UNIVERSITY REFORM FOR S&T CAPACITY BUILDING

1. UNIVERSITY REFORM FOR S&T CAPACITY BUILDING Prof. Ibrahim Badran Prof. Ali Hebeish

3. Content:INTRODUCTION Part I: Education and Technology for Development • The journey of development of science. • An end or a continuum. • Evolution and development of modern education. • Education influx and massification of higher education through democratization. • Risks of overburden. • Modalities to sustain university progress. • Challenges to education with globalization.

4. Part II: Brain Power in capacity Building • Brain power. • Capacity building: Essence and meaning. • Education and capacity building. • Developing centers of excellence. • Education reform. • University reform modalities. • Defining the choice and role of research university. • Brain-power in capacity building and E-education.

5. Part III: 1. Education reform for knowledge, Economy 2.The Ten Commandments for university reform • Restructure of the value system. • Knowledge: a tool for decision making. • Research enhancing capabilities. • Intellectual capital development. • Benchmarking for best practices. • Governance through participation. • Social change agent. • globalization agents. • Relationship building. • Creating capabilities and competencies. 3. Conclusions and References

6. The Middle East and Mediterranean civilizations attended further developments mixing between the pharaonic, Coptic and later Islamic civilizations powering knowledge in the Greco-Roman era. This was deeply concerned with astronomy, architecture, water management and pharmaceutical sciences. All were flourishing on the bases of physical, chemical and biological knowledge. All these disseminated during the Islamic epoch, when the Indian, Persian and Greco-Roman literature was translated to Arabic language and later to European languages, this crowned the Renaissance epoch in the West.

7. Then came and settled the steam revolution followed by electricity and later the western civilization came to be dominated by the electronics era. Progress crossed the Atlantic Ocean after World War II, where spearhead sciences flourished in America and vicinity where electronics, I.C.T., new materials and nuclear sciences flourished and now biological sciences master the new millennium. (The Bio-Century). ….. Nowadays the journey of science seems to have settled in the Far East again. Many modern technologies are flourishing in Japan, China and India and the newly industrialized countries. • Could it be that the new journey of science completing its cycle of sojourn around the globe…?

8. 2. An End or A Continuum: Focoyama posed before the end of the 20th Century a daring question: • “ Can the world be living the end of history?” Here some philosophers added as a corollary… • “Has science reached an end?”

9. Here the answer is utter objection, expressed in the meaning of the following notion: Long ago quoting Shakespeare, “Life is an unceasing contest which yields only to those who toil and persevere” • Centuries later Hubble, early in 20th Century, discovered that the universe is ever expanding. • This thesis today objects the notion of Focoyama and confirms that so long as life is continuing, science will continue to progress, through brain power, whose battle will continue to conquer famine, disease, drought, and disasters natural or man made.

10. 3. Evolution and Development of Modern Education • Quality Education was a prominent feature during the Arab Islamic epoch in Spain and Sicily for more than 4 centuries during the 2nd half of the 1st Millennium evidenced by four characteristics : • Where schools of thought and learning flourished.

11. The tragic end of this epoch, which marked the decline of Arab civilization in Spain, with the invasion of Toledo in 1085. This was accompanied with demolition of higher learning institutions, libraries, translation facilities, and arrest of inter- religious debates. • Immediately after this educational disaster in Spain, a group of students searching to continue the quest for knowledge, in Italy, recruited scholarly teachers and researchers to create a new model of higher education institution that was called "University". • This venture was illustrated in the birth of the university of Bologna in 1088 and later the university of Oxford in 1096.

12. 4. Education influx and massification • With the progressively increasing desire and need for higher education, governments, societies and benevolent N.G.O.’s and rich donors entertained the support to this project, and teachers were recruited to bear responsibility of continuing the evolution and development of higher education. • The prime reason for the increased applicants and Influx was the proved value of education in social escalation. At the same time the birth of the industrial revolution was the prime factor for the influx to satisfy its needs for trained manpower and for capable scientists and engineers to solve problems of production and services.

13. The students influx continued, universities increased in numbers and also quality teachers and trainers were looked after, and at the same time fees progressively increased. • Success attracted venture capital for further development and profit-seeking and the phenomenon of emigration of students and professors searching quality, learning in foreign countries. • This continued for many generations, until came a time when decline of the lavish support to higher education diminished and was replaced by a phenomenon called by Hasley, a master sociologist, “Decline of Donish Dominium” (quoted from the Economist September 2005).

14. Later the industrial revolution which was growing at a tremendous rate attracted many instructors and students, to industry seeking position in different companies, thus a new phenomenon masked the scene, that came to be known as “Robbing Intellectual and Scientific Fire Power” from universities to industry, this continued for many decades.

15. Centuries passed with progress and increase of numbers of institutes of higher education, and influx of students searching for excellence and quality learning to acquire knowledge, targeting opportunities in the newly developed competitive society at time of globalization democracy and the human rights, This phenomenon was called “Massification“. • This continued for many decades till the 2nd half of the twentieth century, that culminated in the “Knowledge Dependant Industrial Society”.

16. This progress continued till 2004, when the World Bank expressed statistically the phenomenon of influx and massifiction in higher education to show statistically the magnitude :

17. With this rapidly progressing influx, education got exposed to the “Risks of Overgrowth” so much that numbers have exceeded the capacity of some institutes: e.g. • Anadolia University harbours 450.000 students while Mexico and Cairo Universities host more than 200.000, while Rome University today hosts 150000 students. Now the risks of overburden are quite visible.

18. 5. Risks of Overburden: To stop deterioration certain moves were mandatory • Limiting student capacity, per university, to 10–20 thousands maximum. • Grading universities at 2 levels (an American formula): • Liberal university education, graduating masses of useful citizens, who preserve their rights and able to earn their living. • B. Elite university, for the overables seeking distinction and excellence, a precious national asset.

19. 3. Resort to digital electronic education where large masses can benefit through measurable standards. This however proved to lack three elements needing correction: • Loss of contact and direction of the teacher, instructor or advisor. • Lacking hands on training. • Lacking the talented searcher faculty of teachers.

20. 6. Modalities to sustain university progress: After World War II, certain added values in education were explored: • Excellence of higher education if combines with the talent of innovative research has proved to be the prime drive for industrial development and competitiveness.

21. Also digital administrative reform of higher education fosters progress through: A. Favoring better control mechanisms. B. Conforming with the world pace of progress. C. Abiding with world education systems, standards and ethics.

22. 3. Diversifying financial resources to eliminate complete dependence on the state support, relying more on the services delivered to the productive sectors. 4. Networking with foreign world class higher education and research institutes to transfer advanced knowledge resources and foster exchanges that secure the flow of benefits, ideas, techniques. 5. Fostering relations with service and productive sectors that are research dependant, offering lavish incentives.

23. In advanced modern universities in developed countries nowadays, it is usual to find a productive industrial set, or a university be hosted in an industrial complex. This relationship sustains the mutual exchange of benefits between the two partners. 6. Later Private enterprise was invited to invest in education, a venture that alleviates the growing burden shouldered by the state. Also this venture may bear the development of highly expensive fields.

24. 7.Challenges to Education with Globalization: • It is accepted today that the target of education is not only to develop brain power, but it entails personality development, to become an added economic and social value. Also it acts as an agent of change in productivity, benefiting of the continuous academic and technical, progress, thus keeping pace with the world standards.

25. Nowadays the challenges are summarized as follows: 1. At times of globalization, a citizen should not be considered a local product of education for local consumption only, but should be valued as a universally active ingredient able to interact with the world events and be able to bear the accepted world standards of thought and skills to become an economically added value. 2. The concern of education today: is to prepare for the graduation of a global citizen who can live and deal with global cultural, social and economic environment and at the same time keeping his own specific cultural and belief identity.

26. 3. The needed standards of knowledge and technical skills should conform with world standards through active transfer systems. This needs world cooperation and ability of adaptation to the new global environment. 4. The cost of modern education: to catch with global standards, the cost became much higher for a citizen in the developing world. Thus a gap should be expected, to grow.

27. 5. This widening gap between the haves and the have nots confers risky damage to both partners of the game. The have nots will continue to suffer ailments: an increase of poverty, under nourishment, illiteracy, unemployment, and disease. With time, deterioration will continue and the gap should widen. To date, diseases and epidemics are also globalized, with, consequent sociopolitical unrest and violence would as expected master the world stage.

28. On the other hand, if the have nots be supported to cach with progress for better life standards, all the previous perils would become avoidable: world epidemics and violence should calm down through control of disease, and marginalization and unrest will decline. Then these challenges can be reverted and the have-nots make a resource of brilliant talents, that become an economic input through improving income, and consequent improvement of their productivity and purchasing power thus reducing economic stagnation for the whole world.

29. A. Securing nutrition and health care since birth. B. Education, stressing higher education systems. C. Proper training and developing workforce capabilities. D. Securing information resources, an essential prerequisite in a free democratic society. • It is now accepted that the prime mover to excellence is achieved through quality higher and further postgraduate education conforming with and abiding by the most advanced global standards of capacity building,….all in a healthy environment, favoring progress and tailored to the needs of society.

30. Part II: BRAIN POWER IN CAPACITY BUILDING • 1.Brain Powermodern civilization rests mainly on brain power that is expressed in its perceptive-creative capacity enforced through education. Excellence in educational systems stimulates brain power development and this in turn boosts the economy . This phenomenon today is used to categorize the societies into the haves and the have-nots,. The Influencing factors in this discriminative meaning rests on 4 factors that energize development:

31. It should be mentioned here that science education, (as related to hard sciences, medicine, engineering, agriculture, . . . etc), should be humanized and delivered in a mixture of soft protective sciences (law, ethics, sociology, economics and management sciences). Also the system of education should keep kindling the spirit of research and innovation, so that it can keep pace and have a place in the battle of progress. The boundary for imagination and freedom of thought should never be allowed to suppress talent and excellence in the institutes of learning.

32. In today's world, the role of excelling in science education has become a sine qua non for any technology development, being thus the most tormenting option looming in our minds. The model of tertiary education in the 3rd world, hosting huge numbers of students with limited resources, makes it a continuum of secondary education. • All these facts stimulated the desire to search for a new formula to change and innovate in higher education and capacity building.

33. 2.Capacity Building: Essence Meaning, and Definition: • It is a concept or process of securing a package of actions to induce human and institutional development through skills enhancement to foster abilities needed for socioeconomic development.

34. It is thus considered a top priority for long term development dealing with three variables: A. The being (man), B. The capabilities (efficiency) and, C. The environment (political, economic and cultural).

35. Capacity building today starts by policy analysis addressing: 1. Macro-economic management. 2. Civil service reform. 3. Private sector development. 4. Optimally utilizing the available means and technical assistance resources to foster local capabilities and national abilities for better implementation.

36. Concepts: • Thinking new, by avoiding repetition of past failures or importing foreign solutions to solve local problems. In other words, thinking globally while acting locally. • Personal commitment, willingness and devotion are imperative. • Choosing key areas for effective intervention through securing information, effective execution and evaluation. • Securing resources through commitment of supporters and donors.

37. Implementation Means: • Encouraging transformation through consultation and participation. • Targeting policies for restructuring value systems: - Building human capacity. - Institutional capacity transforms. - Restructuring organizational and managerial capacity. 3. Resort to digital reform technology through: - Multimedia education, concept and practice. - Targeting student populations in remote areas. - Securing multimedia software at affordable price.

38. Securing examination questions bank. • Self instruction modalities, particularly directed to continuing education for career enhancement. • Interacting with instructors at the personal level. • Making hardware and all software available at affordable prices (through arrangements with producers).

39. Obstructive Difficulties: • Political and economic deficiencies. • Crises in education. • Functional and structural elements disconnect. • Risk of dependence on doubtful foreign assistance.

40. 3. Education and Capacity Building: • Education is considered the basic human resource development agent, this is achieved through: 1. Education’s role in capacity building stresses the value of fostering progress and excellence, this being achieved through upgrading and defining the human resource and tailoring capacities needed at three levels: • Supply of graduates at all levels of service that secure cadres for information, engineering, planning, economics and management technologies. This infrastructure forms the essential basis for development.

41. B. Support indigenous master’s degrees and doctoral Certification. This will open the door for promotion and control faculties of personnel serving the R & D goals of the production sector. C. Field, post-doctoral missions for training locally or in advanced countries. • This direction not only serves development of the university itself but adds to the vision, capability and the creative research and problem-solving talents that reflect on the service and production sectors.

42. 4.Technology development and adaptation programs: this is achieved through: • Provision of laboratory facilities needed for training personnel in the fields of production. • Securing technology and industrial databases. • Creating Specialized centers of excellence especially through co-operation with advanced industrial countries, or in collaboration with multinational agencies and companies. All this helps in transferring and sharing experience through assisting in re- engineering, technology transfer, negotiation technology and repacking technologies. This is secured through virtual education platforms created in networks built between the south and north Countries as well as through south-south cooperation.

43. 5. Developing centers of excellence • A center of excellence is considered a focus initiated through the available capacity to strengthen needed priority areas in a world-class pattern. These centers inject perfection in the working power through, securing needed facilities for training, added to research in priority areas of real need as related to the promising industrial complex. It should match the best quality in advanced countries and should invite world-class specialists and expatriate nationals to assist its maintenance and progress.

44. These should be considered as focal points hosting large numbers of scientists and engineers at the Ph.D. and post doctoral levels within the university premises or outside. • Enhancement funding can be secured on the basis of critical review of proposals that have strong relevance to requested programs.

45. The work in these centers should be planned as programs according to the top priorities of the country and defined through local and international consultation and can be directed to concentrate on local or regional problems e.g. food, security, health, energy, water and environment, or it can be concentrating on frontier sciences.

46. University Reform Modalities • Spheres of reform: attending to different choices. 1-Physical Reform: a) Placement: Distribution in different regions of the country. A university is a development energiser b) Spacing building laboratories equipment and facilities.

47. 2- Instructional Reform: Many dimensions may be considered. a) The system: Liberal–specialized or research universities. b) The philosophy: Mass-production versus elite- education for leadership development. • Dominance of political orientation (as Lemomba university in the former USSR). • Theological orientation (as the Azhar and catholic universities).

48. c) Specifying identity: through predilections as seen in different schools of thought: • The British model (academic ties as in Oxford and Cambridge Universities). • The French model (managerial excellence as the ENA). • The American model (The land grant University for regional development, and the research university seeking technical excellence). • The German and Japanese models aiming at talent development (talent development as in von Humboldt institute and Tsukuba university respectively).

49. d) Instruction system: whether dictative, deductive learning, or enhancing specific problem solving faculties. Electronic, digital and virtual reforms, dominate today. e) Accreditation based on quality; ensuring excellence and evaluation abiding by international standards. 2.1. Defining the choice of research university • This new education model, which stood the test of time after world war two, and achieved the merit of success. This formula was developed in the USA to perceive the future and foster scientific research development to maintain national scientific superiority and security.

50. RESERCH UNIVERISTY: The Evolution of the idea: • After World War II, a bill from the US Congress allowed the admission of a large number of veterans seeking higher education in 1946. After 10 years, evaluation of this process revealed its weak return, as reporting “Higher liberal education offers little impact on society” and concluded that an alternative model should be introduced.