Although the quality of education and the quantity of well-equipped schools and teachers has steadily increased since the onset of the colonial period, there’s still not much upgrade to be done in the African educational system.
Today, we bring you an overview on the five (5) of the oldest universities in Africa.
1. University of Khartoum (1902) - Sudan
The University of Khartoum is the largest and oldest university in Sudan. It was established in 1902. This multi-campus, co-educational, public university is recognized as a top university and a high-ranked academic institution in Africa. It was renamed from Gordon Memorial College in 1956.
2 Stellenbosch University (1903) – South Africa
This university was established in the year 1903. Located in Stellenbosch, this university was the first African university to sign the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the
Sciences and Humanities.
3. Cairo University (1908) - Egypt
The Cairo University, founded on 21 December 1908, is a public university located in Giza. It became a state institution under King Fahd I in 1925. Currently, it enrolls around 155,000 students in 22 faculties. Three of its graduates are Nobel laureates.
4.University of Algiers (1909) - Algeria
The University of Algiers is located in Algiers, Algeria. It was established in 1909. The university stemmed out of different higher education institutions created in the 19th century under the French colonial rule. Today it is organized into seven faculties. There were some 30 indigenous Algerian students in 1914. Today, around 100,827 students study in this university.
5.Makerere University (1922) - Uganda
This university is located in Kampala, Uganda. It was first established as a technical school in 1922. It transitioned from the faculty based to the collegiate system a few years back. Today it is the largest institution of higher learning in Uganda. It is composed of nine colleges and one school and enrolls around 36,000 undergraduates and 4,000 postgraduates. Makerere University is one of the most prestigious universities on the African continent.