The Challenges of Regulating Cross-border Higher Education Providers in Africa

By

Dr. Isaac N. Obasi

Department of Political and Administrative Studies,

University of Botswana,

Gaborone, Southern Africa

Email: zikobasi@yahoo.com; & obasiin@mopipi.ub.bw.

ABSTRACT

All over the world, the activities of cross-border higher education providers are growing steadily under globalization particularly following the inclusion of education as a commodity under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Higher education commercial companies from Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America have been seeking the expansion of their market activities and the major targets have been Africa and Asia where a large segment of the youthful population is desperately seeking access into higher education. The growing activities of cross-border providers especially the unrecognized and rogue providers, have significant potentials to re-shape work in higher education generally and particularly in African higher educational institutions as a result of their vulnerabilities. This paper seeks to examine the activities of cross-border higher education providers in Africa against the background of the enormous challenges of regulating them in countries with weak regulatory frameworks or even without any at all. The paper makes recommendations towards ensuring that effective accreditation and good quality assurance measures are in place in higher educational institutions in Africa.

* Abstract of a paper for the Second Industry Level and International Conference on ‘Re-shaping WORK in Higher Education in Africa, organized by the National Tertiary Education Staff Union (NTESU), South Africa, to be held in Durban, January 13-16, 2008