Student Organizations: Africa

Student organizations in Africa may be referred to variously as student associations, student governments, student politics, student councils, student guilds, or student unions. Although the differences among them are not always clear in the literature, all are similar in that they aim to organize the student body with the ultimate objective of having student-friendly policies in higher education institutions (HEIs). Saleem Badat argues that the student body refers to the collective of students at a given HEI. Student organizations and representations are among the key features of today’s HEIs.

Student organizations lobby their institutions to be responsive to the needs of the student body. The All Africa Students’ Union, for instance, has begun to campaign for the participation of African students in the formulation and implementation ...