"We target the best!" - Jérôme Chenal in Jeune Afrique
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Interviewed by Jeune Afrique last September on the collaboration between EPFL and African universities on the Excellence in Africa and MOOC programs initiated by EPFL, Dr. Jérôme Chenal, in charge of Excellence in Africa, proclaims with an engaging air: "We target the best!"
Known among other things for its Excellence in Africa and MOOC programs, EPFL, in collaboration with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University of Morocco, now offers, in addition to training, research to young researchers.
Research, funded in African universities at a cost of 700,000 euros, is related to sustainable development issues of the African continent. As an illustration, the production of biofuel from inedible plants in South Africa as well as the use of snake and scorpion venom against Parkinson's disease in Tunisia, are among the successful themes of six research projects.
On the other hand, the focus of the new Excellence in Africa program is on selecting the best young people from African universities, thus revitalizing cooperation between EPFL and African universities.
Moreover, guaranteeing free access to teaching material for a wide range of specialists means pooling the cost of teaching between the various African universities. This is the goal that EPFL has set for itself with its MOOC program.
But there are still innovations for this MOOC program. Initially reserved for urban planning issues, it is now opening up to training in disciplines such as scientific writing, education, etc.
But if the best are the only ones privileged by the Excellence program, wouldn't we run the risk of unequal opportunities? Fortunately, there are better people everywhere.