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Accepted Paper:
Neoliberalism and the decline of African scholarship: A critical reflection
Emnet Tadesse Woldegiorgis
(University of Johannesburg)
Paper short abstract:
This study aims to investigate the ongoing challenges faced by African universities in the wake of the neoliberalism policies, which have caused significant changes in the purpose, structure, and functioning of higher education systems.
Paper long abstract:
Neo-liberalism has a devastating impact on African higher education systems, transforming them from thriving hubs of scholarship and academic enquiry into subservient to market imperatives. This transformation has been facilitated by the rise of "new public management," which has brought about a fundamental shift in the way universities conceptualise and justify their existence. Due to the ascendancy of new public management and neoliberal policies, African universities have undergone a fundamental shift in their identity and purpose, transforming from centres of scholarly inquiry into academic corporations. The emphasis has shifted from the pursuit of knowledge to the production of quantifiable outputs, as universities are now expected to justify their existence by meeting market demands. Many African scholars have reduced themselves to data hunter-gatherers, whereas the fledgling intellectual scene that emerged on the continent after independence has been decimated. The study seeks to address key questions, including: How have neoliberal policies redefined the purpose and structure of African universities? What are the implications of this transformation on the quality of education, research, and scholarship? What measures can be taken to address the challenges? The study utilises a qualitative method exploring published materials, policy documents, memos and unpublished reports. The study also includes a critical discourse analysis to examine the dominant narratives and discourses surrounding neoliberalism and higher education in Africa. This paper explores the challenges that universities in Africa continue to encounter following the implementation of neoliberalism policies, which brought significant changes to the purpose, structure and functioning of higher education.