Category: Africa

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Private Foundations and the Perils of Education Development

Issues around the impact of donor funding on education reform have resurfaced both in the local and global arenas. A recent editorial in the Los Angeles Times [1] questioned the role of foundations and philanthropists in U.S. public education, highlighting the Gates Foundation’s debatable “failures” to accomplish concrete results. On her well-followed blog, Diane Ravitch even called the funding choices of Bill Gates, Eli Broad or the Walton Family “unwise” and “undemocratic” [2]. This debate is hardly new as major newspapers [3]  have regularly underscored the negative impact of major private donors’ gifts on the United States’ secondary school system, particularly during the dire economic climate which left schools facing abysmal budget cuts. Continue reading “Private Foundations and the Perils of Education Development”

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Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York, endorses Unequal Partners: American Foundations and Higher Education Development in Africa

Fabrice Jaumont’s study is a welcome addition to the still small but growing corpus of research on American philanthropy in Africa, a sector that has yet to be fully analyzed or understood.

Continue reading “Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York, endorses Unequal Partners: American Foundations and Higher Education Development in Africa”

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The influence of U.S. foundations in Africa and the reinforced dominance of English

The discourse on priorities in African higher education is placed in a contested terrain, where grantors and grantees not only negotiate one another’s perspectives but also contend with inhospitable national contexts. In certain African countries, governments do not necessarily encourage the development of universities or international donors who are not overtly cooperative. Much to their credit, U.S. foundations have helped universities become self-sustainable and less dependent on government funding. They also succeeded in raising awareness about higher education in Africa as a sector worthy of financial support, thus making the case for Africa’s universities in national and international contexts. However, these foundations did not engage sufficiently with non-English speaking institutions, even when this was important to generate more equity and sustainability on the very sector that they sought to promote. Continue reading “The influence of U.S. foundations in Africa and the reinforced dominance of English”

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Language and U.S. Philanthropy in Africa

The mechanisms of international philanthropy and foreign investment are extremely complex. Africa’s ecology of donors is composed of numerous international agencies, development funds, international foundations, and pan-African organizations that allocate their funds based on a number of environmental and institutional factors. These funds, however, are limited, and grantees oftentimes find themselves competing for resources. Donors thus wield a huge amount of power, shaping the development of the continent through their grant-making practices. This unbalanced relationship between grantors and grantees does not go by unnoticed, and American foundations are often criticized for enforcing a pro-Western agenda as they unilaterally set development goals and priorities. Meanwhile, recent literature on African higher education suggests that African scholars are calling for more ownership in the inception and implementation of programs so as to serve the cause of African development, not Westernization. Continue reading “Language and U.S. Philanthropy in Africa”

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Unequal Partners: American Foundations and Higher Education Development in Africa

This book offers a nuanced analysis of a US-led foundation initiative of uncommon ambition, featuring seven foundations with a shared commitment to strengthen capacity in higher education in Sub-Saharan African universities. From a sociological perspective, the author puts new philanthropic trends into historical context even as he examines the conditions under which philanthropy can be effective, the impasses that foundations often face, and the novel context in which philanthropy operates today. Continue reading “Unequal Partners: American Foundations and Higher Education Development in Africa”

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Thomas Asher, Social Science Research Council, endorses Unequal Partners: American Foundations and Higher Education Development in Africa

This book is vitally important at a moment when higher education is internationalizing and global partnerships proliferate. Jaumont asks that academics, funders, and practitioners think about that which they do by casting bright light on the hard won opportunities of a crucial partnership in African higher education and the challenges that remain.

Continue reading “Thomas Asher, Social Science Research Council, endorses Unequal Partners: American Foundations and Higher Education Development in Africa”

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Richard Arum, Dean, School of Education, University of California Irvine, endorses Unequal Partners: American Foundations and Higher Education Development in Africa

In this book, Jaumont sheds light on the collaborative efforts of major US foundations on the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa. An important resource for those interested in understanding or improving educational philanthropy.

Continue reading “Richard Arum, Dean, School of Education, University of California Irvine, endorses Unequal Partners: American Foundations and Higher Education Development in Africa”

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Teboho Moja, Higher Education Program, NYU, endorses Unequal Partners: American Foundations and Higher Education Development in Africa

This book provides the reader with a window to peek into the world of foundations, a world that is often closed and not understood by the public. A must read for those interested in working with development agencies and for those depending on donor funding for development.

Continue reading “Teboho Moja, Higher Education Program, NYU, endorses Unequal Partners: American Foundations and Higher Education Development in Africa”

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Reconsidering Higher Education Development in Africa

According to the grant database maintained by the Foundation Center in New York City, American philanthropies made 13,565 grants to Africa between 2003 and 2013. These grants total nearly $4 billion. However, these grants were not equally distributed between countries. One important factor affecting a country’s ability to attract grants is its official or primary language. Continue reading “Reconsidering Higher Education Development in Africa”

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[video] Conference “My Culture, Your Culture: International Education for Success in the 21st Century”

How do you identify yourself? Are you American? French? Mexican? Latino? African? Haitian? Canadian? Quebecois? As the world becomes increasingly integrated and interconnected, cultural identity has taken on new meaning and importance. The ability to understand our own culture and the cultural heritage of others is essential for our shared humanity. It is also a powerful asset in a world that is increasingly more interconnected and competitive.

On Saturday, April 12, we examined these topics at the Lycée Français de New York with leading educators, policy makers, entrepreneurs and practitioners from around the world. The conference “My Culture, Your Culture: International Education for Success in the 21st Century” explored cultural identity and diversity, and how best to prepare our students for success in the future. You can watch the video of the different panels below. Continue reading “ Conference “My Culture, Your Culture: International Education for Success in the 21st Century””