Reshaping African PhDs for development

The African Institute of Mathematical Sciences in Muizenberg. From left: Institute Director Fritz Hahne; Pedro Ferreira, an Oxford Astrophysicist on sabbatical; and Angeleena, a student from Tanzania.

With the growing recognition that knowledge and innovation are critical contributors to national wealth and welfare, postgraduate education — specifically doctoral training —has become a priority for African higher education. South Africa’s National Research Foundation launched its PhD project some years ago with the specific intention of ramping up the number of doctoral graduates produced annually by the South African higher education system. This is one of the policy objectives of the National Development Plan and of the newly published White Paper for Post-School Education and Training.

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