Pretoria tempts top African students

A scheme to attract top African students to universities in South Africa "and encourage student mobility on the continent generally" will begin next year, further swelling the country's rapidly growing foreign student population.

African education ministers gave the go-ahead at a special meeting held on the last day of Unesco's recent World Conference on Higher Education in Paris.

South African education minister Sibusiso Bengu said the scheme would not hamper study opportunities for South Africans and would release donor funds to support local poor students.

This has been crucial in eliciting the support of student organisations. Professor Bengu said that these "in line with the increasingly xenophobic fears of South African workers" have been concerned that the more than 13,000 foreigners already studying will deprive local students of higher education places.

Top African students have traditionally travelled to the United States or Europe to complete their education. Many went on to become African leaders "but others remained or returned abroad, contributing to Africa's critical brain drain and skills shortage", Professor Bengu said.

However, global economic problems, a decline in donor funding and a greater regional focus, particularly growing intra-European student mobility, have led to a drop in their numbers.

South Africa's strong higher education system is being seen as an attractive, and cheaper, alternative. Importantly it also retains bright Africans in Africa and, from South Africa's point of view, potentially enhances this country's future influence over and relations with the continent.

In the longer term, the scheme aims to attract students to centres of academic excellence throughout Africa, Professor Bengu said. "Our students must be able to study elsewhere in Africa too."

The plan is to begin identifying these centres of excellence soon.

The regional collaboration programme, which in South Africa falls under the ANC government's African Renaissance activities and was approved by cabinet in June, will also be broadened to encourage academic mobility, institutional links and research development throughout the continent.

"We are upbeat and excited about it," Professor Bengu said.

The programme was approved two weeks ago by an inter-governmental committee of African education ministers from South Africa, Uganda, Guinea-Bissau, Algeria, Rwanda and Madagascar and by education ministers throughout the continent on October 8.

The student mobility scheme will start with scholarships enabling 20 postgraduates from African countries to study in South Africa next year.

"This means less than one student per country," Professor Bengu said, but this is merely because more time is needed for administrative practicalities. The programme will grow substantially in subsequent years.