Higher Education in Egypt: What’s Next?

Higher Education in Egypt: What’s Next?
February 15, 2011, 10:22 am

By Francisco Marmolejo

There are winds of change in Egypt and, for that matter, throughout the Arab world. After days and nights of tension, anxiety, and determination, the regime of Hosni Mubarak has collapsed and an opportunity for a democratic transition has emerged. Certainly, the recent developments in Egypt provide an opportunity for a serious national discussion about the challenges faced in Egyptian society and the role that higher education has to play in this new environment.

Two years ago I was part of an international team of observers from Egypt and different parts of the world, convened by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank, which, at the invitation of the Egyptian government, conducted an extensive independent review of its higher-education system. Participating in this reflection gave our group the opportunity to visit higher-education institutions in many parts of the country, and to interact with students, faculty members and administrators, as well as representatives from government, business, and community-based organizations. Our final product was a report with reflections and recommendation for the higher-education system of Egypt that was published by OECD less than a year ago...

Read the entire article at http://chronicle.com/blogs/worldwise/higher-education-in-egypt-whats-next/27877



Francisco Marmolejo
Executive Director
Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration
CONAHEC - University of Arizona
PO Box 210300
220 W. Sixth Street
Tucson, AZ 85721-0300 USA
Tel. +1 (520) 621-9080 / 621-7761
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Email: fmarmole@email.arizona.edu
http://conahec.org