Advocating for Arab Higher Education
The founder of the Alexandria Trust, a London-based charity,
Mr. Khalil wants to “restore the excellence in learning and culture in the Arab
region” by starting an online publication devoted to covering higher education;
Al Fanar will be formally introduced on March 3. Mr. Kahil explains that he
believes universities are the building blocks of society, but in Arab countries
they are weak building blocks. He wants this new place to be somewhere where
universities in the region can connect. He hopes that the publication will
inspire a generation of Arab philanthropist to support education, something the
country needs badly. The
publication’s new editor will be David Wheeler, a 25-year veteran of The
Chronicle of Higher Education, a U.S. publication on which Al Fanar will be
based. “We’re not going to hold back. We’re not going to self-censor,” he said
in the interview. “Ideas get sharper when you debate them, and I want Al Fanar
to be a place where people can exchange strong opinions.” Mr. Wheeler stresses
that its important to emphasize that this is an Arab founded and funded project.
Rasha Faek, a Syrian journalist based in
Amman, is serving as senior editor responsible for all Arabic-language content.
She describes how she feels that every year thousands of people graduate from
Arab universities and find that there are no jobs and how people need to be
reporting on that and the big gap between what the universities teach and what
the market needs. Academic freedom is also something she believes she needs to
be a watchdog for. One
indication of the challenges they face is the difficulty in finding a regional
base of operations. Every time they
decide on a country, something bad happens and they have to move on, currently
they are in London. They have remained an organization living virtually and
hope that Al Fanar will be a place where ideas can be explored.
I think the idea of an online higher education system is a
great idea for Arab countries. This article expressed the need for one like
this and how the universities in place now are weak and people hope this new
online system will connect schools in the regions. When students come together
and exchange ideas, while offering constructive criticism about them, big
changes can come to Arab countries and spread throughout the world. One question
I did have while reading the article was the comment about students going to universities
and then figuring out there are no jobs for them when they get out. How is this
supposed to encourage people to get an education? Then I think this situation is somewhat like
the US because just because you obtain a degree, doesn’t mean you are promised a
job. I would want to know what Arab’s situation is and how few of jobs there
are to make a decision if higher education would pay off. I hope to see Al
Fanar be a great success and that many people will invest their time and money
into this system that will better their society.
Leslie Belk
3/1/13 10:36 am
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