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Universities in Crisis: Un blog international sur la crise de l'Université

Universities in Crisis: Un blog international sur la crise de l'Université

Publié le par Bérenger Boulay (Source : Agora - Sciences sociales)

[ dossier Education is not for sale/Bildungsstreik ]

Un blog international sur la crise de l'Université:

Michael Burawoy, professeur à Université de Californie à Berkeley etvice-président de l'Association Internationale de Sociologie en chargede la coordination internationale, vient de lancer un blog participatifsur les “crises des systèmes universitaires à travers le monde”. [Source: Agora]


Universities in Crisis

http://isacna.wordpress.com/

The CNA (Council of National (Sociological) Associations) has representation from 57 countries. It is one branch of the ISA (International Sociological Association),the other branch being the Research Council with delegates from the 55Research Committees.  At its last four-yearly conference in Taipei(March 23-25, 2009), the CNA discussed the challenges of building aglobal sociology in an unequal world, especially those emanating fromthe privatization of research and government auditing of universities.You can view a short film of the conference as well as the papersdelivered.  This blog takes the project forward by developing anaccount of the specific challenges faced by universities around theworld.  If you want to post a contribution, dealing with your ownuniversity, wherever you may be, then send it to Michael Burawoy <burawoy@berkeley.edu>ISA Vice President for National Associations. Or you can contributedirectly with your own comments on someone else's post.  To meetthreats to higher education, particlarly the social sciences,now occurring everywhere — albeit in different permutations – we needto build global communities of concerned academics. That's what we aretrying to do through the ISA/CNA network connecting sociologists fromall corners of the planet. 

  • Recent Posts:

Inequality and Decline: Neoliberal Reform of Sri Lankan Universities

The Multiple Crises of French Universities[1]

Police States and Academic Freedom

European Influence in India

Global Solidarity to Defend Higher Education

Nigerian Universities in Crisis

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Inequality and Decline: Neoliberal Reform of Sri Lankan Universities

Siri Hettige, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

To understand the decline of public universities  in Siri Lanka weneed to take an historical and economic perspective. The first westernstyle university was established in 1942, a few years prior topolitical independence from the British rule. Until then, universityeducation was confined to a few who could afford to travel to Englandto pursue higher studies at British universities. Though more localstudents could follow university courses locally following theestablishment of the first national university, the high cost ofeducation limited the number of students enrolled. However, followingthe granting of limited self rule in 1931, national leaders took someprogressive policy measures in several areas including education. Onesuch decision was to introduce universal free education from primaryschool to university level from the mid 1940's onwards. The result wasa steady expansion of the country's education system. Certain policydecisions taken by successive governments after independence led to afurther expansion of university education from the late 1950's onwards.These included the change of medium of instruction in secondary schoolsand universities from English to local languages and the conversion oftwo traditional Buddhist educational institutions into two newuniversities. These decisions taken under the influence of a risingSinhala-Buddhist nationalist movement had far reaching consequences. …READ MORE

The Multiple Crises of French Universities[1]

By Bruno Cousin and Michèle Lamont, Harvard University

Between February and June 2009, French universities were the theatreof an exceptional protest movement against the latest flavour ofgovernmental reform concerning academic careers. Protest sometimesseems to be a way of life in the French academy, and in France atlarge, but this time the situation is serious, with potentially hugeconsequences for the future of the sector. Indeed, the nation that gavebirth to je pense, donc je suis is in a deep crisis on the intellectual front, and nowhere is this as obvious as in academic evaluation.

The protest movement did not take off in the grandes écoles (which train much of the French elite), or in professional and technical schools. Instead, it took off in the 80 comprehensive universités– the public institutions that are the backbone of the Frencheducational system. Until two years ago, they were required to admitany high-school graduate on a first-come, first-served basis. Aselection process was recently introduced, but even today most studentsare there because they could not gain entry elsewhere. Faculty workconditions are generally poor, as their institutions are chronicallyunderfunded. Classes are large and programmes are understaffed. Morethan half of all students leave without any kind of diploma. …READ MORE

Police States and Academic Freedom

By Ujjwal Kumar Singh and Nandini Sundar, University of Delhi 

As social scientists, our research involves field interactions withpeople, sometimes in conflict situations. Given the importance ofrelevance and timeliness in our respective disciplines – sociology andpolitical science – we often study issues which deal with politics, andfrom perspectives which may not be agreeable to the authorities. At alltimes, however, we strive for objectivity and independence in ourresearch. It can be no-one's case that such research  should not bedone in the social sciences, and that only security think tanks andjournalists should have access to conflict areas. Genuine researchcannot come out of being embedded with any side. Indeed, the governmentmust positively welcome such independent research by social scientists,because it can provide an alternative view to what is available fromother sources.

However, despite the government's new emphasis on higher educationand ‘world class research' it remains confined to a security mindset,where only certain types of  people can do research and only on certainsubjects, or from perspectives the government approves of. Nationalsecurity and national honour are routinely invoked to stymie the mostharmless work, especially when it comes to hapless foreign scholars. …READ MORE

European Influence in India

From Sharit K. Bhowmik, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

This is a statement concerning the setting up of the EuropeanStudies Centre at the Department of Sociology, University of Delhi, theinauguration of which is set to take place on the 28th of January inthe Department (http://www.iescp.org/index.php/events).Since the idea behind this statement is to initiate a public debate, werequest you to circulate it as widely as possible. It is authoredby faculty at the Department of Sociology, University of Delhi.  

1.The Department of Sociology (DoS) at the University of Delhi hasreceived a grant of 300,000 Euros (approximately 2 crores of rupees)from the European Union for a two year period, to set up a EuropeanStudy Centre. The issue of setting up of a European Study Centre wasnever discussed and debated in the Department of Sociology's StaffCouncil, and the group responsible for initiating it informed thefaculty only after their proposal was accepted by the EU. This iscompletely unprecedented in the functioning of the Department.

 2.This application makes, ostensibly in the name of the DoS,promises that the EU study centre will redesign the existing sociologysyllabi of the MA and M. Phil programs at DoS in consultation withEuropean participants. It also commits itself to framing new syllabi,and teaching them within an interdisciplinary framework, all withEuropean advice. …READ MORE

Global Solidarity to Defend Higher Education

Read the latest on cuts around the world at the Education Solidarity Network

Cuts and the threat of privatisation loom large in the latestpostings from education unions around the world on the EducationSolidarity Network blogsite, used by 15 education unions worldwide. Youcan read the latest here, including a call by 23 unions for a change ofdirection following student protests in Germany and Austria and anappeal for help from the Latvian higher education union. Click here for all the latest from around the world

Nigerian Universities in Crisis

By Abdul-Mumin Sa'ad, University of Maiduguri

There are a myriad of problems in Nigerian Public Universities,which, if nothing is done, will lead to their disintegration. Here aresome of the challenges we are facing in Nigeria – challenges that theauthorities are making no concerted effort to  tackle.  

Faculty-Student Ratio. The first serious problem is theenormous student population, served by all too few faculty (academicstaff). The National Universities Commission (NUC), a body regulatingacademic standards for universities, calls for a maximum offaculty-student ration of 1:40, but most universities in Nigeria haveat least 1:100 faculty-student ratio. In humanities and social sciencescourses, classes with at least 400 students are common place.

Low Quality of Faculty. The faculty-student ration isexacerbated by the poor qualification of faculty. The majority offaculty in most departments do not have doctorate degrees, which iscontrary to the NUC requirement that at least 50% of the faculty shouldhave doctorate degrees. What is more, it is not uncommon to findfaculties with only first degrees handling the most advanced (400level) courses on their own, while they are supposed to be onlygraduate assistants to senior faculty. Prospects for such graduateassistants and those with masters degrees to further their educationare very dim due to poor or near absence of funding for personneldevelopment. For those faculty with doctorate degrees, climbing tosenior positions such as Senior Lecturer, Reader/Associate Professorand Professor is a herculean task due to the absence of research grantsand funds to present papers at even national conferences.  Thus, theprinciple of “publish or perish” in Nigerian universities is not afunction of intellectual capacity per se but that of economicmisfortune.  …READ MORE

etc.