The prejudice exists that physics students from
African countries are seeking study and research opportunities in North
America and Europe in order to escape from their disadvantageous
situation in Africa.
This prejudice about physics in Africa is, however, only partly true
and does not apply to all universities in all regions of Africa. The
University of Nairobi is Kenya's elite university. Some, including
prominent officials of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD),
consider the University of Nairobi to be even
the best university in Sub-Sahara Africa (excluding South Africa). DAAD
greatly supports the University of
Nairobi and is its second biggest financial supporter (see the report on
several meetings in Paris in 1998). In particular, the
undergraduate courses
are of good quality which has been verified by the physics
students
who have already studied at the University of Nairobi (see Participants).
Because of this, Kenyan students at the undergraduate level are not
encouraged to study abroad and the limited finanical support is instead
given to Kenyan students at the postgraduate level. Only at a
postgraduate and research level universities in North America and
Europe offer clearly better opportunities compared to the University of
Nairobi. Those German physics students who have recently received the
"Vordiplom" are therefore able to benefit best from the courses offered
at the University of Nairobi.
The Berlin-Nairobi Exchange arranged for an official agreement
between the Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Nairobi
so that German physics students are not charged the high tuition fees
of
2600 US$
(approx. 2000 Euro).
An academic year at the University of Nairobi which is well planned,
ideally in cooperation with the Chairman on the Degree Committee
(Vorsitzender
des Prüfungsausschusses) of the home physics department, will
certainly be academically worthwhile and will not delay the studies in
Germany.
DAAD scholarships
The three German physics students who will be selected to study at the
University of Nairobi will be able to apply for a DAAD scholarship
called
DAAD
Jahresstipendium.
Contributing to projects
The development of this physics student exchange began in 1995 and the
first German exchange students went to Nairobi in 1998. Since then the
we have gained much experience in the cooperation between Berlin and
Nairobi. Using this experience and the student exchange as a
foundation, we are currently developing new projects, one in multimedia
(Interactive Screen Experiments (ISEs)), two in renewable energies,
more specifically, in solarcells research as well as energy
infrastructure modelling, and one in air quality. More detailed
information on these projects can be obtained from
a
summary of the activities of the Berlin-Nairobi Exchange (pdf),
which was written recently upon a special request from the Heinrich
Böll
Foundation in Nairobi.
Being a pioneer
German physics students studying at the
University of Nairobi are true
pioneers. To date no other physics student exchange exists that gives
physics students in Germany the opportunity to study at a university in
Sub-Sahara Africa (excluding South Africa). German physics students are
therefore pioneers in establishing a cooperation in physics between an
African
country and Germany. Such a form of cooperation is also novel and much
needed
in the sense that it is not an aid project. Instead of going to Africa
to
give advice to an African university, German physics students learn
from
an African university thereby giving co-development in higher education
between the industrialised and developing world a new meaning. See also
Presentation
in Paris in 2000.
Personal support
The coordinators of the physics student exchange and of the four
projects
as well as the former exchange students are more than happy to inform
and advice you. The advantage of the Berlin-Nairobi Exchange is that it
is a small group of very dedicated individuals you are enthusiastic
about physics, Africa, the environment, and international cooperation.
The Berlin-Nairobi Exchange is therefore not a large anonymous but a
small organisation where everyone knows and supports everyone else.
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