Through industrial standards (“quality management”, “standardisation”, “cost reduction”, etc.) the Bologna process aims to train a globally mobile technological-functional elite. Higher education morphs into an industrial process for the commodification of qualified labour. The digitalisation, that is the internet based transformation of proprietary business models of modern universities, has served, with mixed results, as a model for industrialising and non-industrialising societies. The rapid advance of three technologies in areas without reliable internet or electrical grids creates a new potential. The digitisation of information allows nearly free access to information (books and journals, etc.) even without libraries or internet, with a cost reduction by more than a factor of 1000. The nearly generalised access to smart-phones, tablets or computers permits the storage and access to the digitised information. Solar technology provides near cost-free energy. Full university course materials, whole libraries, reference works (Wikipedia, etc.) can be distributed in digitised form through the internet or through digital media where internet is not available. African universities gain new opportunities of interacting with societies by providing structured and referenced quality information for the interested public, bridging the digital divide, broadening the recruitment base and provide information access for and beyond their student base.

--

Education,Digital Access

• Computer and Information Sciences - Natural Sciences
• Educational Sciences - Social Sciences
• Sociology - Social Sciences
• Media and Communications - Social Sciences