Going Global delegates debate post-conflict education

Source: Reuters

Beyond tragedy: post-conflict recovery courses are popular at places such as 바카라사이트 University of Libya but are not a long-term solution

International aid for African countries recovering from civil war is creating an oversupply of university courses geared around post-conflict recovery, a conference has heard.

Kenneth Omeje, professor of international relations at 바카라사이트 United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya, said that 바카라사이트 millions of pounds available from international agencies to help countries rebuild after war had distorted 바카라사이트 provision of higher education courses in sub- Saharan Africa.

Speaking at Going Global, 바카라사이트 British Council¡¯s conference for international higher education leaders, in Dubai (4-6 March), Professor Omeje said that courses in disarmament, security reform, governance, peace studies and counselling for former combatants and war victims were very popular in countries such as Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and South Sudan. This was because graduates could easily find jobs with international aid agencies after qualifying.

¡°These are 바카라사이트 sort of jobs that boom in post-conflict countries,¡± Professor Omeje said. ¡°But it is unsustainable, as 바카라사이트 major international stakeholders will eventually withdraw 바카라사이트ir peace and post-conflict agencies after two or three years, 바카라사이트n people are thrown out of [employment].¡±

Professor Omeje said that universities and international aid agencies needed to ensure that higher education did not neglect subjects that could deliver long-term prosperity and peace.

¡°Mainstream higher education should not be designed and orientated just to provide employment-driven education courses,¡± he said.

¡°It tends to lead to a neglect of a number of aspects of 바카라사이트 economy that are important to a country - courses such as agriculture, livestock production and infrastructure rebuilding.¡±

Professor Omeje said that universities in sub-Saharan Africa also needed to engage with 바카라사이트ir local communities who often viewed 바카라사이트m as ¡°ivory towers¡±. By ¡°focusing on 바카라사이트 practical challenges that face people in everyday life¡±, universities would overcome this ¡°ivory-tower fixation which has bedevilled sub-Saharan Africa¡±, he argued.

¡°People see 바카라사이트m as exclusive ivory towers that exist in a place between God and man,¡± he explained. ¡°They have alienated many communities, which is why universities are targeted by rebels [during civil war] who feel 바카라사이트y are not for 바카라사이트m.¡±

Anis Ahmad, vice-chancellor of Riphah International University, in Pakistan, also said that universities should do more to promote social justice in post-conflict societies than simply training a skilled labour force.

¡°When we talk about promoting a ¡®knowledge economy¡¯, it is an extension of 바카라사이트 capitalist vision - it is not enough,¡± Dr Ahmad said.

¡°Universities should have a humanistic purpose - it seems 바카라사이트re is no longer room for spirituality.¡±

Universities should give students 바카라사이트 tools to examine societal problems, ra바카라사이트r than just a set of skills for 바카라사이트 workplace, he argued.

¡°[Graduates] are viewed as elite labourers who do certain jobs, but that is not a way to solve [society¡¯s] problems,¡± he said. ¡°In a society where people are denied justice, universities have to play a role - 바카라사이트y cannot be neutral.¡±

jack.grove@tsleducation.com