Masters reforms threaten academic freedom and autonomy

Lebanon, like many other countries, has encountered major higher education challenges in the past five years, including in relation to:

• The quality of education. Advancing the quality of education in universities and colleges is essential to ensure the graduation of qualified students into the job market.

• Infrastructural problems. Improving the infrastructure of higher education institutions ensures an appropriate learning environment.

• The need for suitable standards and regulations for institutional and programme accreditation.

• The promotion of good governance and transparency in the management of higher education institutions.

• Finances. Increasing higher education institutions’ tuition fees amid the financial meltdown constitutes a major challenge for students, their families and higher education institutions.

As part of the reform framework launched last year by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education which aims to organise and regulate the higher education sector in the country, guided by the minister of education and higher education and then by the Directorate General of Higher Education and the Higher Education Council, several decrees, resolutions and circulars have been issued to address some vital aspects in the Lebanese higher education sector.

These include Resolution No. 488/M/2023 concerning the organisation of masters programmes in private higher education institutions.

Diversity denied

Although Resolution No. 488/M/2023 marks a significant step forward with its aim to elevate the quality of higher education in Lebanon, there remain some concerns.

Firstly, the Resolution does not account for the diversity of educational systems in Lebanon and abroad (American, British, European, Egyptian and other systems). For example, the minimum duration of study was set by the Resolution at two academic years, although several prominent universities in Lebanon, Europe and the United States have masters programmes with a duration of one year or a year and a half, including the American University of Beirut (Lebanon) Masters in Finance; Harvard University’s Mid-Career Masters in Public Administration; and KU Leuven’s MSc in Business Administration in Europe.

It is worth noting that some Arab countries with prestigious higher education systems, such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan, recognise masters degrees with a minimum duration of one academic year. Something similar could have been adopted in Lebanon, along with the addition of elements that differentiate between masters degrees that are solely based on coursework and those that require a graduation project or a thesis.

Additionally, if the Bologna Declaration was considered as a reference point for the Resolution, then it is worth highlighting that all the provisions of the declaration were viewed as harmonisation measures with cooperation being voluntary, rather than as binding contract clauses, even for European countries.

Another concern is the retroactive implementation of the Resolution on students who have already graduated from recognised programmes at Lebanese institutions of higher education. This is unfair for students who joined the programmes before the Resolution was issued by the ministry.

Another point of potential unfairness concerns ability to pay. The Resolution allows students to take courses from the first-cycle programme only during the first semester without considering the financial ability of students who might not be able to afford to cover the tuition fees of these courses.

Furthermore, the Resolution refers to a new category of part-time professors without giving a clear definition of what this means. It also specifies the number of students that can be admitted into a masters programme without linking that to the number of faculty members.

Systemic differences and omissions

The Resolution also doesn’t take into account certain systemic differences, including the development in Arab and Western countries of higher education institutions that specialise exclusively in postgraduate studies, probably because these do not currently exist in Lebanon.

It also doesn’t note other systemic differences. For instance, some eminent international universities combine the bachelor and masters degrees and offer students only a masters degree after they meet the requirements of both degree programmes.

What’s more, the standards that the Resolution sets for theses and graduation projects are too strict in comparison with international standards in eminent higher education systems. These standards may have been set as a reaction to the questionable and unethical academic practices of a limited number of Lebanese universities in the past five years.

Other concerns include the fact that the Resolution does not take account of new teaching methods. It would have been more comprehensive if it had considered these and the integration of e-learning into masters programmes and suggested a reasonable percentage of how much course content should come from these sources.

And there are some students who are potentially excluded. It would have been beneficial to include in the Resolution the graduates of the Military Academy who want to pursue a masters degree.

For instance, in Arab and Western systems, one can continue one’s masters degree in a relevant major or specialisation such as military and strategic studies and-or police science by taking three to five remedial courses, or by taking eight to 10 remedial courses in business management and-or cybersecurity.

Autonomy and trust

Moving forward, it would be useful to include the Lebanese University in the regulatory frameworks so that the national public university is not excluded from any reforms that aim to improve the quality of higher education in Lebanon.

What’s more, institutional autonomy should be respected since excessive intervention could lead to the restriction of creativity and innovation in higher education and scientific research.

Lack of autonomy and excessive intervention could lead to the deterioration of trust between private higher education institutions and regulatory bodies, which is needed to encourage the development of independent institutions characterised by high quality education and academic freedom.

Dr Bassem Kaissi is vice-chairman of the board of trustees at the Modern University for Business and Science, Lebanon. E-mail: bkaissi@mubs.edu.lb