TITLE:
Revisiting the Causes and Meaning of Higher Education Massification in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Cameroon
AUTHORS:
Jean Patrick Mve
KEYWORDS:
Massification, Higher Education, Causes and Meaning, Sub-Saharan Africa, Cameroon
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.9 No.4,
April
21,
2021
ABSTRACT: The
lack of common agreement on the typology of causes/drivers of massification
within the literature globally and the paradox between the meager GTER (Gross
Tertiary Enrollment Ratio) and higher education massification in Sub-Saharan
Africa require further reflection on this global issue (e.g., the massification
of higher education). This study aimed therefore to investigate higher
education massification in Cameroon, one of the Sub-Saharan African countries
affected by this phenomenon. It employed a qualitative approach based on
content analysis of secondary sources and semi-structured interviews with
Cameroonian academic members, managers, and higher education officials to
explore the causes and meaning of higher education massification in Cameroon.
The findings highlighted three factors as major underlying drivers of higher
education massification in Cameroon, namely: high rates of attendance and
completion in secondary/high schools; open-door policy; and resource
constraints. The study concludes that there is no exclusive relationship
between the level of the GTER and higher education massification in Cameroon
while referring to it as (a consequence of) the mismatch between student
quantity-students number and resource quality and quantity. A call for action
is made to policymakers to consider higher education massification and its
potential effects on quality assurance as a critical concern by developing
strategies to effectively address the problem of resource constraints among
higher education institutions.