Exploring Anti-Democratic Practices in University Policy-Steerage, Management and Governance in Malawi: A Critical Theory Approach

This thesis draws on Critical Theory as advanced by Critical Theorists in the tradition of the Frankfurt School to explore the nature of anti-democratic practices within policy-steerage, management and governance of university education in Malawi. The thesis critiques instrumental use of reason and neopatrimonial aspects that permeate policy-steerage, management and governance of the university sector in Malawi, and suggests ways of emancipation or social change. Two philosophical ideas inform analysis of this emancipatory project: dialectical reasoning as advanced by the first generation Critical Theorists such as Horkheimer, Adorno and Marcuse and communicative rationality, which is complemented by the theory of the lifeworld as advanced by the second generation Critical Theorist, Habermas. Dialectical reasoning entails understanding things as they are now and what they might be in future, as such, it is a useful idea for emancipation in that it fosters constant questioning (reflexivity) on the part of actors to make things better. Communicative rationality entails that actors seek to reach common understanding and coordinate actions by reasoned arguments, consensus and cooperation rather than instrumental reasoning and is useful for attaining social change (Habermas, 1984, 1987). Data sources comprise global policy debates, policy documents and interviews with selected government policymakers, Malawian civil society, university administrators and leaders of university staff and student unions. The thesis reveals that at international policy-steerage level, university policy-making in Malawi is chiefly orchestrated by the World Bank using its economic power and the global-neoliberal logic. In this logic, Malawi follows the dictates of the powerful World Bank. Thus, the argument presented is that the World Bank’s university policy-steerage in Malawi follows instrumental rationality and is anti-democratic. Instrumental reasoning refers to the deliberate use of the power of reason for social control or manipulation. At university level, the thesis reveals a rivalry relationship among stakeholders which leads to constrained collegial governance. The thesis shows that the neopatrimonial attitude of presidentialism or the big-man syndrome, which permeates the management and governance of universities in Malawi, perpetuates instrumental use of reason and renders the system anti-democratic. At Malawi Government university policy-steerage level, the thesis shows problems associated with the usage of power by state presidents who are also chancellors of public universities. At this level, policy-steerage is interventionist and characterised by both neopatrimonial aspects of the big-man syndrome and patron-client relationships that lead to instrumental use of reason. Based on this Critical Theory analysis, a theory of university management and governance for Malawian universities is presented aimed at achieving emancipation. To achieve social change there is a need to challenge instrumental ways of reasoning and neopatrimonial aspects by employing dialectical reasoning and communicative rationality

The Quest for a Quality Delivery of University Education in Malawi

Studies in higher education show that a quality delivery of university education is paramount for the development of countries. However, achieving a quality delivery of university education is a serious endeavour in most African countries such as in Malawi. In this article, I explain the challenges faced by the university sector in Malawi and propose four complementary tenets necessary for achieving a quality delivery of university education. The four proposed tenets hinge on a need for: a coordinated higher education policy framework, an elaborate university education financing mechanism, a robust quality assurance system and a deliberative democratic governance university system. This paper contributes to debates and discourses surrounding efforts to achieve quality and relevance of university education in Africa and beyond. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p117

Philosophy of education in a new key: Cultivating a living philosophy of education to overcome coloniality and violence in African Universities

In this conversational article, we consider cultivating decoloniality in university education by drawing upon Jacques Ranci ere’s (2010) notion of a living philosophy. Ranci ere’s (2010) living philosophy holds the possibility of both a medium and a space for a re-thinking and a re-contemplation of what life is in relation to what it might be. Through engaging and sharing real human experiences from and within African societies and universities, we (re)imagine decoloniality as a fiction brought to life through a living philosophy of education. In this regard, we proffer eight points of departure and reflection

Spodbujanje dodelitev stipendij za poucevanje in ucenjez ucnimi teorijami in refleksivnostjo

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) remains a mostly elusive notion. For universities to genuinely contribute to SoTL, they must delineate clear parameters of engagement. For example, while some engage SoTL at the academic level, others examine it from an institutional policy perspective. Others view it from national and international frameworks that impact teaching and learning in universities. Engaging SoTL at the academic level, this article uses a postgraduate diploma module, Higher Education Context and Policy (mostly attended by university academics from South African universities) to show how a facilitator could draw from learning theories and reflectivity to teach and advance SoTL. More specifically, it demonstrates how a facilitator could mediate the module utilising a social constructivist learning theory perspective. (DIPF/Orig.

Governance in Malawian universities: The role of dialectical reasoning and communicative rationality

Contrary to much research that describe governance problems in African universities within lenses of positivism, this paper takes a critical theory approach. Based on insights from in-depth interviews with university administrators, academics and student union leaders, the paper reveals tensions among these university actors, which stem from the neopatrimonial aspect of the big-man syndrome. The big-man syndrome poses as the taken-for-granted aspect that facilitates misuse of power among university actors. Thus, this paper demonstrates that in Malawian universities most governance problems result from misuse of power among actors facilitated by the big-man syndrome. A proposal presented is for actors to contain the big-man syndrome and allow for democratic governance by employing dialectical reasoning and the Habermasian theory of communicative rationality. Keywords: university governance, critical theory, the big-man syndrome, democratic governance, dialectical reasoning, communicative rationalit

Can higher education policy frameworks engender quality higher education in Malawian universities?

Thesis (MEd)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Through policy document analyses and in-depth semi-structured interviews, this thesis examines the potential of higher education policy frameworks to engender quality university education in Malawian universities. Pertinent to the fast-growing higher education sector in Malawi is the connection between higher education policy frameworks and quality delivery of university education. Education policy frameworks in Malawi are mainly a response to the government’s broad policy of poverty alleviation. Thus this thesis argues that quality university education ought to contribute to poverty alleviation especially by assisting the country to achieve its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to implement the initiatives of the New Economic Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). To engender quality university education that could help to alleviate poverty in Malawi, this thesis through Habermasian critical inquiry proposes that quality ought to be the corollary of defensible higher education policy frameworks, policy documents need to delineate quality parameters, access to university education needs to be increased and, inevitably, discursive or deliberative higher education policy making ought to be given primacy.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Aan die hand van beleidsdokumentontleding en diepgaande, semigestruktureerde onderhoude, ondersoek hierdie tesis die potensiaal van hoëronderwysbeleidsraamwerke om gehalte universiteitsonderrig in Malawiese universiteite teweeg te bring. Van besondere belang vir die snelgroeiende hoëronderwyssektor in Malawi is die verband tussen hoëronderwysbeleidsraamwerke en die lewering van gehalte universiteitsonderrig. Malawiese onderwysbeleidsraamwerke is hoofsaaklik 'n reaksie op die regering se omvattende armoedeverligtingsbeleid. Daarom voer hierdie tesis aan dat gehalte universiteitsonderrig tot armoedeverligting behoort by te dra, veral deur die land te help om sy millenniumontwikkelingsdoelwitte (MOD’s) te bereik en die inisiatiewe van die Nuwe Vennootskap vir Afrika-ontwikkeling (NEPAD) in werking te stel. Ten einde gehalte universiteitsonderrig teweeg te bring wat armoede in Malawi kan help verlig, doen hierdie tesis deur Habermasiese kritiese ondersoek aan die hand dat gehalte die uitvloeisel van verdedigbare hoëronderwysbeleidsraamwerke moet wees, dat beleidsdokumente gehaltegrense moet neerlê, dat toegang tot universiteitsonderrig verbeter moet word, en dat beredeneerde of oorwoë hoëronderwysbeleidbepaling onafwendbaar voorrang behoort te geniet

Exploring Anti-Democratic Practices in University Policy-Steerage, Management and Governance in Malawi: A Critical Theory Approach

This thesis draws on Critical Theory as advanced by Critical Theorists in the tradition of the Frankfurt School to explore the nature of anti-democratic practices within policy-steerage, management and governance of university education in Malawi. The thesis critiques instrumental use of reason and neopatrimonial aspects that permeate policy-steerage, management and governance of the university sector in Malawi, and suggests ways of emancipation or social change. Two philosophical ideas inform analysis of this emancipatory project: dialectical reasoning as advanced by the first generation Critical Theorists such as Horkheimer, Adorno and Marcuse and communicative rationality, which is complemented by the theory of the lifeworld as advanced by the second generation Critical Theorist, Habermas. Dialectical reasoning entails understanding things as they are now and what they might be in future, as such, it is a useful idea for emancipation in that it fosters constant questioning (reflexivity) on the part of actors to make things better. Communicative rationality entails that actors seek to reach common understanding and coordinate actions by reasoned arguments, consensus and cooperation rather than instrumental reasoning and is useful for attaining social change (Habermas, 1984, 1987). Data sources comprise global policy debates, policy documents and interviews with selected government policymakers, Malawian civil society, university administrators and leaders of university staff and student unions. The thesis reveals that at international policy-steerage level, university policy-making in Malawi is chiefly orchestrated by the World Bank using its economic power and the global-neoliberal logic. In this logic, Malawi follows the dictates of the powerful World Bank. Thus, the argument presented is that the World Bank’s university policy-steerage in Malawi follows instrumental rationality and is anti-democratic. Instrumental reasoning refers to the deliberate use of the power of reason for social control or manipulation. At university level, the thesis reveals a rivalry relationship among stakeholders which leads to constrained collegial governance. The thesis shows that the neopatrimonial attitude of presidentialism or the big-man syndrome, which permeates the management and governance of universities in Malawi, perpetuates instrumental use of reason and renders the system anti-democratic. At Malawi Government university policy-steerage level, the thesis shows problems associated with the usage of power by state presidents who are also chancellors of public universities. At this level, policy-steerage is interventionist and characterised by both neopatrimonial aspects of the big-man syndrome and patron-client relationships that lead to instrumental use of reason. Based on this Critical Theory analysis, a theory of university management and governance for Malawian universities is presented aimed at achieving emancipation. To achieve social change there is a need to challenge instrumental ways of reasoning and neopatrimonial aspects by employing dialectical reasoning and communicative rationality

Who Guards the Guard?

Meta-evaluations by Quality Assurance Agencies (QAAs) aim to evaluate the quality of the evaluators of quality assurance. While such evaluations are the norm, especially in Europe, they are rare in Africa. A critical literaturereview was conducted to ascertain whether meta-evaluations were conducted in Namibia. The study estab-        -lished that such evaluations have yet to be practiced in the country. Drawing on Clark’s model of the organisa- -tional analysis of higher education institutions and the higher education system as an analytical lens, and based on the African Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance and some cases of meta-evaluation byQAAs, we argue for the need to conduct such evaluations in Namibia. The article provides an overview of QAAs’ operations and functions, as well as the current external quality assurance system for higher education inNamibia and justifies the necessity of meta-evaluation in the Namibian context in order to enhance the capacity of QAAs and the quality of higher education institutions. Key words: Higher Education, meta-evaluation, Namibia, quality assurance, Quality Assurance Agencie

Institutional Organisation of Distance Secondary School Teacher Training in Malawi:

There is a paucity of research on the institutional organisation of distance education. This article stems from a larger project that explored the learning implications of distance secondary school teacher training in Malawi. Drawing on the industrial education theory, it focuses on the nature of institutional organisation of distance teacher training at Domasi College of Education and Mzuzu University. Data were collected by means of semi-structured in-depth interviews with two administrators and two instructors, as well as document analysis. This study revealed challenges relating to the one-size-fits-all approach to the institutional organisation of distance teacher training in terms of distance education systems; their functions and coordination; documentation of plans; and instructional material design. This points to a lack of lucid planning for open and distance education in Malawi. Based on the findings, recommendations are offered to improve the country’s distance education system. Key words: Institutional organisation, distance secondary school teacher training, Malaw