QUALITY, ICTs AND « LICENCE-MASTER- DOCTORATE »(LMD) REFORMS Juma SHABANI Abuja, September 22nd, 2015

LMD REFORMS IN EUROPE (1) 1999 adoption of the Bologna Declaration Major goal : To make academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe by 2010

LMD REFORMS IN EUROPE (2) Main priorities Introduction of the three-stage degree system (LMD/BMD); Adoption of comparable and compatible measures of quality assurance; and Recognition of qualifications and periods of studies.

ADOPTION OF LMD REFORMS IN AFRICA 2005: Heads of states of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community- 6 countries 2006: Council of Ministers of the African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education (CAMES)-19 countries 2007: Council of Ministers of the West African Economic and Monetary Union- 8 countries 2011: Burundi DRC/Madagascar

COMMITMENTS TO THE LMD REFORMS- THE CASE OF UEMOA COUNTRIES To respond to the needs of the labour market To ensure international recognition of degrees issued by higher education institutions in the UEMOA countries To promote mobility of learners, teachers and researchers To implement a system of credits transfer and accumulation To set up national quality assurance bodies in line with international quality standards

IMPLICATIONS FOR QA (1) Need to establish QA agencies in each country Currently ONLY 5 Francophone countries have QA Agencies Inputs/Processes/Outputs analysis Inputs: Infrastructure/Libraries/Labs/Students/Staff, … Processes: Pedagogy/Research, … Doctorate: PhD programmes

IMPLICATIONS FOR QA (2) Accreditation and QA: CAMES Framework Alignment with Pan-African Quality assurance and accreditation framework (PAQAF) Challenge of widening access and increasing higher education participation rates

CHALLENGES RELATED TO ACCESS Dakar Summit: Participation rate of 50% and training of all academic staff at the PhD level by 2063 South Africa Vision 2030 Increase number of PhD graduates per year from 1,421 in 2010 to 5,000 ; Increase number of academic staff with a PhD from 36% of the total number of academics in higher education in 2010 to 75%

IMPLICATIONS FOR ICTs Improvement of minimum standards Virtual libraries/Laboratories/Institutes Online management of credit transfer and accumulation E-learning

CURRENT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LMD REFORMS (1) Very limited implication of Government (Ministries of higher education and Telecommunications) Uneven involvement of stakeholders in particular students and administrative staff Lack of quality assurance mechanisms Absence of tools required to promote transparency and fairness in Assessment of degrees and periods of studies

CURRENT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LMD REFORMS (2) Generally, implementation of the LMD reform takes place in an atmosphere of tension between students/staff and university administration Need for a new Higher education policy

CASE STUDY OF SENEGAL ( Shabani- Toguebaye-Gueye) Establishment of a National quality assurance agency and 10 doctoral schools; In 2011, loan of USD million from the World Bank to increase efficiency, quality and accountability of the higher education system. Part of the loan used to expand the carrying capacity and facilities in the public universities, to establish second public university in Dakar and to improve students’ success rates in particular through the use of ICTs;

CASE STUDY OF SENEGAL (2) To implement performance contracts To implement a 1 laptop per student programme; To support the establishment of a 2 year higher education institute for professional studies in Thiès;

CASE STUDY OF SENEGAL (3) 2014: Increase access through establishment of the Virtual University of Senegal (with support of AfDB) and support of the Government to private HEIs Establishment of a new scholarship and social support policy Plans for establishment of 14 higher education professional institutions as well as 2 regional universities specialized in priority development areas.

CASE STUDY OF SENEGAL (4) Plans for establishment of a national virtual library Adoption of a Presidential Council on Higher education and a roadmap for higher education and research for the period Commitment of 302 billion Francs CFA i.e over USD 620 million during the period 2013 to 2017 to support implementation of the recommendations of the National Consultation on the future of higher education

LESSONS LEARNED AND WAY FORWARD Need for new higher education policies to take up the challenges

OPPORTUNITIES Political support Financial support from bi-multilateral cooperation Avalability of ICTs Knowledge on QA Public-private partnerships for development of relevant curricula and implementation of apprenticeship and internship schemes

THANK YOU