Setting a new course for Africa

Denise Ryan
November 14, 2011


WHEN Heiko Schroeder saw the job advertisement in the London Times, it seemed almost calculated to capture his interest. It sought an academic to oversee the transformation of the technology faculty of a rapidly growing university.

But there was a catch: the applicant would have to move to Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia.

Professor Schroeder enjoyed his job as head of the school of computer science and technology at RMIT University - but after eight years there, he was up for a challenge. He also felt his teenage daughters might benefit from leaving life in the leafy eastern suburbs.
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''You live a totally sheltered life here,'' he says. ''Everything is mostly safe and boring. In Ethiopia you don't have the comfort but you learn a lot about different cultures, and about life. It is quite exciting because there is always something going on.''

So 20 months ago, the professor took four years' leave without pay from RMIT and relocated to Addis Ababa. His task was to turn the university's faculty of technology into an autonomous - and much larger - institute, to dramatically increase the developing nation's supply of engineers.

In the end, his wife and children remained in Melbourne, but visit regularly, and the experience has influenced them. One daughter recently mobilised fellow students at her secondary school to provide clothing and other help for Ethiopian women needing medical treatment for fistulas.

Professor Schroeder says such issues are impossible to ignore, and admits he struggles with ethical issues every day.

''The poverty is a major problem to deal with. I find it hard to walk past the many beggars that line the streets. I must have passed about 50 of them this morning.

''People argue that you should not give to kids at all - and in fact I have so far only given bananas, and a soccer ball to kids in my neighbourhood. I guess this was too good as I never saw them play with it. I assume they sold it.''

Witnessing such need, he has not baulked at dealing with student numbers that many would find overwhelming.

He expected 740 students to start classes in September last year, but was astonished when thousands more turned up. He was also asked to take another 500 from the university's science faculty, which meant he and his team of 150 academics had to train 3500 new students.

''When I arrived in March a year ago we had 3000 students. By 2014 we will have 20,000. That's quite a challenge. By then we will need about 700 academics but because we won't have them, we will have to be creative about the way we teach,'' he says.

In the civil engineering stream, for example, the 1500 new students are divided into classes of up to 100, with mostly local academics broadcasting each lecture on video screens at least 15 times.

''It is hard to imagine such student numbers in Australia but it is clear that they will continue to grow here as the government wants all children at school within 10 years, with up to 100 in a class. The country has a very young population with very few educated people,'' he says.

Most students, who do not pay fees, have moved to the city from the country and are housed in crowded bunk rooms. ''By our standards, the conditions are terrible.''

About 80 per cent of Ethiopia's population lives in rural areas, housed in round huts without electricity, running water or toilets. ''Thus we have to put more effort into training our students and so it takes five years for a bachelor degree in engineering,'' he says.

Group work forms a substantial part of each course as it can be supervised by masters students, with some undergraduate tutorials supervised by senior undergraduates.

Many of the nation's graduates leave to work overseas, but Professor Schroeder hopes his students will stay. ''I think the brain drain will stop when young people realise there are fantastic positions here where they can be well off, of course not by Australian standards, but in comparison to their neighbours.''

There is plenty of work as academics or on big projects. For example, 5000 engineers will be needed to build a 5000-kilometre railway network. To deal with the student numbers and the scale of the tasks that graduates face, Professor Schroeder is an avid reader. He credits the book Multipliers, by consultants Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown, with helping him to better understand his role.

The book, which analyses data from more than 150 leaders, outlines how best to motivate people. ''It confirms my view that if I work my butt off on my own I cannot make much difference, but if I show leadership and delegate a lot of tasks it will help people to become engaged.''

As the scientific director, he has devolved responsibility to 20 groups of about eight academics, with each having their own small budget and weekly meetings. ''While before all major decisions were made by the head of the faculty, now these groups can make decisions and pay for things on the spot. People become more active and enthusiastic. Workshops are cleaned up and equipment is restored. Making many people feel responsible for the place has the multiplier effect.''

His open mind and entrepreneurial approach can partly be attributed to a diverse career. A German citizen, he completed a PhD in computer science in his birthplace before working in senior academic roles at the University of Kansas, Australian National University, the University of Newcastle and the University of Loughborough in the UK. He lived in Singapore before joining RMIT.

Professor Schroeder would like Australian universities to take note of what is happening in Ethiopia and offer subsidised places to some students. In the absence of such philanthropy, he recommends his colleagues consider spending time at a university in a developing nation. ''It's very demanding but rewarding.''

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/education/setting-a-new-course-for-africa-20111114-1nfbd.html#ixzz1dhvNBCqT