What We Want: Student Voices in Shaping a New African University

Students' voices have often been heard in protests against unfair treatment and ignored needs by university administration and lecturers. Student unions have represented students in decision making but have in some instances been labelled "political agents for opposition parties." The long-standing cry by students stems from their need to be involved in matters concerning them, their needs, and expectations from universities at which they are enrolled. Thus, students' active participation in decision making is an important element in reshaping African universities. Failure to pay attention to student voices defeats the purpose of 21st-century participatory and inclusive higher education. This paper explores the participatory involvement of students in creating a new African university. Using Dunne & Zanstra's (2011) Students as Change Agents Model as a theoretical framework, the researcher explores the role of students in higher education governance in the transition to a new African university. Employing a mixed method approach, data were collected through online questionnaires with both closed and open-ended questions. Findings show that more than 60 per cent of students feel unheard and uninvolved in university governance. Overall, students are willing and ready to use dialogue and take part in the transformation of higher education but can only do so through equal representation in higher education governance structures. Conclusively, it is important that higher education governance utilises inclusive and participatory approaches for ownership of goals, co-creation of knowledge, as well as decision-making processes. Accountability is key in governance, and should include the voices of students for the avoidance of conflict and violence.