Minister of Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela has issued a strong call for fundamental change in African universities' approach to inclusion, warning that current systems remain structurally exclusionary – particularly for students with disabilities.
Addressing delegates at the third edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) Africa University Summit in Nairobi, Manamela challenged institutions to move beyond symbolic commitments and instead embed inclusion as a core design principle in all aspects of higher education.
“Inclusion is not a speech. It is a design,” he said, underscoring the need for a paradigm shift that reimagines universities not for the “typical” student, but for diverse learners from the start.
Disability inclusion: a systemic failure, no marginal difference
Manmela revealed stark data that highlights the scale of exclusion faced by disabled students. In South Africa – which has one of the continent's more advanced higher education systems – the number of students with disabilities is very high 1.3% of public university enrollment in 2023While in the comprehensive post-school education and training system, this figure stood at around 1%.
“These are not massive inclusion figures. These are indicative of how much work remains to be done,” he said.
The Minister emphasized that the issue is not limited to admission processes, but is deeply embedded in institutional design. He pointed to systemic shortcomings including:
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inaccessible physical infrastructure
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Poorly designed digital learning platforms
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Limited availability of assistive technologies
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Flexible curriculum that fails to accommodate diverse needs
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Inadequate staff training on inclusive teaching methods
According to Manmela, universities continue to operate on outdated notions of the “standard” student profile, leaving out a significant portion of the population.
Beyond Reach: Rethinking the Entire Education Ecosystem
A major innovation in Manmela's address was his insistence that inclusion should be treated as a basic design frameworkRather than a corrective measure to be implemented after the system is built.
This is in line with the concept of viewpoint Universal Design for Learning (UDL)-An educational model that integrates access into the initial design of curriculum, infrastructure and technology. By adopting UDL principles, organizations can proactively eliminate barriers rather than retrofitting solutions.
He emphasized that achieving meaningful inclusion requires coordinated change across multiple dimensions:
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Policy and funding framework that prioritizes access
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curriculum reform To accommodate diverse learning styles and needs
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Investing in digital access and assistive technologies
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Capacity building for teachers and administrators
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Inclusive campus planning and safety measures
Gender equality: uneven progress across the continent
While disability inclusion remains critically low, Manamela also highlighted persistent gender disparities in higher education across Africa.
South Africa has made significant progress and achieved Female majority in university enrollment. However, much of sub-Saharan Africa continues to face significant gender gaps on average 80 women were enrolled for every 100 men.
Using Kenya as a case study, he reports that tertiary enrollment rates are almost stable 13% for men and 10% for womenReflects the structural barriers that still limit women's access to higher education.
Importantly, Manmela cautioned against overly simplistic narratives that present gender equality as a zero-sum game.
He said, “The task is not to choose between women and men. The task is to create institutions capable of creating equality for all.”
From rhetoric to accountability: efforts for data-driven change
A central theme of the Minister's address was the urgent need for measurable results In efforts for change.
He called on universities to publish different data Key indicators, including:
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Enrollment and participation rates
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Retention and completion results
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graduate employment statistics
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Disability Access and Support Services
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Representation in leadership positions
He warned, “Without it, we don't have change. We have anecdotes.”
This data-driven approach aims to shift the field from executional commitments to evidence-based accountabilityEnabling policy makers and institutions to track progress and identify gaps with accuracy.
Higher education and the broader social context
Manamela placed the challenges within higher education within a broader socio-economic framework, emphasizing that inequalities in universities reflect inequalities that exist in society at large.
He highlighted interrelated issues such as:
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Poverty and unequal access to resources
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labor market inequalities
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Social and geographical inequalities
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Inequitable schooling systems are affecting tertiary education
“The question of higher education is inseparable from the social question,” he said, calling for integrated reforms that link education policy to economic and social development strategies.
South Africa: A Case for Progress and Persistent Inequality
Reflecting on South Africa's trajectory, Manamela acknowledged the significant gains in increasing access to higher education, particularly for women and historically disadvantaged groups.
However, he noted that Deep structural inequalities persistIn particular:
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leadership representation
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graduate employment results
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Disability Inclusion and Access
This dual reality, he argued, demonstrates both the potential of policy-driven reform and its limitations when not accompanied by systemic change.
A call to action: designing the future of African higher education
Concluding his address, Manamela urged African universities to adopt a transformative approach that goes beyond access to ensure Equality, Success and Empowerment.
“Our job is to build an education system that reflects the society we want: balanced, fair, accessible and equal. Not access without success. Not inclusion without power. But real equality,” he said.
His message signals a growing recognition that the future of higher education in Africa depends not only on increasing enrolments, but on fundamentally redesigning institutions to serve all students – regardless of ability, gender or socio-economic background.