Higher Education and the Current Political Crisis in Sudan
A united country and a cohesive community is the dream of any nation. Unity is a dream that promises political stability and prosperity. For decades Sudan struggled with finding a formula for success, uniting its diverse communities and helping them live together in peace. Civil war in south Sudan ended in separating the southern part of Sudan to form a new country named South Sudan, which in itself went into a civil war after its separation. Today after decades of independence from British colonialism, the ghosts of war and civil conflicts still haunts the Western and eastern parts of Sudan. Not only this, but the government itself with all of its political institutions is undergoing a struggle for the birth of a true democracy. Hence, the questions are: What is the relationship of this struggle to higher education? And what are the solutions that higher education can provide for this democracy in its infancy?
Considering the non-controversial role of higher education in developing a culture of peace and inclusion, we will quickly conclude that Sudanese higher education institutions fell short of its role, even after independence from colonialism in 1956. The reason why higher education institutions was not able to lead peace and justice dialogue and to foster these values, lies in the early formation of these institutions as a servant to the British Colonial needs rather than the people of Sudan. Going back to the history of these institutions, they were not built to address the needs of a diverse nation. According to Sharkey (2003), these institutions were built to address the needs of colonizers who were then educating Sudanese students to produce professionals or scholars who can work for the colony and support its trade.
After the “artificial” independence from British colonialism in 1956, the Sudanese people continued to struggle and could hardly manage to organize their higher education institutions to overcome the challenges faced by young adults. I am hardly aware of effective efforts to help young people understand their true identity, embrace their diversity, the value of differences and the importance of living together in peace despite disagreements.
In the struggle for true identify, President Omer Albasheer regime, over the past three decades (1990-2019), tried to end this struggle by deciding to ignore the diversity of the people of Sudan and unite them through a project they call an “Islamist perspective” as an approach to the reform of higher education. This is evident in changing the main language of instruction from English to Arabic and introducing Islamic Studies courses to the general requirements of undergraduate degrees offered by most public institutions. They went as far as introducing religious criteria in the screening and recruitment of personnel in attempt to test the degree to which new hires are practicing the religion of Islam. Consequently, employees were hired based on their loyalty to the ruling regime rather than academic or professional competence. This practice known as Tamkeen (empowerment) of people from the same faith as the ruling party, excluded competent faculty and administrators and led to hiring of less qualified individuals, especially in leadership positions.
It was not a surprise that the southern part of Sudan finally separated from the northern one in 2011. Furthermore, civil unrest, spread of tribal and racial prejudice and the economic deterioration are all proof that this “Islamist” project has failed in many parts. One of the major reasons of failure was not taking the diversity of the Sudanese people into serious consideration. If we are to build a modern higher education system, we have to be more inclusive. To be inclusive, we have to help students find their true identity.
Three decades of military rule under Omer Albasheer regime destroyed the Sudanese dream of real Independence from colonialism and hindered the role of higher education institutions in leading the dialogue of peace and justice in Sudan. During the nineties, Albasheer regime expanded higher education institutions to around 20 public institutions in different states of Sudan, which was composed of 26 states at that time. However, this expansion came with a price. The quality of education was decreasing. This is witnessed in the lack of credible and reliable admission standards. The shift to Arabic instead of English as the medium of instruction; led to the isolation of these institutions from the international teaching and learning standards. According to (El Hassan, 2013), many of these institutions were not providing enough structured opportunities for students to engage in co-curricular activities and experiential learning opportunities.
Anger reaches its peak and a revolution against Albasheer regime started in December 2018 and has finally managed to bring his regime down in April 6, 2019.
Faculty and administrators in Sudan contributed significantly to the topple of this military and unjust regime. Many students were killed during demonstrations demanding a democratic and civil government. Some of the protesters who were killed during the recent massacre in khartoum Army Headquarter were students. Unfortunately, as we speak, this military rule is still trying to reproduce itself into a new government and the struggle for a real identity and a formula of educational success is still in progress.
With help from some countries in the Middle East, a military council is now ruling Sudan. Instead of competent technocrat warlords such as Hemediti, are in charge of Sudan. A massacre that led to the killing of more than 110 protesters, many of whom were students, took place June 3rd 2019.
The protesters were peacefully demanding a civil government by holding a sit-in for more than two month in front of the army headquarter in Khartoum, the Capital of Sudan. This took place during the hot weather and during the fasting month of Ramadan.
Photos of some student protesters who were killed in the massacre of June 3rd 2019.
Sudanese people, especially the diaspora, are starting many initiatives envisioning Sudan after the success of the revolution that is currently taking place to establish a civil government. These initiatives, although remain to be dreams of prosperity and development, represent the fuel to continue the struggle for a civil government.
For more details about the initiatives envisioning Sudan after the success of the revolution, watch for my upcoming article: Higher Education Contribution to True Independence and Unity in Sudan
Selma Haghamed
Experiential Learning and Study Abroad Specialist