Conflict and political instability take their toll on HE

The raging conflict in Libya has affected academic work at the University of Tripoli and there is a need for African countries to find a way of solving the problem for the sake of the young people whose future is being destroyed, the president of the University of Zawia in that country, Meftah Elmrabet, told University World News.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Conference of Rectors, Vice-Chancellors and Presidents of African Universities (COREVIP) currently being hosted by the Association of African Universities (AAU) in Cairo, Egypt, Elmrabet said: “We see the situation as very bad but those of us in academia are optimistic that there is a future.”

“We have noticed that the situation at Tripoli University is a very bad situation which we don’t find at other campuses. My university, for example, is working well and the students are not suffering any effect of the political situation,” he said.

Fighting broke out in Tripoli in April after the self-styled Libyan National Army, led by General Khalifa Haftar, launched an offensive for control of the capital city. Haftar’s forces are battling militias backed by the Libyan government.

Elmrabet said some academics have been in touch with politicians to see what they can all do to save the country, adding that, “it is not a good situation but we are doing everything possible to provide some leadership. Otherwise, we are not sure what the future holds for the students that have been affected.”

African solutions

He said Africans should be allowed to find a way of dealing with their problems. “The situation in Tripoli and for that matter the crisis that has engulfed the country would not have reached what it is today if foreign countries were not involved.

“We have all seen what foreign interest has done to the destruction of Libya and the time has come for African countries to find a way to solve problems on the continent. In the case of destruction that academic life has suffered at Tripoli University, the AAU can, through the African Union, lead some initiative to bring about peace,” Elmrabet said.

“I personally have a problem with this situation. The continent should not just sit down to watch what is happening in Libya without showing any concern,” he added.

The University of Tripoli, established by royal decree in 1955 and opened in 1957 with the establishment of the science faculty, is the largest higher education institution in the country and prides itself on being the local leader of academic teaching, scientific research, and knowledge development.

Sudan – Brain drain and struggles with funding

Vice-chancellor of the Obdurman Islamic University in Sudan, Hassan Abbas Hassan, told University World News that low salaries in the country’s universities have driven away most of their qualified staff to other countries, especially those in the Gulf region.

Hassan said most of those who remain are hopeful that the new regime will improve salaries and attract the country’s best brains back home.

He added that the country’s educational sector has expanded rapidly and now has 35 public and 10 private universities, plus 10 colleges, with a combined total of almost 500,000 students.

“What we have witnessed is a sharp expansion in the sector even though there is still some scope for growth. What has happened shows a general interest in the growth of academia.”

However, he said there was some concern around the “horizontal” as opposed to “vertical” growth.

“Though one is not saying that quality has been compromised, we still worry that things could be done better,” he said.

Hassan attributed the growth in the university education to the political decision to establish universities in each of the 18 states.

Balance between quantity and quality

“Due to this it has become difficult to strike a balance between quantity and quality … We have an agency in the ministry of education that is supposed to take care of quality assurance but it has been over-stretched by the expansion in the sector, and so we cannot be sure that we are getting the right assurances in quality.”

Hassan said funding to run the institutions has become a problem because they rely solely on tuition fees which are not sufficient to provide for infrastructure.

He said there is the expectation that with the ousting of the former president, Omar Al-Bashir, the new regime will provide assistance to enhance real growth in higher education institutions.

Hassan said while the country continues to enjoy academic freedom, political freedom is less certain. This will hopefully be corrected when the regime is able to establish itself, he said.

Hassan added that the lack of linkages between higher education and the labour market has resulted in graduate unemployment and “education for the sake of education”.

He called for improvements to the quality of education and disciplines offered “with the approval of the markets”.

“It also means that the universities must encourage the students to become entrepreneurs instead of graduates just waiting on governments to provide them with jobs that are not being created,” he said.