The African Virtual University (AVU) is a pan-African effort to create an open and affordable distance learning institution to serve the African continent. The AVU began in 1997 as a project of the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
and later developed into an autonomous institution after it was handed over to African governments in 2003.
Over the program's lifetime, critics have questioned its efficacy as well as its neocolonial aspects.
Reasons for creation
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...
is a region that has experienced high rates of HIV/AIDS, political instability, and poverty. These conditions have contributed to a paucity of state-run educational institutions, an insufficient number of educators, and a surplus of students. For these reasons, many students attend universities outside of SSA which has drained the region of its educated residents Specifically, the AVU was designed to expand the capacity of SSA institutions of higher learning to service a larger number of students. The UVA hoped that these additional spaces would lower the cost of education to more affordable levels. Furthermore, the AVU initiative desired to equip SSA students with the skills they would need to compete in the new professional jobs emerging on the continent—especially in the technical industries. The initiative hoped that the AVU could provide access to academic databases, high-quality professors, and technical curricula to close the gap between African country's economies and that of the rest of the world.
As of 2013, the program had more than 40,000 graduates in 27 Sub-Saharan countries and planned to expand to phone-based content in 2015 due to the prevalence of smartphones on the continent.
Neocolonialism in higher education
Conditions attached to World Bank loans forced African countries to reduce spending on higher education, since higher education institutions paid lower dividends than elementary and secondary education programs.
These conditions decreased the quality of education provided by African universities. Additionally, the World Bank also introduced their own more expensive alternative programs taught by western professors.
These programs, especially regarding historical, cultural, and humanities-related content raised concerns about the interpretations being provided by western scholars.
The origins of many African universities harkens back to western influence as well.
Modern western schools have reinforced this legacy of dependency through AVU's western partner universities who provide the program's content.
This flow of knowledge moves in a one-way direction from the West to the East, leaving African countries with little say in the curriculum.
References
Further reading
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See also
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List of universities in Kenya
This is a list of universities and colleges in Kenya. Kenya has a number of universities and other institutions of higher learning. There are 30 public universities, 30 chartered private universities and 30 universities with Letter of Interim Aut ...
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Education in Kenya
Education in Kenya refers to the institutionalised education system in Kenya, whereby pupils and students are taught in specific locations (and buildings), following a particular curriculum. The institutionalised system differs from traditiona ...
External links
{{coord missing, Kenya
Universities and colleges established in 1997
1997 establishments in Kenya
Universities in Kenya