The need for a “bologna declaration” pronouncement for Africa’s chemistry programs at tertiary levels

Abstract

Africa has a pressing need for more chemistry graduates of good quality, to take forward all forms of industrial and economic development. It also needs more chemistry graduates to build up the chemical education system itself by providing a strong new generation of teachers, college lecturers, academics and leaders in chemical industries and research. However, the way chemistry content is packaged to comprise levels 1–3 of a BSc degree program is skewed and does not facilitate learning. To-date over the years of adopting this setup, countries have not made any strides in terms of pass rates and the quality of graduates declines year-by-year. The use of NQF (National  qualification framework) levels and credits further complicate this matter. As a result, transfer of credits from one country in Africa to the other has become difficult as an agreed upon principle does not exist for countries to recognize one another’s  qualifications. Hence it is recommended that a declaration be adopted to mitigate the above scenario. The role of the Federation of African Societies of Chemistry in  championing this endeavor is suggested.