The Relationship between University Governance and Female Students’ Academic Success: A Case of the University of Koudougou in Burkina Faso

Abstract

The style of governance in public universities of developing countries often poses problems and requires certainly changes in the system by the adoption of new and appropriate practices. Nowadays academic failure is becoming very common in African universities; however girls usually experience such failures as early as in high school and very often through the university level. The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors behind female failures at university and explore how the university governance in practice could better contribute to their success. A qualitative approach is use to collect data from female students and faculty members at the University of Koudougou (Burkina Faso) through a semi-structured interview. Fifteen (15) female students and three (03) faculty members had been interviewed and some structural dysfunctions in the actual governance at the University of Koudougou affecting female students’ academic success have been found.

The style of governance in public universities of developing countries often poses problems and requires certainly changes in the system by the adoption of new and appropriate practices. Nowadays academic failure is becoming very common in African universities; however girls usually experience such failures as early as in high school and very often through the university level. The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors behind female failures at university and explore how the university governance in practice could better contribute to their success. A qualitative approach is use to collect data from female students and faculty members at the University of Koudougou (Burkina Faso) through a semi-structured interview. Fifteen (15) female students and three (03) faculty members had been interviewed and some structural dysfunctions in the actual governance at the University of Koudougou affecting female students’ academic success have been found.