By khaled amin & Mahmoud ali
“This method of teaching intoxicates and damages the students’ brains, thus they become an easy prey to terrorist… the thing we won’t allow“
In wake of the Egyptian government’s deep concerns with restructuring local educational institutions and injecting innovative technological approaches in Egypt’s young minds, The Middle East Observer had an exclusive interview with Cairo University’s President, Dr Gaber Nassar, to dig deeper into challenges that tackle the country’s education and present a clearer image on the future administrative vision.
Our young team of reporters felt most welcomed by the president’s office staff, 4.30 pm was our appointment, we waited for no longer than 15 minutes before we were allowed to enter Dr Nassar’s warm and welcoming office.
Here we reveal Part 1 of our interview with Cairo University’s President. To be resumed in next week’s issue, During our meeting, Dr Gaber Nassar revealed his administrative reforms that saved the country’s budget billions of pounds. He discussed terrorism threats and how they should be best dealt with, and much more. We were scheduled for a 15 minutes interview, yet we ended up with 40 minutes as the conversation got caught up from one hot subject to the other…
You are welcome to visit our online page @ www.meobserver.com and our social media pages to watch the full recorded interview.
Q: What do you think of the university and pre-university education system, and the government expenditure on education in Egypt?
Actually this is a big question, but we can say that education is the national project through which Egypt can achieve progress, because proper education is the guarantee against terrorism. Those who are poorly educated are the fuel of terrorist groups. Another point is that university and pre-university education needs to be updated, which mostly has nothing to do with the pretext of being short on money; because there are a lot of decisions that could be taken to update the education system that does not necessarily require funding. The actual main problem is that the pre-university education was left vulnerable to ministers individual decisions, at a time when the government had no specific plans, clear vision, or strategy concerning education. That’s why it was not that awkward to find that an appointed minister took individual decisions -followed by others, in the absence of governmental management, mechanisms, and clear schedules. I do believe that we are still wanting in this strategy.
The same thing could be said about university education, I do believe that reforming and restructuring education systems and universities is not impossible to accomplish. It gnerally require administrative and monetary reforms which could save many wasted universities’ resources. I have previously mentioned some aspects of the University’s experience regarding this. There are several problems in our educational systems, ones that could be simply solved without any financial costs. Yet, on the contrary, it could save the government money, like for instance the school books problem. The Ministry of education forming commissions that develop curricula and books unused by students is a waste of public funds. It is some sort of disrespect to the ministry, as those books have nothing worth keeping for. Students set such books aside, replacing them with other study sheets. The government spends more than EGP 2bn on those books. It could in turn classify the subjects, specify curricula to be taught, then each year it could choose only 3 publishers specialized in developing curricula to carry out this task. This will provide no less than 50 per cent of government revenues -namely EGP 1bn. In addition to saving EGP 2bn… this guarantees companies will compete to give their best in developing not only the curricula but methods of teaching. This is one thing that could achieve progress without financial costs -saving EGP 3bn that could be allocated for developments elsewhere in the system; like building schools, or supporting teachers.
Q: Tell us about your latest decisions; first to stop teaching in colleges using notes and sheets, and the second to establish a student services complex?
In fact, we believe that any decisions we take in Cairo University to reform the educational system are very essential, they are also our way to deal with some of the ongoing conditions that we have examined. As of this year’sfirstsemester, we have enforced a rule to ban professors from selling sheets or notes to their students, or to exceed the prices set in the university. That’s why some – especially in the Faculty of Archeology- have started selling such sheets and notes in the libraries in Bein el-Sarayat. Thus, when some students reached me earlier last month -through my social network accounts- I have talked to the dean and requested the issuance of an urgent report by the following week’s Sunday. I did receive the report, and have announced on my social network accounts the decisions taken regarding this issue. I have to say that teaching through these sheets and notes is in fact ruining education al systems, and any improvement efforts that dismiss such point can only result into zero improvements. I believe that facing this problem must be dealt with soon, because it has reached a desperate unimaginable phase. This method of teaching intoxicates and damages the students’ brains, thus they become an easy prey to terrorist… the thing we won’t allow.
Thus, this year we have applied the rule of teaching using references, fully banned sheets and notes in the faculty of Science, partly in the Faculty of Commerce and Faculty of Arts. As of next year, we will apply it to all faculties. There is in fact another decision linked to this one… which is reforming and developing student assessment and examination systems, because without updating such systems, the previous banning decision would be then useless. Factors that make students resort to educate their minds using sheets or notes, just memorize the questions/answers by heart, is because this is the way to prepare for exams set in form of essay questions -a from that requires mainly memorizing. Thus, since I was appointed President of the University, and under our 2-year-old development efforts, I have established a developmental unit of examination and assessment systems, which has accomplished a lot. Including applying the double-sheet examination system which is based on a bank of questions- about 500-1000 questions in each subject- the exam is then put using computers, and even professors teaching the subjects do not know the questions. Each exam is 80 questions, 2 hours long, namely 1.5 minutes for each question. We make 10 different exam sheets with different colors and orders, as we give each row of the 10 in the examination commission different copies. Thus, we don’t need intensive monitoring, for this could be an open-book exam. After 30minutes from finishing the exam, it is corrected electronically, and results are announced online. So that students become less dependent on Bein el-Sarayat system. We cannot counter this illegal parallel system with force, because we lack the power necessary to do so. But most importantly, we can counter it by decreasing the level of students’ dependence on and need to such parrallel systems. That’s through updating books and references, providing them with faculties discounted prices. Now we provide the students, i.e. at the Faculty of Dar Al Uloom (house of Science School) their books range around EGP 200, instead of EGP 800… meaning that 5 subjects each semester cost studentS no more than EGP 110. This has proved very successful, for now we can see students of this faculty using university’s books and references, instead of notes and sheets, which in turn saves the students and their families more money.
Regarding the decision to establish a student services complex in Cairo University, the Council of the university doesn’t like this hideous uncivilized look of the scattered cafeterias all over the campus, as there is no control over them. Thus, for over a year now we have been thinking about establishing a student services complex. In the space between the Institute of African Research and Studies, and the faculty of Law -allocated to build an annex for the latter- but, it was granted a building in Sheikh Zayed’s City. The complex’s ground floor will be a U-shaped parking lott, the first and second floor will have student services stores, and cafeterias. There will also be a unit for food safety and inspection services, which is a
very important service provided at the finest universities.
Q: What do you think of the recent controversies raised over banning university professors from appearing on T.V without prior permission? Are you pro or against?
We do not actually know the basis of such decision to ban professors from appearing on TV, or from writing in press. We have not issued such rule here in Cairo University, and we never will. The university ensures the academic and speech freedoms to its teaching staff, employees and students, all in accordance to the constitution and applicable laws. If someone committed a violation, we indeed hold him accountable. But, we do not have any such rules, as we assure there have not been any calls on the university to take such decision.
Q: How useful is the Open University education in Egypt? And is it profitable to the university?
If we compare the inputs and outputs of Open University education, we will actually find it is not profitable. On the contrary, it generates losses, for the tuition fees for each student are EGP 1200, which is very low. That type of education is profitable when the university provides services for the students, but unfortunately that’s not the case in most universities. Nowadays, education had become just a complimentary matter, with no proper educational services, all that is offered is a single class per week and that’s it. But, the Open Education Center in Cairo University has established huge infrastructure for innovative and technological education. We wish to benefit from such education through our partnership with European universities that have great experience in such area. Cairo University wanted to suspend the open education system and develop a new one, but the Supreme Council of Universities thought that it is better to develop the existing one. Thus, we currently await the issuance of the new executive regulations to assess how much development could be achieved.
Q: What is the thing you are most proud as the President of the University? And what is your vision for the years ahead?
There are lots of things I am proud of during my time as President of Cairo University, on top of them is the community’s recognition, whether the academic one -students and the teaching staff here in Cairo University- or the Egyptian community’s appreciation of my reforming efforts and their fruitful results, evident here in the university. That is the thing I am most proud of.
Q: What do you think of the calls on amending the constitution?
I think we should give the House of Representatives a chance, and do not just make hasty judgments about it, but we should instead encourage and support it, since we cannot afford its failure. I do believe that everyone should support it, its success is a success to the Egyptian government, because the latter won’t stand the failure of the parliament since it is a vital stage in the future road map. By electing the House of Representatives, Egypt has managed to accomplish its governmental branches, as it also had a significant influence on Egypt’s global status. That’s why we should all back it up, till it proves its success.
The suggestion to amend the constitution is a premature one, no constitution could be amended without first coming into force, this is just absurd. Thus, its articles have to come into effect first, and if any issues concerning the articles emerged, only then the constitution could be amended. Another important issue is that under the House of Representatives’ current formation, and the absence of a solid majority, it would be hard to get the two-thirds vote required to amend the articles of the constitution. Therefore, these calls are actually in vain.
