Thy myriad problems of Egypt's higher education system are linked to the ruling party and its culture of dependence and silence, writes Mohamed Aboulghar* Universities worldwide have two missions: one is education; the second is scientific research. In performing these two missions the university leads society through its distinguished alumni who launch knowledge into the social arena, directing social, economic and cultural development. Basic university education should fulfil three objectives: first, to improve the level of general knowledge and culture among students. Students are exposed to different ideas and ideologies, both inside their own society and in the wider world. This qualifies the student to start his or her career with a broader spectrum of knowledge on life and a more global vision. The second objective is to build the personalities of students, allowing them to become more independent, more creative and more capable of thinking freely, of making decisions and of developing autonomously. Sadly, Egyptian university graduates are capable only of waiting for orders and executing them. No thinking, no arguing, no questioning; no objecting and not even dialoguing: a personality that does not (and cannot) create or think. This graduate is usually stuck with this type of passive personality for the rest of his or her life. So no matter how high he climbs in the hierarchy, he still listens to the orders of those above and gives orders to those below, leaving no room -- not the slightest possibility -- for thinking or questioning, not to mention criticizing and hopefully improving. We then end up with a state of paralysis: a frozen society unable to move, grow, develop or produce. Who would expect a great scientist, an inventor or a philosopher to emerge from such a society? The third objective university education should fulfil is vocational: teaching professional skills, as in medicine or engineering. Due, however, to great developments in many professional fields, the basic undergraduate university degree has become only the first step in a journey of continuous training and education. In some professions, this training can take several years before the graduate is able to practice his profession and become a productive member of society. With these three objectives in mind, let us have a look at what Egyptian universities really offer their graduates. How much culture and general knowledge do they offer? Nothing. The cultural programs in universities have been reduced to inviting religious figures to discuss outdated matters or leaders of the ruling party to praise the government. No more wall-to- wall student newspapers, which gave students opportunity to express themselves. University theatre has become history. No more music halls, and no concerts. There are no more student debates. Even what is called "the small family," which gathers a group of students around a professor and together undertake communal, cultural and sports activities, as well as arranging fieldtrips around the country, has become useless after the intrusion of the police into every activity to the extent of prohibiting certain staff members from being involved in any activities with students. As for building a creative and self- developing mind, this is completely out of the question. Given the huge number of students, there is no room for discussion. What complicates matters even more is that the teaching staff themselves are a product of the same uncreative environment. They too take orders, and give orders. They cannot give what they lack. For them, having creative students is the last thing they desire. What happens outside the classroom is even worse. There is also no room for the mind to grow. It is forbidden to talk about politics. All political and cultural activities are systematically discouraged. Any activity can put the student under a real threat of arrest or worse. So students sit (or stand) in overcrowded, poorly ventilated and poorly illuminated lecture halls, and outside the hall there is nothing interesting to do. There is no one to encourage them to think or to create. Even sports activities are not available. So the second task of education is lost. Even the third task -- the teaching of a profession -- has deteriorated due to huge numbers of students and a subsequent diminution of interest on the side of the instructor and the student alike. The teacher, in most cases, is interested only in selling his notes to students. Sometimes the teacher has a book to sell, which is usually copied or translated or summarized from other books. In a real university, one would expect students to search for knowledge in reference libraries, not study by heart from a specific book or set of notes, which are probably outdated and poorly presented. Unfortunately, students have not been trained to do any research. They never look for what they need; they get what they are offered as is. On another hand, many instructors are busy with other means of making ends meet, being underpaid for their educational duties. This includes giving private lessons to the rich, where they teach them in a manner similar to school teaching, again with no room for thinking or research, and therefore no room for creativity. How to undo all this damage and return our universities to the right path? This can never be achieved without implementing the constitution and law concerning university independence and freedom. First, security inside the campus should report to rector and not to the Ministry of Interior. It should be there to protect the properties of the university, not to spy on staff members and students, and should have a special distinguished uniform carrying the logo of the university. State security has no role inside campus, according to the law. Further, security officers should have no right to interfere in the appointment of new staff, or giving permission for staff to travel to scientific or professional conferences abroad. A second important step is withholding the privilege of appointing rectors and deans from the country's political leadership. Instead, deans should be elected or appointed by respectable collegiate methods, which necessitates nomination by boards and selection by elected committees. In all cases, the minister of higher education should have no authority in appointing university administrators and the minister of interior should certainly have no right to interfere. Third, all principles of academic freedom, which are agreed upon worldwide, should be applied. These principles are indicated in several international treaties, which have been agreed upon and signed by representatives of Egypt. The least of these principles are the freedom of speech, the freedom of protest, and freedoms of association. The most important is the freedom of thought and belief, and the right to engage freely in scientific research. We ought all to remember Saad Zaghloul who, during the inauguration of Cairo University in 1908, said that the university has no religion but science. The second mission of universities is research. It is a well-known fact that research in Egyptian universities is in a miserable, even pathetic, state. The reasons are countless, but can be classified in a few groups: first, the lack of resources along with the abuse of those available; second, the lack of a motivation for research, and the lack of a strategic plan for research; third, the lack of freedom and the presence of many forbidden areas and handicapping taboos, with all the fear and mystery that surround them. Another important reason is that university leaderships and administrations are not real academicians. Instead, they are politicians representing the ruling party and its leadership. Needless to say, scientific research is the least of their worries. Finally, the economic condition of university staff is very poor in light of low salaries. They are compelled to look for other sources of income to make a decent living at the expense of their main duties as researchers and educators. America is considered a world leader in private university education. It is very important to point out that in the US private universities are not owned by individuals; instead they are owned by non-profit organizations, and are financed either by donors or the state. All these private universities have expensive tuition fees. Yet all profits go back to improve the quality of education, through better staffing and newer and more advanced equipment and libraries. These universities also provide scholarships for excellent students, and financial aid for economically disadvantaged ones. The American University in Cairo is the only private university in Egypt that compares to those in the US. All other so-called private universities -- the French, British and German universities -- are owned by individuals and operate with the primary objective of profit making; education a secondary issue. To my view, establishing an educational project to make money automatically compromises the quality of education. With profit maximization in mind, the university must meet the taste of the market to attract as many customers as possible. So, why not reduce the quality of education, and lower the criteria of passing? On the other hand, cost saving becomes policy, even if it means compromising the quality of education. The new university phenomenon is different from private primary and secondary schools where there are strict criteria for accreditation outside the control of school owners. On the whole, I believe that the philosophy of private higher education in Egypt is built on loose ground. The majority of major problems in university education in Egypt are created by the corrupt political system. * The author is professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University.
