Aaron S. Mweene School of Veterinary Medicine University of Zambia & Member of the OIE ad hoc Group on Veterinary Education Veterinary Education in Africa
VEEs in AFRICA Senegal Guinea Morocco 4 Algeria 2 9 Ghana Benin Nigeria Tunisia Cameroon 2 Libya Angola Namibia 3 Egypt Democratic Republic of the Congo Zambia South Africa 2 Sudan 2 South Sudan Uganda Zimbabwe 0 Ethiopia Kenya Mozambique Madagascar 5 VEEs First VEE at Cairo University in 836 Most countries have own VEEs Inter-State School of Veterinary Science and Medicine of Dakar (5-member French-speaking countries)
Types of VEEs in Africa Public / Private / Combination AFRICA TOTAL private 2% public 98% private % Combination % public 88% Almost all VEEs in Africa are public High cost of veterinary education delivery Public good so government sshoulder the responsibilty
The growth of VEEs 200 80 60 40 20 00 80 60 40 20 0 3 5 760 780 800 820 840 860 880 900 920 940 960 980 2000 today Year of creation Early VEEs were at universities of Cairo (836), Pretoria (920), Khartoum (938) VEEs have been growing since 960 s Most African countries gained independence hence- Agrarian revolution (animal health &production increased) 9 Africa (5) 3
34 The size of VEES [ref] Worldwide figure 6% 4% 4% 42% 4 0 2 34% 0-50 5-00 0-50 5-200 > 200 Number of graduates Most of the VEEs in Africa are relatively small High cost of delivery of veterinary education limits sizes Perception is that smaller classes is under performance
Curricula 5 6 years, are discipline-based and cover the traditional preclinical, paraclinical and clinical subjects in producing general practitioners Entry requirement of high school certificates or relevant diploma, led to a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine or Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree Graduates range from 5 to 200 per year per institution Due to minimal collaboration among VEEs the knowledge and skills acquired varied
Trends in curriculum development To enhance collaboration between regional VEEs, harmonisation of the veterinary curricula was needed. World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), has assumed a global leadership in the formulation of the basic Veterinary Education requirements for veterinarians related to its mandate. OIE developed the tools: o o Recommendations on the Competencies of Graduating Veterinarians Veterinary Education Core Curriculum OIE Guidelines
(2009) Establishment of the Southern and Eastern Africa Association of VEE (SEAAVEE) VEEs in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) with those of Kenya and Uganda Working towards the harmonisation of veterinary education among VEEs in the region Efforts are made to work with the South African Veterinary Council for regional accreditation
Deans of the Southern and Eastern Africa Association of VEE (SEAAVEE) meeting Deans in SEAAVEE meet annually with rotating Chairmanship Overview of participants. Picture P. Bastiaensen (oie) 205
(202) Establishment of the Mediterranean Network of Establishments for Veterinary Education (REEV-MED) Collaboration between Establishments for Veterinary Education (EVE) among the TWO MEDITERRANEAN SHORES Improve the standard of veterinary education at the regional level Implementation in the North African region of an evaluation process for EVE similar to the European system of evaluation of EVE
Veterinary Education: REEV-Med Mediterranean Network of Establishments for Veterinary Education (REEV-Med in French) REEV-Med network Today about 20 Establishments jointed the network REEV-Med members meet regularly Uses OIE guidelines on veterinary education requirements for veterinarians
Status of implementation of OIE Day Competencies A questionnaire sent to most VEEs across Africa was answered by some VEEs in North, West, Central, Eastern and southern Africa (red dashed circles) Provided comprehensive insights on the status of implementation of the OIE Day Competencies on the continent. All the VEEs that responded had already started modifying their curricula to reflect the OIE Day Competencies.
Challenges in the implementation of OIE Day Competencies Some of the VEEs cited challenges in providing students sufficient field practical exposure mainly due to budget constraints One VEE mentioned that due to several traditional habits, the application of animal welfare standards were difficult to implement at the moment. Budget has been a challenge, particularly for field work and linkages with communities and TADs practices within the interface zones (wildlife-human-livestock). The inadequate or lack of persistent means to fund curriculum development and reviews was expressed by all the VEEs
Quality assurance and competence of graduates Approvals of programmes in most VEEs is by national bodies such as Veterinary Statutory Bodies or the ministries responsible for higher education. External accreditation is provided in the VEEs by the South African veterinary Council and the Namibian Veterinary Council Some VEEs in the REEV-Med network will also start to be evaluated shortly. A participating VEE in the SEAAVEE stated that current graduates and students have more and broader competences in relation to the diversification of their courses and the hourly volume carried over.
Veterinary paraprofessionals (VPPs) Categories of VPPs in ZAMBIA Involved in animal health activities Community animal health workers Involved in food hygiene, including the abattoirs
Veterinary para-professionals (Zambia) Roles: VPPs are functional members of Veterinary Services Participate in public and private sector veterinary services Recognition: The Veterinary Council of Zambia registers veterinary paraprofessionals. Training/education: Certificate (2 yr study), diploma (3 Yr Study). Currently all will be required to undertake a 3yr study. Training institutions are public. The Veterinary Council of Zambia certifies the curriculum and training facilities. The School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia is directly and indirectly involved in training of veterinary para-professionals.
Conclusion and recommendations Most VEEs face serious challenges, both in budget and qualified human resource Need for investment in networking/partnerships for the optimal use of resources in Africa. Regional initiatives, like the SEAAVEE and REEV-MED including twinning, should be encouraged Have set a positive outlook for effectively stimulating collaboration, networking, and partnerships to cost-effectively solve issues in the implementation of the OIE Day Competencies in Africa.
Thank you Aaron S. Mweene School of Veterinary Medicine University of Zambia & Member of the OIE ad hoc Group on Veterinary Education asmweene04@yahoo.com alternate: asmweene@unza.zm