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Academic freedom and democracy in African countries: the first study to track the connection

Academic freedom and democracy in African countries: the first study to track the connection

THERE is growing interest in the state of academic freedom worldwide. A 1997 Unesco document defines it as the right of scholars to teach, discuss, research, publish, express opinions about systems and participate in academic bodies. Academic freedom is a cornerstone of education and knowledge. Yet there is surprisingly little empirical research on the actual impact of academic freedom. Comparable measurements have also been scarce. It was only in 2020 that a worldwide index of academic freedom was launched by the Varieties of Democracy database, V-Dem, in collaboration with the Scholars at Risk Network. Author LIISA LAAKSO, Senior Researcher, The…
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Resilience gives students an edge in rural African universities

Resilience gives students an edge in rural African universities

STUDENTS in rural African universities typically experience several challenges to do with poor infrastructure and a poor education foundation. CHINAZA ULEANYA, Researcher, University of South Africa As a way to deal with learning challenges, some scholars have suggested decolonisation of the curriculum. This implies replacing colonial content and practices with indigenous ones. Other scholars have suggested that other factors should be considered as part of the solution. Some of these factors include personal, family based, social, and institutional factors. I conducted research in two African countries to identify the common learning challenges that rural university students and their lecturers experienced…
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