Regional seminar on University-Level continuing education for manpower development in Africa

Abstract

Most African countries originally established their universities in conformity with Western models. It was assumed that their two overriding functions would be to conduct teaching and research. In some countries governments have reacted sharply to the detachment of the universities by insisting that they become primarily concerned with community service or forfeit financial support from public funds, In other countries the reaction has been less drastic but there is nevertheless increasing governmental pressure to introduce an element of public service. Universities are nowadays so costly to maintain that no government can afford the luxury of letting them do what they please. However, if the aims of African universities are being modified it is still not clear what public service ought to entail in practice. There are few African universities at the present time that can claim to be making substantial contribution in every on of these four areas and not many indeed that can claim to be making substantial contribution in any one of them.