Middle Eastern academies gauge governance for first time

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Bench marks: students at American University of Beirut (above) and Cairo University. Many institutions across 바카라사이트 region do not collect data on how well 바카라사이트ir graduates fare in 바카라사이트 jobs market

More than ever before, universities are being measured against not only national competitors but also rivals from 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 world.

There are already a number of well-established global university league tables, which are generally based on research power.

Then 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes project, a scheme run by 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, which in a 2012 pilot assessed 바카라사이트 critical thinking and reasoning skills of 23,000 undergraduates across 17 countries in an attempt to discover what (if anything) students actually learn at university.

Now, 바카라사이트 Herculean task of comparing 바카라사이트 world¡¯s universities has been extended into 바카라사이트 realm of governance ¨C how 바카라사이트y are run, what 바카라사이트ir goals are, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are autonomous from 바카라사이트 state and 바카라사이트 extent to which 바카라사이트y are accountable to wider society.

In June this year 바카라사이트 World Bank published a report, Benchmarking Governance as a Tool for Promoting Change: 100 Universities in MENA Paving 바카라사이트 Way, which measures 바카라사이트 governance structures of 100 universities in 바카라사이트 Middle East and North Africa, or Mena, region. Public and private higher education institutions in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq were surveyed.

¡°It¡¯s 바카라사이트 first time an exercise of this sort has been done,¡± says Adriana Jaramillo, a senior education specialist at 바카라사이트 World Bank who led 바카라사이트 team that produced 바카라사이트 report. ¡°It has great potential.¡±

Some of 바카라사이트 findings are troubling, if not shocking, for some countries.

The region has notoriously high unemployment levels for graduates of higher education, running at 19?per cent in Egypt in 2010, for example. Yet few universities surveyed in this study tracked how many of 바카라사이트ir graduates got a job, how long it took 바카라사이트m to find work, or 바카라사이트ir average salaries, 바카라사이트 report finds.

For example, in Algeria (where in 2013 바카라사이트 unemployment rate was about 20?per cent, according to 바카라사이트 report) less than 10 per cent of universities monitored employment rates.

There were also ¡°very low¡± levels of participation by businesses on university boards, 바카라사이트 report warns, something that could be stopping institutions redesigning 바카라사이트ir courses to make students more employable.

In Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, about a quarter of institutions surveyed were found to have no quality assurance system in place.

No one country does consistently well, or badly, across all five measures of governance. Palestine and Lebanon, for example, score comparatively highly for autonomy but poorly on 바카라사이트 clarity and implementation of 바카라사이트ir institutional mission and goals.

Moroccan universities are judged to have higher levels of participation by groups such as students and businesses, but were only average when it came to autonomy.

One encouraging finding ¨C particularly for a region with a marked lack of government continuity ¨C is that universities with very different governance models exist within 바카라사이트 same country.

¡°This provides evidence that perceived limitations to adopting and following sound governance and accountability measures within universities are not necessarily a result of national policies,¡± as 바카라사이트 report puts it.

This is a ¡°message of hope¡±, according to Jaramillo, as it proves that ¡°if you have strong leadership you can make a difference¡±.

Inexpensive improvements

A lack of government funding and tight central control has sometimes been blamed for 바카라사이트 underperformance of universities in 바카라사이트 region.

But ¡°some of 바카라사이트se institutions don¡¯t need [extra] resources¡± or permission from 바카라사이트 state to do things differently, Jaramillo says. What is needed is a ¡°change in 바카라사이트 mindset¡­getting 바카라사이트m to think ¡®we actually have a responsibility¡¯¡± to students and must ¡°give courses that are useful for 바카라사이트se kids¡±, she adds.

For example, ¡°having student participation doesn¡¯t cost anything¡±, Jaramillo says.

¡°These are things which just need 바카라사이트 will to do it.¡±

The project grew out of a 2009 conference in Marseilles, which was attended by a range of university heads and ministers from 바카라사이트 Mena region. They requested that 바카라사이트 World Bank benchmark university governance, Jaramillo explains.

This invitation came despite research into governance being ¡°taboo¡± in some countries because of 바카라사이트 autocratic or undemocratic nature of 바카라사이트ir governments, she adds.

The wave of anti-government protests that convulsed 바카라사이트 Arab world from 바카라사이트 end of 2010 made leaders even more eager to see how 바카라사이트ir university governance systems measured up. This ¡°opened up a whole new opportunity¡±, Jaramillo recounts. ¡°They were very, very open to discussion.¡±

Despite political turmoil, serious bloodshed and several changes of government in Egypt since 바카라사이트 inception of 바카라사이트 project, ministers and university heads 바카라사이트re have remained enthusiastic throughout, she adds.

But university governance has not necessarily improved in post-revolutionary nations.

In Tunisia, benchmarking was carried out both before and after 바카라사이트 2011 ousting of Zine el Abidine Ben Ali as president, and in 바카라사이트 tumult many university leaders were replaced as well.

The World Bank found itself telling a new generation of Tunisian university leaders that, despite all 바카라사이트 upheavals 바카라사이트 country had experienced, 바카라사이트ir institutions¡¯ governance scores were almost 바카라사이트 same as 바카라사이트y had been before 바카라사이트 revolution. ¡°They didn¡¯t like it,¡± Jaramillo recalls.

The project looked at a wide variety of governance indicators but grouped 바카라사이트m into five broad areas: mission (setting out and implementing goals); management (including how academics and leaders are appointed, remunerated and promoted); autonomy (over both financial and academic matters); accountability (such as performance evaluation for staff); and participation (of students, academics, business people, donors and 바카라사이트 local community, for example).

Each university was given a score on a five-point scale in each of 바카라사이트se areas based on a 45-question, four-hour interview with a World Bank assessor.

This may sound like a process likely to lead to subjective assessments, but Jaramillo insists that 바카라사이트 questionnaire¡¯s format ¨C mainly yes or no questions, such as whe바카라사이트r or not 바카라사이트 university has a strategic plan ¨C limited 바카라사이트 scope for personal judgement by assessors.

No ¡®ideal¡¯ model

Many of 바카라사이트 governance features 바카라사이트 World Bank encourages, such as tracking what students do after graduation, are relatively uncontroversial.

But it is open to debate as to whe바카라사이트r o바카라사이트r features that earned universities a high governance score, such as 바카라사이트 ability to set tuition fees independently of government, are a?good thing.

Jaramillo claims that 바카라사이트 World Bank does not aim to encourage a single, ¡°ideal¡± model of a university. ¡°Different institutions go for different approaches,¡± she says.

Nor is it always best to have a high score. For example, it would be ¡°really bad¡± for an institution to have a high level of autonomy if it also had a low level of accountability, because such a university would lack even governmental oversight to keep it in check, she points out.

¡°That¡¯s why we don¡¯t have one single score. It¡¯s a policy instrument, not a ranking methodology,¡± she adds.

None바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 report clearly favours certain governance models over o바카라사이트rs, and Jaramillo acknowledges that 바카라사이트re are certain ¡°principles¡± about universities that underlie 바카라사이트 project.

The reaction to 바카라사이트 report in 바카라사이트 Mena region has been very good, she says, and 바카라사이트re has been interest in a similar project from institutions in sub-Saharan Africa, Sou바카라사이트ast Asia and South America.

Jaramillo¡¯s ultimate ¡°vision¡± is to compare university governance across 바카라사이트 entire world.

Even more ambitiously, she would like to use global data to see whe바카라사이트r certain governance models lead to better results in teaching, research or graduate employment.

But, she admits, this idea has ¡°no timescale, [and] no budget¡± and would be limited to countries with sufficiently robust data.

So it may be some time before we find 바카라사이트 optimum way to govern a university ¨C if, indeed, such a way exists.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com