Higher education minister has high aims but scant funds

Al-Fanar Media 04 September 2021

Omran Al-Qeeb, the minister of higher education and scientific research in Libya’s new Government of National Unity, is working to overcome major challenges that confront the nation’s universities. Problems include poor pay for professors, inadequate budgets and the need to develop educational services and maintain their quality, writes Amr EL-Tohamy for Al-Fanar Media.

“We have inherited a heavy legacy of problems and obstacles we are trying hard to overcome in order to ensure educational reform and fulfil the hopes and aspirations of Libyans,” Al-Qeeb said in an online interview with Al-Fanar Media.

A lack of financial resources, however, constitutes the main challenge for the minister in carrying out his aspired reforms. Al-Qeeb is also working against a backdrop of turbulent political and financial conditions that have beset Libya since the outbreak of the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. This instability has been exacerbated by a division between rival governments in East and West Libya, a deteriorating economy despite the country’s oil wealth, and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Full report on the Al-Fanar Media site

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