The dean of a college in a Sudanese university painted a bleak picture of the situation in higher education institutions caused by the lack of academic and political instability in the country, in addition to the dire economic conditions.
Khartoum: AlTaghyeer
The Dean of the College of Communication Sciences at Sudan University of Science and Technology, Dr. Yasser Babiker Ali, said that the resumption of studies in Sudanese universities came during very complicated political and health conditions.
Many Sudanese public and private universities had closed their doors in rejection army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s 25th October coup.
The current academic year has witnessed many obstacles, foremost of which was the interruption of studies for many reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the university professors’ strike demanding improved conditions, in addition to country’s complex political situation.
Family Anxiety
In an interview with a TC program broadcast on Blue Nile TV, Babiker noted that the accumulation of repeated payments may result in more crowding and anxiety among many Sudanese families concerned about the future of their sons and daughters, making those, those who are able to, opt to study abroad.
He pointed out that the University of Sudan is one of the first universities to implement online learning, despite technical related to the platform’s usage, and students owning computers and smart devices.
Babiker said that the university’s expenditures of masks and sterilizers for students amounted to more than “a billion” pounds.
He also indicated that there is a real problem with citizens in general and students, including professors, regarding using masks, avoiding direct mixing, and taking into account the precautionary aspects related to reducing the pandemic.
College Environment
Babiker stressed that the university environment and study climate, from a financial point of view, is not prepared for students, and that political and economic stability if it is not available, there will be no education. “
And in a move that coincided with the calls of the Sudanese Professionals Association for civil disobedience following al-Burhan’s coup, university administrations in many Sudanese higher learning institutes suspended studies and decided to postpone exams indefinitely, and justified their decisions by “maintaining the security and safety of students.”
Universities that closed their doors supported the order by calling for the release of detainees and the abolition of the state of emergency in solidarity with the Sudanese Professionals Association.
