‘Embrace innovative distance learning’

DAR ES SALAAM: AFRICAN universities have been urged to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) and innovative distance-learning models to expand access to affordable and quality higher education for the continent’s rapidly growing youth population.

Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Professor Daniel Mushi, made the call yesterday at the ongoing 57th Board Meeting of the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE), hosted by the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) in Dar es Salaam.

Prof Mushi said Africa’s more than 400 million young people aged between 15 and 35, representing about 30 per cent of the world’s youth population, were putting increasing pressure on university classrooms, teaching personnel and other infrastructure.

He said traditional university infrastructure alone could not meet the continent’s rising demand for higher education, urging institutions to explore online and blended learning, lifelong learning, micro-credentials, recognition of prior learning and virtual mobility.

“Africa represents the youngest continent with a growing youth population, while technology is transforming how knowledge is created, shared and consumed,” he said.

Prof Mushi noted that tertiary enrolment in Africa had doubled since 2000, from less than five per cent to about nine per cent, but remained far below the global average of roughly 38 per cent.

He said relying solely on constructing conventional campuses would not be enough to meet future demand. “The challenge is not simply to build more classrooms, but to find smarter and more inclusive ways of delivering quality education,” he said.

Prof Mushi stressed that expanding access must go hand-in-hand with quality, relevance and academic integrity, particularly as AI rapidly transforms teaching, research and employment.

“Access without quality is not success,” he said.

He challenged universities to move beyond treating AI solely as a threat to academic integrity and instead promote its responsible and ethical use while strengthening critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving and sound judgement.

ACDE Acting president, Professor Paul Gundani, said the council remained committed to helping African institutions expand access to flexible and inclusive higher education while maintaining strong quality standards.

“Growth without quality cannot deliver the transformative education that Africa requires,” Prof Gundani said.

He said ACDE had developed a quality assurance toolkit to help universities strengthen internal quality assurance systems for open, distance and digital education. The council was also considering engaging the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) on its possible application within the country’s higher education system.

For his part, ACDE Second Vice-President and OUT Vice-Chancellor, Prof Alex Mkulilo, assured the Deputy Permanent Secretary that the council would effectively deliberate on expanding the capacity of higher learning institutions across Africa.

On AI, Prof Mkulilo said OUT introduced guidelines for students and staff last year to promote responsible use of the technology.

“The guideline does not ban AI use but emphasises responsible utilisation of the new technology, including in publishing academic research,” he said.

The meeting, which began on Tuesday, concludes tomorrow, bringing together higher education executives, academics and policymakers to deliberate on improving teaching and learning in the digital era.

ACDE is a continental body comprising about 30 universities promoting higher education through distance learning.