The role of the university in national development is the subject of much discussion in Africa today. Attention and interest in the role of the university in national development has increased because of continuing concern that universities address problems caused by the technological changes that have affected the political and social-economic order in African society. Failure to cope effectively with such changes has led to a general disenchantment among students, parents, legislators, the client system and the general populace about the quality and relevance of university education today (Group for Human Development in Higher Education, 1984;Gaff et al., 1978; and Stordahl, 1981). Hence all three groups have demanded greater accountability: efficiency in the economic sense in the way universities deliver their programmes, as well as effectiveness in the educational sense (Miller, 1974).History shows that most African nations strove to establish at least one national university immediately after independence. The major purpose for establishing universities in these countries was, and still is, for the institutions to play a pioneering role in addressing problems of poverty, social disorganization, low production, unemployment, hunger, illiteracy, diseases, that is, the problems of underdevelopment, which appeared to be common on the African continent. Insurmountable political, social, economic, legal, ethnic, demographic and technological problems have continued to threaten the very existence of most new African nations and their people. Yet, governments have continued to invest heavily in the education of a selected few, whose direct contribution in solving these problems has not been objectively established.The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to synthesize the body of literature on the subject; to inject some critical analysis of positions taken by previous writers and pave the way for a more informed conceptualization of what the role of African Universities on national development ought to be, and must be, in the light of existing literature and personal reflection on the subject.The paper is divided into four sections. Section one defines a university and development. Section two presents and discusses problems that African universities face in a transitional era. Section three delineates the role areas of universities in national development. Section four provides analysis and discussion of contemporary problems that hinder universities from realizing their roles and contains suggestions on how to overcome them. A brief conclusion is then provided. A detailed development of each of the five components is provided in the ensuing sections of the paper.

Recent apprehensions over the poor performance of secondary schools at ordinary level in Tanzania have given rise to concerns over the quality of education provided at this level. Addressing the issue of poor performance requires a gargantuan understanding of the environment under which these schools operate. This study explored how management of school internal mechanisms contributed toward enhancement of school performance for improved quality of secondary education in Tanzania. The article reports on the findings of a comparative case study conducted in six secondary schools in the Eastern Education zone of Tanzania. Findings revealed that, performance of schools was mainly attributed to the kind of management available in a particular school, which will ensure availability of workable and agreed on mechanisms of providing effective teaching and learning. The findings provide several important implications for education and school practitioners on how best to manage school internal mechanisms for improved performance.

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