Marc Wilde, Joint Higher Education Management

Programmes (DIES)

ACA Seminar, 13.12.2013

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Joint QA Capacity

Development with African

Partners –

a subregional approach

How can regional and international

cooperation enhance quality in African

higher education?

1. Introducing the DAAD

Structure, network, cooperation with Africa

2. Joint HE Management Programmes with Development

Countries

3. EWAQAS – DIES QA Project in West Africa

4. Lessons Learnt

Content …

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is …

3

A self-governing organisation

of German universities:

239 member universities

122 student bodies

The DAAD worldwide

A global network of 65 offices on all

continents supports us in our work.

Goals and tasks of the DAAD

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EXPERTISE FOR

ACADEMIC

COLLABORATION

STRUCTURES FOR

INTERNATIONALISATION

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR

THE BEST

Three strategic areas of activity

Grant scholarships to the best

so that the professionals and leaders

of tomorrow can gain qualifications at

the best locations, prepare for positions

of responsibility and cultivate contacts

throughout the world.

Create structures that promote

internationalisation

so that higher education

institutions can improve the

quality of research and

instruction and address the

challenges of the future with

strong partners.

so that more people can cross

borders and achieve success in

study and research.

so that German remains an

important language of culture

and scholarship.

so that higher education

institutions may contribute to

development and build bridges

to surmount conflicts.

Offer expertise for academic

collaboration

so that academic and political leaders

are able to make well-informed policy

decisions.

Scholarships and Funding

4.278 Africans in 2012

(1.876 individual scholarships)

2.014 Germans in 2012

(484 individual scholarships)

> 25.000 DAAD-Alumni

DAAD in Sub-Saharan Africa

Presence

1 Branch Office (Nairobi)

4 Information Centers

22 Lecturers (Lektoren)

University Partnerships

Centres of Excellence

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DAAD expenditures 2011 and 2012 for Subsahara Africa

33,1 Mio. EUR 35,4 Mio. EUR

Scholarships for Sub-Saharan Africa 2000 - 2012

923 987 959 941 763 838

1052 1186 1232

1453

1764

1548

2016

1785 1727 1891 1884 1829

1998

2254

2862

3327

3762 3732

4047

4280

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Scholarships

Germans Africans

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Dialogue

… fosters the exchange

on topics of higher

education management

and quality assurance

• DIES Conferences

• DIES Visits

• DIES Seminars

Partnerships

… … facilitate

cooperation between

German universities

and their partners in

developing countries in

order to set up efficient

management

structures

Projects

… support developing

countries in the

establishment of

transnational quality

assurance systems

Training Courses

… equip university

managers with skills for

innovative higher

education management

• Proposal Writing

• UNILEAD

• International Deans’

Course

• Internationalisation

Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies (DIES):

Joint Venture with the German Rector‘s Coference (HRK)

QA on a (Sub-)Regional level

With financial support by:

Mutual recognition: Students move to neighbouring countries,

credits & degrees are not automatically recognized

Efficiency: Sharing of limited key experts (especially in specific fields

or among small states)

Credibility: International and national acceptance is higher when

peers are not from home country

Sharing of good practices from several countries allow for mutual

learning

Independence: Academia should play a major role in regional

cooperation processes

Harmonisation: Further development of (sub-) regional standards;

common ground (history, economy)

Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies (DIES):

Joint Venture with the German Rector‘s Coference (HRK)

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… support partners in

the South in

establishing

transnational quality

assurance systems

DIES Project West Africa

Objectives

Strengthen national and institutional QA systems according to local

situations by capacity development

Facilitating policy dialogue among key stakeholders in order to

develop a shared understanding of standards in QA and strengthen

regional cooperation in QA

support the recognition of credits and degrees and the mobility of staff

and students in the West African region and beyond.

Enhancing West African QA Structures (EWAQAS)

2013 – 2015 (Phase 1)

Partners

AAU

CAMES

DAAD

UEMOA

UNESCO-BREDA

UNESCO IIEP

EWAQAS Action Lines (Road Map)

1. Training for Policy Makers: Distance Education Course on

approaches to QA on the system level (Focus: EQA)

2. Training for University Staff: Workshops for higher education

managers on Quality Management (Focus on IQA)

3. Policy Dialogue: sensitisation seminars and delegation visits

for leadership at political, intermediary and university level

4. Multiplication: Dissemination of Training Materials and

Adaption of East African Handbook (Road Map to Quality)

Challenges ahead

With financial support by:

Diversity: West African countries differ in language, HE governance

systems, size and stage of development in the field of QA

Balancing national and regional interest: regional actors need to

respect national autonomy and national decision makers need to

share a common understanding on a regional level

Multiplication: Knowledge gained in regional training activities need

to be passed on at the national level (from individual to institutional

level)

Alignment: Donors which support national or regional QA systems in

the region need to ensure that activities complement each other

DIES Projects: Lessons Learnt

Projects Start with key actors at the interface of politics and

management

Bring in the top (VCs-Ministers) and the middle level

(Deans, HoD, Deputy Commissioners) early - and

continuously keep them informed.

Align multi-part on the job training and pilot action

as closely as possible and combine classroom training

with on spot visits.

Integrate international experts, practitioners and change

agents from both regions (and beyond) into an

international training and consultancy team and work

with the same people throughout the project

Adjust timeline and activities to local needs and

demands (flexibility vs. rigid ToR)

Make use of instruments which complement each other

to increase impact and coordinate with other donors

… support partners in

the South in

establishing

transnational quality

assurance systems

Projects

There is no “one size fits all” solution: different regional

contexts and stages of development need to be taken into

account.

Moving beyond capacity development and training and

getting involved in setting up a (regional) QA Framework

on the system level is time consuming, requires a long term

financial investment and needs to be driven by common

interest of EQA and IQA policy makers.

Ownership and sustainability can only be achieved when

regional partners and experts are taken on board right from

the beginning and responsibility is gradually shifting to

Partners in the South (co-funding arrangements)

Long-term orientation and partnership based approach

creates trust, commitments and increases the impact

DIES Projects: Lessons Learnt

… support partners in

the South in

establishing

transnational quality

assurance systems

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Thank you for your attention.

Marc Wilde

Section Joint Higher Education Management

Programmes (DIES)

wilde@daad.de

www.daad.de/dies

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)

German Academic Exchange Service

Kennedyallee 50

53175 Bonn

www.daad.de

© M

ichael Jord

an