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 …
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A self-governing organisation
of German universities:
239 member universities
122 student bodies
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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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)
www.daad.de/dies
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
German Academic Exchange Service
Kennedyallee 50
53175 Bonn
www.daad.de
© M
ichael Jord
an