A University of Bath initiative that sends surplus management and engineering textbooks to universities in Nigeria has been extended to Kenya as it continues with its ambition of becoming a near-global programme.
Readcycle Bath is the brainchild of Bath School of Management associate professor Teslim Bukoye, pictured, who launched it with a mission to ‘inspire reading, studying and sharing books for the global good’.
The idea was born when as born when he and colleagues moved into the school’s new campus building and found recent editions of valuable management textbooks that were no longer being used.
Realising they could be put to good use rather than thrown away, he put in a call to fellow academics to find out if they could donate from their own departments – and within a few months hundreds of management textbooks were being shipped to Nigerian universities.
Now the scheme has been widened to include Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya, pictured below, while Dr Bukoye – who is also the University of Bath’s director of international exchanges – looks for further opportunities in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East.
“Kenya is a significant step, but we would like to grow this project to encompass other countries and are currently seeking more funding and support,” he said.
Dean of the School of Information Sciences at Moi University, Prof Abraham Mulwo, added: “Readcycle’s support will enrich our resources and contribute to the education and development of our students and faculty.
“The donated books will be instrumental in expanding the scope of our curriculum, facilitating research, and nurturing the intellectual growth of our students and faculty.
“This donation represents more than just a collection of books; it symbolizes a partnership between our institutions in fostering academic excellence and promoting knowledge sharing.”
Dr Bukoye said his role as director of international exchanges involved enhancing the academic experience of students in high-income countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Australasia.
But he added that he wanted to extend support to students in low and middle-income countries and universities in line with the University of Bath’s aims around meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, such as improving education and reducing inequality and poverty.
The “genuinely simple act” of donating a book and benefiting an individual student had a significant multiplier effect on society, education, equality and wealth distribution in developing nations, he said.
“I think the power of books resonates with us all, and particularly academics. We have had the most fantastic response – both from those donating the books and those receiving the books in Nigeria.
“It is very heartening and I look forward to seeing the impact of the expansion to Kenya,”
The University of Bath’s faculty of Engineering and Design is also now also participating in the scheme.
