How African Learners Can Pursue Higher Education Effectively

Higher education is certainly one of the key factors that can enable you to confidently compete in today's intensely competitive global job market. Various countries across Africa are striving hard to counter academic challenges and offer excellent learning opportunities to students. Although a lot more is still required to be done to improve the educational scenario in the continent, many establishments are now taking the right steps to help you earn a degree and steer your career towards success. Lets have look..... 

Making Education Effective 

I have observed that a number of organisations are working diligently to improve the state of higher education in Africa. UN agencies, such as the World Bank and UNESCO, along with the Carnegie Corporation of New York are now offering excellent online resources. The African Network of Scientific and Technological Institutions (ANSTI), established by UNESCO in 1980, focuses on improving capacity for research and training while aiding collaboration. The bi-annual conference organised by ANSTI, the Conference of Vice-Chancellors, Deans of Science Engineering and Technology or COVIDSET, focuses on addressing challenges related to engineering and science education. According to reports from the COVIDSET, actions plans have already been proposed to improve the relevance of technology, engineering and science education in the overall development of Africa. 

Moreover the Education for All Global Monitoring Report from UNESCO aims to identify helpful policy reforms, effective practice, new challenges and evaluate progress in achieving the goal of Education for All. This also includes increasing the volume of students pursuing higher education. UNESCO has taken another initiative called Education Transforms Lives, which works to promote education and enhance employment opportunities. 

Focussing On Academic Challenges 

In addition to this, the World Bank has set up nineteen centres of excellence in mathematics, engineering, technology and science at reputed universities across 7 countries throughout Central and West Africa. Another programme by the World Bank, Tertiary Education In Africa, aims to improve different aspects in higher education in Africa. 

Furthermore, the Higher Education and Libraries in Africa programme launched by the Carnegie Corporation of New York provides financial assistance and access to resources, projects and institutions that are striving to better capacity development in Africa. It focuses on improving excellence in postgraduate education, research as well as retention of scientists in their own countries. The company also started the Africa Regional Initiative in Science and Education that is improving engineering and science education and research by facilitating university-based networks. This helps learners to access financial assistance and job opportunities. 

Opting For A Smarter Solution 

However, the fact remains that even though all these establishments are significantly improving the state of higher education in Africa, numerous aspiring students are still unable to access quality learning opportunities and acquire training and qualifications. In fact, the value of a recognised degree is growing every passing day as employers keep looking for candidates who can add value to their business from day one. Hence it has now become important that not only you acquire the right training and qualification, but also gain relevant work experience that will give you an edge over the competition while going for a job interview. 

I admit that several political, geographical and other challenges across the continent have made it difficult for most students to pursue a degree, but if you work smartly, you can not only gain experience but also earn a recognised degree with taking out any student loans. How? The answer is online degree programmes. 

Many academic experts believe online learning is an excellent and valuable tool that can enable African students to pursue higher education and professional programmes right from their homes, without spending excessive money. You can now find numerous students across Africa pursuing online degree programmes from various colleges and universities worldwide. These online programmes are not only affordable, but these also enable you to work and study simultaneously with easy and flexible schedules. Moreover as most employers and universities now recognise and accept online degrees, you will be able to get a job or pursue further education easily. 

Improving Education In Africa 

With more learning and training opportunities being introduced, both online and on-campus, the future of higher education in Africa surely seems bright with better and more affordable options and growing employment opportunities. 

What do you think ? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions with us. We would love to hear from you. 

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Why The Nigerian Government Is Unable To Stop Private Universities From Hiking Tuition Fees

Tuition fees in colleges and universities across the globe are hiking exponentially and this has become one of the major challenges for aspiring learners planning to pursue higher education. As a result of the increasing college tuition, more and more students are now feeling the compulsion to take heavy student loans which is eventually affecting their careers and lives adversely once they graduate. The situation seems to be even worse in developing countries like African nations. Currently, private universities all over Nigeria are charging ridiculously high fees to the students which most learners are finding it difficult to pay. However, the sad part is that the Nigerian government believes that it cannot determine how much private universities will charge students, saying that Federal universities do not charge any tuition fees.

Can Private Universities Charge Anything?

Osita Chidoka, Nigerian Minister of Aviation, said that now private universities in the country can charge any amount they want for profiting from their operations and the Federal Government is unable to take any action to prevent this.

As per a report by The Nation, Chidoka made this comment while he was trying to shield different questions from news reporters recently after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, where authorities approved the development of 9 new private universities. The minister said that all universities in Nigeria under the Federal government and mentioned that the authorities are concerned only about the standards of the institutes, especially regarding staffing and facilities.

Osita Chidoka said “Government really does not have anything to do as far as what the private institutions are charging. Tuition is free in public schools. All that is the responsibility of government is to ensure that the standards are maintained. We are to ensure that they are operating within the minimum required standard, and that is the responsibility of the NUC in terms of their facilities, staffing and so on.”

He added “The accreditation of any universities or courses has nothing to do with the fees they charge just like the private hospitals.”

Are No-Tuition Public Universities The Solution?

Nigeria’s Aviation Minister stated that students in the country have the option to pursue affordable education in public schools, declaring that none of the Federal universities in the nation charges any tuition fee. Chidoka said “As far as government is concerned, all Federal Government universities are tuition-free. Whatever the universities are charging are so minimal for some day-to-day activities: games fees, union fees and some other fees.”

He mentioned that although some school can charge some nominal fees to cover other fees, but maintained that such fees do not comprise the tuition fees. He further said “There is a university that is charging as low as N20,000, N15,000. Some charge N30, 000 to N80, 000 or so which is a composition of a number of different kinds of fees. But basically, no university owned by government is charging tuition fee.”

There are many Nigerians, particularly the learners at Nigerian public schools, who might not appreciate or even accept the minister’s views on tuition fees charged by private universities. In 2014, numerous Nigerian students from all over the nation joined in the protest against rising tuition fees. There is currently a strong need for offering affordable and quality higher education to the students and help them improve their employability and their future career.

What do you think about the rising fees in Nigerian private universities? Share your views and opinions with us by commenting below.

5 Great Ways For Female Executives - Fight Bias In The Workplace

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Being a woman executive in the global business world, dominated mostly by men, can surely be a daunting task. It is not enough that you need to manage everything at your work place, but you also need to manage and take care of everyone at your house as well. But there are women out there who are balancing both worlds effectively and giving men a run for their money.

Doing It All Effectively

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 Being a woman executive myself, many people have asked me that how do I manage to do it? Well, there are no clear answers...you stay focussed and get it done. The key is to get adequate rest, be prepared, never be late, organise everything at home and make every member in your family do their part. I agree that there will be some bad days when nothing will seem to work, but you need to stick with it.

The fact is women have a much harder time in advancing their career and moving forward in the corporate world. We earn much less than our male counterparts in the same designation and are recruited for only a handful of leadership roles. We experience harassment and discrimination in large numbers and are expected to take care of the house and our careers simultaneously.

Getting Things In Line

But now it’s time that we take charge and make things right. Here I am going to talk about the top 5 thing that you can do as a female executive to avoid trends and stereotypes, fight bias and encourage gender equality in your workplace-

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1.You need to start by reading the article titled “Madam C.E.O., Get Me a Coffee” by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant that was featured in the New York Times. Erin Krehbiel, President at Global Benefits Firm, says “Office Housework or as I like to refer to it: the admin trap. Women are far more likely to volunteer for training, mentoring and last-minute client requests.”

2.Identify the “Power Seat” and use it to your advantage. Krehbiel says “I recently came across a blog post about where you sit at a meeting and how it affects the room/team, etc. Unconsciously, I have been using the tips for years, but the explanation was fascinating. Since I tend to come off as a decision maker in control, I have learned that sitting within the group vs. at the head of the table is a great tool to avoid “witch” distinction.”

3.Erin Krehbiel believes that women need to share their voice and actively join the “the cause” through engagement with companies such as 2020 Women on Boards. She adds “It DOES matter! Boards of directors make decisions that impact all of us and the lack of diversity in general is shocking.”

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 4.One of the worst things about female executive and women in the workplace in general is that we have developed a bad reputation of not supporting or standing up for each other. The President of Global Benefits Firm says “Men have done a tremendous job joining together and taking control. That might explain the divide in top corporations where females occupy only 5% of CEO positions.”

5.It is time to accept and embrace change for our own development. I believe that all women need to get rid of their perfectionist tendencies. We need to have a more open mind towards change and be willing to take risks. Krehbiel says “I have practiced this skill for years and it has benefitted me both personally and professionally. I now feel excitement build when a large opportunity rears its head.”

So there are my tips for making things better at your workplace and at your won house. If you would like to add some of your own tips to the discussion then feel free to comment below. I would love to hear what you have to say.

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Top 6 Strategic Tips For Aspiring Entrepreneurs In Africa

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Are you an aspiring entrepreneur? Are you planning to start your own business? There is no doubt that becoming a successful entrepreneur can be much like a roller coaster ride. Starting your own business will fetch its own set of challenges and benefits unique to Africa. So it is imperative that you know how to face challenges successfully and how make the most of business opportunities.

Here are the six most important things that I learnt while starting and running my own consulting business in the last 3 years. Trust me it is very important that you know these things before you go and start your business. Read on....

More presentations from Makena Conteh

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 It Is Easy To Start A Business

Since I left my job and decided to start my business, the first thing I did was set up budget. My initial start-up costs were rather low. After spending some time on research and talking to other entrepreneurs, I realised starting a LLC was a wiser move than being a Sole Proprietor. I also hired a lawyer for my small business that offered me various advices about my company and took care of the paper work. Then I hired an accountant to take care of the financial records and tax issues.

It Is Harder To Run A Business

I often feel that entrepreneurs need to strive hard and prove their mettle against the entire world. As a business owner you will need to stay motivated all the time so that you don’t wander off from the course. Although some friends and family might coax you to give up and get a job instead, but it is your passion for your business that will keep you going. Although you might be tempted to give up under various situations, like getting an excellent job opportunity, things not working out your way, you cannot get discouraged. If you have doubt about your self-motivation and passion for business, then I would suggest that you reconsider being an entrepreneur.

Marketing Can Be Challenging 

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I will tell you right now that marketing your business is the most important and challenging tasks. When you become a business owner, you need to show the world how good you are in your work. Clients will only hire your services when you show them that you are confident and capable. Nowadays, traditional marketing strategies do not have a strong impact. You should know how to use the digital and social media in an innovative way to promote your business.

Prepare For Low Phases

No matter how good your marketing strategy and service is, every business is bound to face some low phases during its existence. Surviving during this period can be especially difficult during the initial years. I decided to save money from when I had enough work to keep me going when I will be struggling to secure deals for my business. You need to pay yourself well and save money for operating expenses, taxes and bad days.

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  Networking Is Important

If you are an entrepreneur then you simply cannot choose to be an introvert. The more you network with the right contacts the better it will be for your business in the long term. Although I am not an avid fan of socialising, yet I made sure that I got out and met with important people and extended my network. Meeting prospective clients face-to-face can do wonders for your business.

Learn About Business

Although I had a significant amount of work experience and adequate knowledge about my industry, still I decided to pursue a business management programme. I felt that I needed to know about the inner workings of a business and develop the right business, leadership and management skills. As going for a full time programme was not a feasible option for me, I pursued an online undergraduate management diploma course and it has worked wonders for me and my business.

I would suggest that you also consider studying online undergraduate diploma courses in management as it will teach you the necessary skills and knowledge. Moreover, as online courses are highly flexible you can easily work on your start-up throughout the day and focus on your studies at night or any other time you find convenient. There is no need for you to invest a heavy amount to earn a business diploma as online programmes are highly affordable. Your business education will give you a global perspective and understand and help you go a long way.

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So there you have it! These are my tips for any aspiring entrepreneur who is all set to start his/her own company. I hope these tips can help you in your entrepreneurial journey and lead you to success.

Do you want to add to the list? Then share you own ideas and experiences with me by commenting below.

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How Standardisation Of Online Classes Can Offer Students A Better Learning Experience

Now students can take advantage of more and more online programmes and classes offered by growing number of colleges and universities that are adopting digital technologies. Several textbook firms such as Pearson PLC are starting to standardise online classes by developing special online programmes and offering them to various universities. These online courses require less effort from educators and provide a more effective means of delivering content to our learners. Hence, some might perceive that it offers some sort of threat for teachers.

Better Education, Less Effort

Is there any reason to have an educator in the classroom when you can learn efficiently directly from a computer? However, there is still a strong need to have instructors in the classrooms are online learning will not replace them completely. As the standardised online course will increase their productivity, instructors can now teach better with much less effort and their enhanced competence will help the learners to a great extent.

It should be noted here that most of the educators will not be affected by the standardised online courses. There are some subjects and classes that cannot be taught online or standardised. Courses like humanities and other higher level courses, irrespective of the discipline, are best taught by teachers in person and cannot be properly pre-packaged. These types of classes require direct interaction and discussion with educators in a classroom setting.

Improving Presentation

However, several other courses can actually be successfully taught online. Subjects like lower level college maths courses including Calculus I can be effectively standardised. Here the know-how of the instructor and opportunities for discussion are comparatively insignificant. But the presentation of the study material is of utmost importance here. In order to compete with on-campus programmes, standardised online courses will need to achieve this effectively. Hence it can facilitate in improving the method is which our learners are presented with the material.

Standardisation Will Not Replace Teachers

The fact is numerous adjunct educators will be unable to maintain their jobs if less effort is need to conduct teaching sessions. But as fewer teachers will be required to teach the courses, all of the adjunct instructors will not be replaced. Classrooms will still have a need for educators, but instead of simply grading papers and assignments or develop new syllabus, instructors can now concentrate on helping each student.

This will also enable the instructors to teach more classes as every separate class will need less time and effort of an adjunct. If you think that online learning technology will result in teachers losing their jobs, then it will be simply a case of misinterpretation. As teaching costs will be decreased, it will help in saving resources that can be more effectively used in other areas of teaching.

Offering A Better Experience

Schools can use such saving in various ways to promote the wellbeing of the learners in the form of offering more and better services, decreased tuition fees and enhanced learning experience. Universities can also use the savings to offer other benefits to the students, in case reducing tuition is a not a feasible option. No matter what, it will help to better reallocate resources and enable educators and institutions to better help our learners.

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More Employers Are Now Accepting Online Master's Degrees, Say Experts

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Nowadays studying online has become one of the most preferable options for most aspiring learners as it offers them high levels of flexibility and convenience to study and work at the same time. After completing her bachelor's degree in 2007, Patricia Samuels from Orlando, Florida decided to pursue an online master's programme in special education. She opted for an online programme as it allowed her to balance a full-time teaching job at a local school and yet focus on her studies. She says “To me, a master's is a master's. Employers care that you have the degree and that you have the knowledge, they don't care if you got it online.”

A Flexible Mode Of Instruction

Samuels is one of many students around the world who are pursuing higher education programmes online to properly juggle their work and education. With the growing popularity of online learning, digital degrees are now getting widely recognised and accepted by universities and employers alike, say experts. However, some specific programmes are more reputed than most others. Hence if you are planning to earn an online degree to earn higher salaries and give your career the needed push, then you need to do some research before you apply for a programme.

According to education experts, when selecting the most suitable online master's degree, you need to focus more on the reputation of the institution and the programme as these are more significant than the mode of learning.

Earning A Degree Is More Important

Catherine Horn, Associate Education Professor at the University of Houston, says “I think we're still in a space where the institution granting the online degree continues to have some sway in at least its perceived value.” The online graduate education programme offered by the university has been ranked top in 2015 by U.S. News. Horn adds that several institutions do not even specify the mode of learning in the transcripts and degrees. Hence school officials and employers can only view the name of the school and the programme.

This is hardly ever important in public school districts even when an online degree is noticeable believe education experts. In the sphere of K-12, online master's degrees are widespread and thus recruiters do not consider them as something different or separate from the norm, adds Horn. Most recruiters and hiring managers who have attended a school or college programme recently have experienced either the blended learning approach or even fully online study. Hence they have the idea that online classes are as challenging as on-campus courses.

Getting The Right Qualifications

Jeff Cravy, the principal of South Whidbey Elementary School, is charged with the responsibility of recruiting teachers for the school in Washington. He says that he does not have any second thoughts about applicants who have earned their degrees online. Cravy adds “I haven't had a bad experience with anyone who has been trained at a specific online college.”

He believes that it is more important whether you have the right credentials and the skills, match the requirements of the position and how well you perform in the interview.

What do you think about online degrees? Are you already pursuing an online programme? Share your views, opinions and experiences with us by commenting below.

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Do You Have What It Takes To Be The Most Successful African Woman?

Do you dream of becoming a successful African woman? Are you planning to be one of the leading businesswomen in Africa? Although there are several challenges for African women to build successful careers and contribute to the society and economy; but if you are passionate about your goals, then you can surely achieve success despite all odds.

Although the global business world is dominated by men, several remarkable women have become highly successful in different fields like leadership, entrepreneurship, technology, politics and business across the continent in the past few years.

Here we are going to have a look at some of Africa’s most prominent and successful women and how you can become one. Keep reading...

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is a renowned and respected entrepreneur from Ethiopia. She is the founder of the footwear brand SoleRebels, which experts believe to be the African version of brands like Adidas, Reebok and Nike.

Alemu was born in the impoverished small rural community of Zenebework in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. At an early age she realised that although most people in her region were unemployed, they had striking artisan skills that were not utilised properly. She decided to use the skills of the locals in community to build an enterprise to create employment opportunities and wealth over a certain period. In 2004, Alemu managed to gather startup capital with the help of her husband and relatives and started SoleRebels by mobilising her talented community members. Now the brand has become the most popular footwears in Africa.

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu has earned global recognition for her efforts and is one of the most famous female entrepreneurs in Africa. At the 2012 annual African Business Awards, she was awarded the ‘Most Outstanding Businesswoman’ by African Business Magazine. She was also titled the ‘Most Valuable Entrepreneur’ at the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) in 2011.

Ory Okolloh

Okolloh is a renowned blogger and open-government activist from Kenya. She is also the co-founder of Ushahidi, which is a free open source platform for managing crowd sourcing crisis information. Moreover, she also started the website Mzalendo which assists the electorate of Kenya to keep a tab on activities of representatives in parliament.

Currently she acts as Google’s policy manager for Africa. Even after being a mother and wife, Ory Okolloh has successfully managed to progress her career and act as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.

Divine Ndhlukula

Ndhlukula is a successful Zimbabwean entrepreneur who founded the largest security company in the nation, SECURICO. Currently she acts as the Managing Director of the organisation. She has achieved a lot in her 15 year long career as her $13 million company has grown remarkably. SECURICO has over 3,400 employees, among whom 900 are women workers.

Her organisation was awarded the esteemed Legatum Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship in 2011. She owes most of her success to her training from MBA degree which she earned from Midlands State University. She says “I have an Executive MBA from Midlands State University and an MBA (Honorary) from Women’s University in Africa conferred me in recognition of my business leadership and efforts on gender equality.”

Ndhlukula adds “In 1998 I saw an opportunity in the security services sector. The opportunity was prompted by what I had noted in this sector- a total lack of professionalism, quality and services that customers really yearned for.”

Khanyi Dhlomo

Khanyi Dhlomo is a 36- year old media mogul from South Africa. After completing her journalism course from the University of Witwatersrand, she became the first black newscaster for national broadcaster SABC1. She eventually worked for True Love magazine and became its editor at the age of 22.

After almost 8 years for being the editor, she went to France and acted as the manager of South Africa Tourism Board in Paris. After she earned her MBA from Harvard Business School in 2007, Dhlomo founded Ndalo Media, which is the biggest media company in Africa. She also launched the website DestinyConnect.com and fashion department store Luminance in 2013.

Be A Successful African Woman

These women have passionate about their careers and pursued their career goals with zeal and motivation. But how can you become a successful woman in Africa? Apart from being determined to climb up the career ladder, you will need to possess the essential skills and knowledge to gain expertise in your field. As you can see above, most of these women have earned higher education degrees, even after starting their careers. Getting a college degree will open excellent career opportunities for you so that you can reach your goals.

Get The Right Degree

How can you pursue a college degree if you are already employed? If you ask me, getting university degree online can be your best option. Why? Let’s face it...most of the African nations face various challenges regarding education. Pursuing an online programme will enable you to earn a recognised degree from globally reputed universities in Africa, UK and US directly from the convenience of your own home. As all the study materials are available online, you can choose to study at your own pace without attending the campus.

Moreover, studying an online university degree allows you to effectively manage your work and family commitments, and still find time for your studies. As there are no scheduled classes, you can easily do a full time job and study at night.

Now It’s Your Turn To Succeed

Your online college degree also allows you to hone your skills and acquire essential knowledge that will empower you to boost your career. Becoming a successful woman in Africa might not be an easy task, but with the help of a higher education degree you can make the right start and move steadily towards your career goals.