Over 250 participants are expected to attend the 18th biennial Conference of Rectors, Vice Chancellors and Presidents of African Universities (COREVIP), scheduled for June 2 – 5, at the Serena Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda.
According to a statement by the organisers, the Association of African Universities (AAU), topical issues slated for discussion at the conference with the theme – Internalisation of Higher Education in Africa – include promoting: the quality of higher education in African; mobility and credit transfer across Africa; new modes of teaching and learning (including electronic and distance learning) to enhance learning outcomes, skills, competencies and graduate employability; and improving the relevance of higher education in a globalized world.
The expected participants at the COREVIP will comprise executive heads of AAU member institutions, top-notched African scholars, representatives of students’ bodies, sub-regional, regional and international organisations.
Besides, donor and development agencies that partner with the AAU in carrying out its mandate of improving the quality of higher education in Africa, will also attend.
With the internationalisation of African higher education requiring concerted and well synchronised efforts from all key players, Ministers of Higher Education and other higher education policy think tanks are also expected to attend the august conference.
The meeting will provide an excellent opportunity for leaders of African higher education institutions, particularly the current member institutions of the AAU, to exchange experiences and draw on the lessons from the themes. It will also create an opportunity to hear from both regional and international organisations involved in higher education initiatives.
The COREVIP is an assembly of the chief executive officers of member institutions or their representatives. It meets every two years with the purpose of collectively examining themes identified as common concerns and priorities for the development of higher education in member institutions; making recommendations primarily to members, the governing board, and the Secretariat.
The assembly acts as a mid-term forum for taking stock of the implementation of the decisions of the General Conference and recommends corrective measures.
The AAU is an international, non-governmental organization set up in November 1967 by universities in Africa, to promote cooperation among themselves and between them and the international academic community.
With a current membership of 320 institutions of higher learning, drawn from all regions within the continent, the AAU is the representative voice of the African higher education community.
Its mission is to raise the quality of higher education in Africa and strengthen its contributions to African development by fostering cooperation and collaboration among its member institutions; providing support to their core functions of teaching, learning and research.