2025, the DAF EAC phase 2 project aims to develop harmonised guidelines for unified data collection and management in the EAC. The project will also promote best practices for data collection and management in the region and beyond. Additionally, the project will engage in advocacy to highlight the importance of harmonized data collection and management guidelines within the East African Community and beyond.
Prof. Gaspard Banyankimbona, IUCEA Executive Secretary said, "The findings of the first phase of DAF EAC portrayed a dire situation and overall weak culture for higher education data collection and management in the EAC countries. The commitment to redress the situation is aligned to the IUCEA mandate to advise Partner States on all matters of higher education and research. Phase 2 of this project will promote and inculcate a culture of higher education data collection and management through application of a multifaceted approach. This will foster good practices and processes, as well as application of emerging technologies in higher education data collection and management."
Prof. Olusola Oyewole, Secretary General of the AAU, remarked, "The AAU has been involved in the DAF project since its Ghana pilot phase because we strongly believe that reliable and quality data is critical for decision-making by African higher education institutions and key stakeholders, including governments and development partners. Through this current phase of the project, we aim to establish a continental Higher Education Data Working Group that will work closely with the project team to address the data challenges in East Africa while contributing to solving the higher education data collection challenges across the continent. This DAF Project will also be associated with the Data Work Area activities under the Harmonisation of African Higher Education, Quality Assurance, and Accreditation (HAQAA 3) Project."
Dr Lucy Heady, CEO of ESSA, commented: "Collectively we have identified a systemic issue—a scarcity of data on faculty and higher education systems in the region. Ultimately, Phase 2 funding underscores the significance of the Demographics of African Faculty work and the consortium's capability to deliver. ESSA is excited to be working alongside its valued partners to take this collaboration to the next phase, to nurture a culture of data collection and collaboration. This is critical for a coordinated and unified approach to data in higher education and to support policymakers to design and implement reforms that enhance the quality of education in universities."
Dr Jennifer D. Sciubba, President and Chief Executive Officer of PRB, stated, "Meeting the rapidly growing demand for higher education is critical for EAC member states to harness the benefits of the demographic dividend. In phase 1 of this project, PRB was privileged to support IUCEA-appointed researchers from EAC member states to project the future demand for faculty in higher education—a crucial piece of assessing the future workforce in the world's youngest region. Moving into phase 2, we look forward to improving on these projections by supporting IUCEA to identify key data on students and faculty to be collected and disseminated by EAC member states."
The consortium aims to establish a coordinated and unified data collection system to inform higher education decisions at both the national and regional levels by the end of the implementation of DAF EAC phase 2.
