DOCSLIB.ORG

Power and Struggle for Education in Libya

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Power and Struggle for Education in Libya ABDELBASIT GADOUR POWER AND STRUGGLE FOR EDUCATION IN LIBYA An Insider’s Perspective Q. Tell us a little about who you are. I am Libyan and a member of the academic staff at the Faculty of Education, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Libya. More recently I have moved from Al-Fateh University in Tripoli (West of Libya) to Omar Al-Mukhtar in Al-Beda (East of Libya) due to family commitments and a personal desire to be close to my beloved hometown Derna. In short I was fortunate to be born in the city of Derna and witness during the sixties and seventies how education inspired and transformed people all through the period of the monarchy as well as during the early stages of the present regime. Derna is a small city situated in north-eastern Libya. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, east of Benghazi. It lies on the eastern ridges of the Jabal al-Akhdar (Green Mountain) in the delta of the small Wadi River. The city of Derna is renowned not only for its old quarter and other nearby attractions, but also for its struggle against the present regime. Like all the eastern cities, Derna has stood firm against the aggression of Gaddafi throughout the last four decades. Now as I am writing this article, Derna along with all the nearby cities—including Al-Beda, Tobrak, Al-marj, and Benghazi—is marching towards freedom and is fighting a battle against the brutality of the present regime. In general people in Derna are generous, courteous and well-mannered. Without hesitation education is the cornerstone of this city and its people. Perhaps it is worth pointing out here that a great number of scholars, teachers, doctors, politicians, judges and university staff from the city of Derna have contributed significantly to the development of the country since Libya gained independence on 24th of December, 1951. In this sense, I am immensely proud of my roots. I grew up with four brothers and three sisters in a traditional and conservative home. My parents were illiterate but never ignorant nor lacking in wisdom. I was influenced greatly by my family and in particular by my eldest sister’s upbringing. From my earliest years my parents strove to instil in me the principles of Islam; respect for the elderly, kindness to the young, diligence in prayer, causing others no harm, treating others as you would want to be treated yourself, cheerfulness because it is considered a blessing to others to smile, as well as its being a blessing to protect others from harm, and never to tell lies or cheat. Q. What have been some of the most formative moments in your own education? I was always reminded by my sister to follow the teachers’ instructions and to listen to them attentively, because teachers are like prophets or messengers from R.G. Sultana (ed.), Educators of the Mediterranean: Up Close and Personal. 121–130. © 2011 Sense Publishers. All rights reserved. ABDELBASIT GADOUR God on earth. Hence it is very important to do as they say because the respect due them is that due to one’s parents and to God. My sister is a sincere and dedicated person without whom I could never have completed my studies. All along I was influenced by her teaching and I am indebted to her all my life. After my father passed away she had to leave her studies at the University of Benghazi to make sure that our education was not affected. She took a genuine interest in my education and provided me with care, love and emotional support. Nonetheless, I was scrutinized and under extreme pressure. She was hard to please, as meeting the school requirements was not enough for her. She wanted me to exceed the targets set and always to be at the top of ladder. I still remember vividly how many times she would ask me how well I had done after an exam and would worry in case I had missed a question or left one unanswered or, God forbid, that I might have done badly. At the time of school exams she would not sleep, going over and over again all the topics I was supposed to know. In fact, if I am honest, I was more concerned for her that I did well in school than for myself. Afterwards she would not rest until the results of the exams were announced and she could be sure that I had passed successfully. My sister was a perfectionist and this was troubling me, as I myself could not see what she wanted me to be. In fact, she had great expectations of me: she wanted me to become a doctor of medicine, so that I could treat people and save lives. Indeed, during my primary and secondary school years, almost everyone was channelled and shaped by his family to be what they wanted him to be and consequently, I was not different from anyone else. Traditionally the field of medicine has been considered the highest calling and still inspires young and old people alike. Thus, I was encouraged from an early age to follow this path, to give my sister and family a sense of pride by reaching this great goal. It was, therefore, a source of great disappointment that I refused to follow that course, despite the fact that I had achieved the required grades to become a student of medicine. It was a very difficult time for both of us. As for me I did not have the courage to face her and express other interests than what she had wished for me because I knew how much she wanted me to be a doctor. My sister had made great sacrifices for my family and for me in particular and consequently I could not easily ignore them. Therefore I asked a close relative whom she regarded highly to intervene and help me voice my views. Less interested in the pathway that I should follow, I was more concerned to be with my friends and unfortunately none of my close friends wanted to study medicine. I was, in fact, inclined to study French not only because my best friend wanted to be a French teacher but also because I gained the highest mark in French in my high school. Despite the fact that I gained very good grades in high school which allowed me to study at the university, I was very disappointed to learn from the local education authority that I had been chosen randomly by computer to go to the Military College. My family were shocked to hear the news too. I must admit that I was not alone in feeling dejected and hopeless but many other friends had suffered the same fate too. However, although most of my friends had no alternative but to join the Military College, I refused and declared that I was 122 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Towards E-Learning in Higher Education in Libya
    Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology Volume 7, 2010 Towards E-Learning in Higher Education in Libya Amal Rhema and Iwona Miliszewska Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria [email protected]; [email protected] Abstract The growing influence of technologies on all aspects of life, including the education sector, re- quires developing countries to follow the example of the developed countries and adopt technol- ogy in their education systems. Although relatively late, the Libyan government has eventually responded to this challenge and started investing heavily in the reconstruction of its education system, and initiating national programs to introduce information and communication technology (ICT) into education. In addition, there are plans to establish virtual campuses in many universi- ties and colleges to provide an advanced platform for learners and instructors. This paper presents the higher education context in Libya and outlines the applications of ICT and e-learning in Lib- yan higher education to date. It discusses the issues that need be considered and addressed in adopting ICT in the learning and teaching processes including technological infrastructure, cur- riculum development, cultural and language aspects, and management support. The paper also outlines the prospects for the integration of e-learning into Libyan higher education and con- cludes with proposing an integrated approach to advancing the introduction of e-learning in Libya. Keywords: developing country, e-learning, ICT teacher training, information and communication technology, Libyan higher education, technology transfer, technological infrastructure. Introduction Libya has the highest literacy rate in the Arab world, and the United Nation’s Human Develop- ment Index, which ranks standard of living, social security, health care and other factors for de- velopment, keeps Libya at the top of all African countries.
    [Show full text]
  • TEFL, Perceptions and the Arab World, Vith a Case EDES PRICE Culture
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 135 257 FI 008 431 AUTHOR Bagnole, John W. TITLE TEFL, Perceptions and the Arab World, vith a Case Study of the University of Garyounis (Benghazi). INSTITUTION American Friends of the Middle East, Inc., Washington, D.C. REPOET NO AFME-OP-3 PUB DATE Jan 77 NOTE 57p. AVAILABLE FROM American Friends of the Middle East, Suite 100, 1717 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 ($2.00) EDES PRICE BF-$0.83 Plus Postage. BC Not Available from EDRS. DESCEIFTORS Arabic; *Arabs; Coeducation; Cultural Factors; Curriculum; *English (Second Language); *Foreign Culture; Interference (Language Learning); language Attitudes; language Instruction; language Teachers; language Usage; Non Western Civilization; Second language Learning; Sex Discrimination; *Sociocultural Patterns; Student Attitudes; *Teadher Attitudes; *Values IDENTIFIERS *Middle East ABSTRACT This paper prepares teachers of English as a foreign language for many of the conditions they will encounter vhile teaching in the Arab vorld. The general theme is that attitudes of understanding and tolerance can lead to substantive improvements in professional morale and classroom effectiveness. Emphasizing the different regicnal factors and cultural sources of many areas known to be problematic, the paper identifies and analyzes such attitudinal and perceptual concepts as time, nncver-say-no-ism," expatriate feelings of temporariness and alienation, education as a perceived 'value, the image of teachers, and the role and image of women. 2actors affecting linguistic pre-conditionings and their effects on teaching are evaluated as well. Draving upon the accumulated and multi-national experiences of English teachers in Libya (case study), Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab countries, the paper also examines various practical aspects of teaching which include coeducation, familiarity with students, cheating, and the role of EFL in the curriculum.
    [Show full text]
  • EDUCATION UNDER ATTACK 2018 Global Coalition to Protect CONTENTS GCPEA Abbreviations
    Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack GCPEA **Embargoed until May 10, 2018, 1pm EST** EDUCATION UNDER ATTACK 2018 Global Coalition to Protect CONTENTS GCPEA Abbreviations.................................................................................................................................2 Education from Attack Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................4 This study is published by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), which was formed in Methodology ................................................................................................................................16 2010 by organizations working in the fields of education in emergencies and conflict-affected contexts, higher education, protection, and international human rights and humanitarian law that were concerned about ongoing Global Overview ...........................................................................................................................24 attacks on educational institutions, their students, and staff in countries affected by conflict and insecurity. Recommendations .......................................................................................................................64 GCPEA is a coalition of organizations that includes: co-chairs Human Rights Watch and Save the Children, the Country Profiles ............................................................................................................................74
    [Show full text]
  • WRAP Theses Alfasi 2017.Pdf
    A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick Permanent WRAP URL: http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/101760/ Copyright and reuse: This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. For more information, please contact the WRAP Team at: [email protected] warwick.ac.uk/lib-publications Political Agency and the Symbolic Legacy of Authoritarian Regimes: The Case of Libya Kawther Nuri Alfasi A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Politics and International Studies University of Warwick Department of Politics and International Studies September 2017 Contents Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv List of Acronyms v 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Why Study Political Agency? Why Authoritarianism? 2 1.2 Political Agency and the Libyan Uprising of 2011 7 1.3 Theoretical Framework 11 1.4 Research Methods and Reflexivity 16 1.5 Chapter Outline 21 2 Literature Review: Political Agency in the Middle East 25 2.1 Introduction 25 2.2 Political Agency and Resilient Autocracy 26 2.3 Political Agency: Beyond Democratisation and Authoritarian Resilience 32 2.4 Political Agency and the Arab Spring 38 2.5 Political Agency under Authoritarianism: Toward a Point of Enquiry 46 3 Theoretical Framework 48 3.1 Introduction 48 3.2 Structural Social Movement Theory 49 3.2.1
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Garyounis University in Achieving Social Development Objectives Based on the Staff Point of View"
    THE ROLE OF GARYOUNIS UNIVERSITY IN ACHIEVING SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Liverpool John Moores University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By FatmaBEN ATTIA Liverpool John Moores University Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure January 2012 Acknowledgments The journey undertaken when conducting a PhD is a long and arduous one and my own work has made me come across difficult times. However, the support I have received has made me able to reach this stage of final submission of the thesis. Therefore, I wish to indicate and acknowledge those who have provided me with their kind support. Firstly, I should start in the name of God since everything we do or come cross is related to his will. Therefore, I must acknowledge that it is only through the light of God Almighty I have been able to reach this stage, which, on many occasions, I have felt would never come. Fortunately I have been provided with the support, motivation, knowledge, friendship and love, to make the trip through the long research and writing process more bearable and rewarding. I welcome this opportunity to give thanks to the remarkable people who have supported me. I am especially indebted to my supervisor Professor Mark Brundrett whose encouragement over this long journey has kept me making progress and despite coming across the difficult times I have faced in the shadow of the problematic political circumstances taking place in Libya. His patience, encouragement, and guidance have been provided for the duration of my doctoral research and his busy schedule has not stopped him from providing guide and support.
    [Show full text]
  • The Trend of the Bibliographical Output from Libyan Engineering Schools: a 30-Year Review from 1984-2013
    10 International Journal of Statistics in Medical Research, 2018, 7, 10-17 The Trend of the Bibliographical Output from Libyan Engineering Schools: A 30-Year Review From 1984-2013 Awad Bodalal* and Salah Mashite Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Benghazi University, Benghazi, Libya Abstract: In this study, the research output from the major Libyan engineering schools was gathered and compared for the period of thirty years (from 1984 to 2013). The Elsevier database, Science Direct, was used to gather these publications and only engineering articles were included. A comparative analysis was performed on three levels; first a local comparison between the different faculties of engineering across Libya and secondly, a broader comparison between Libya and the neighboring METAL (Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya) countries and finally, the third comparison was performed between Turkey and the METAL countries. In the local comparison, the output was normalized by the number of teaching staff while in the broader regional comparison, gross domestic product and population were used as standardization factors. When analyzing the research output of the Libyan engineering schools, it was observed that most publications came from Tripoli (47.1%, n=131) followed by Benghazi (25.9%, n=72), Misurata (4.1%, n=12) and Omar Al-Mukhtar (4.0%, n=11). However, when the number of staff members was taken into consideration, Benghazi University and Omar Al-Mukhtar University had higher research productivity levels than Tripoli University and Misurata University respectively. The regional comparison showed a clear difference between Libya and its neighbors, having the lowest output among them.
    [Show full text]
  • Real Legal Certainty and Its Relevance
    REAL LEGAL CERTAINTY AND ITS RELEVANCE REAL LEGAL CERTAINTY AND ITS RELEVANCE Essays in honour of Jan Michiel Otto edited by Adriaan Bedner and Barbara Oomen Leiden Publications Cover design: Studio Jan de Boer, Amsterdam Cover image: Court hearing of the religious court of Cianjur, in Sindangbarang, district Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia, November 2008 (photo: Dr. Stijn van Huis) Layout: Coco Bookmedia, Amersfoort ISBN 978 90 8728 315 5 e-ISBN 978 94 0060 330 1 (e-pdf) e-ISBN 978 94 0060 331 8 (e-pub) NUR 820 © Adriaan Bedner and Barbara Oomen / Leiden University Press, 2018 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of the book. This book is distributed in North America by the University of Chicago Press (www.press.uchicago.edu). Contents Abbreviations 7 The Relevance of Real Legal Certainty – An Introduction 9 B. Oomen and A. Bedner Getting Real: Considering Legal Certainty from Below 23 1 Addressing Adverse Formalisation: The Land Question in Outer Island Indonesia 25 J.F. McCarthy, K. Robinson, and A. Dhiaulhaq 2 Can Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) Create Legal Certainty for Hunter-Gatherers? 43 G.A. Persoon and T. Minter 3 The Constitutional Dimensions of Decentralisation and Local Self-Government in Asia 57 A. Harding 4 Indeterminacy, Uncertainty, and Insecurity 81 K.
    [Show full text]
  • WHEEL KOM Programme
    «NETWORK FOR THE MODERNISATION OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR IN LIBYA» WHEEL UNIVERSITY OF GENOVA th - th April 2019 WHEEL project Overview WHEEL is a step moved on the pathway of previous projects promoted by EACEA on the main challenges facing Libyan HEIs. In a divided Country, with no reliable countrywide data collection since the outbreak of the 2011 events, a vision of the HE role of is missing. Libyan universities need to improve their ability to collaborate & share knowledge, to overcome the difficulties due to funds lacking, not updated technological capabilities and the few chances of professional development. Specific Project Objectives To formalise a Network of HEIs to foster interinstitutional collaboration and dialogue and to allow the WHEEL partnership, representing around 75% of Libya’s university population, to act as a unified voice in lobbying for policy developments. To gather, by the Network, a comprehensive dataset of current HE statistics collected during the project activities («Blueprint policy document»). To create an online platform to facilitate the Network by equipment upgrades within each Libyan HEI. To “train the trainer” focusing to improving institutional management, capacity and other key functions (quality assurance, development of research & innovation capacities, etc.) by a series of workshops and regional & national conferences. To disseminate the project results in actual terms at regional level by newsletters & social media, also aimed at attracting non-member HEIs to the Network, so that a critical mass to influence policy and promote development in other local HEIs will be achieved. 2 Overall programme Sunday th April 2019 Arrival in Genova of the participants and their accommodation Monday th April 2019 Rectorate building, Via Balbi 5, “Pellitteri” hall, th floor Meeting point at 09:10, Rectorate building, Via Balbi 5, ground floor, near the “marble lions” 09:30 - 10:00 .
    [Show full text]
  • Libya Country of Origin Information (Coi) Report
    LIBYA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT BACKGROUND AND SECURITY SITUATION COI Service 25 July 2011 LIBYA 25 JULY 2011 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN LIBYA FROM 15 JULY 2011 TO 20 JULY 2011 Useful news sources for further information Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Map ........................................................................................................................ 1.07 Geographic and tribal issues .............................................................................. 1.10 The east ................................................................................................................. 1.11 Islamism ............................................................................................................. 1.11 State policy towards the east ............................................................................. 1.12 Transport ............................................................................................................... 1.13 Roads ................................................................................................................. 1.13 Railways ............................................................................................................. 1.14 International and internal airports and flight routes ............................................ 1.15 Sea ports ...........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Why and How Authoritarian Regimes Produce Narratives of Governance: Discourse and Policy Narratives in Libya (2003-2010)
    Why and How Authoritarian Regimes Produce Narratives of Governance: Discourse and Policy Narratives in Libya (2003-2010) Submitted by Anas Abubakr Buera to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Politics, June 2015 This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Anas Buera………………………………………………………… Abstract This thesis starts from a basic intellectual curiosity: why would an authoritarian regime care about the ‘governance change’? What would governance possibly mean for a regime heavily sanctioned by the United Nations? And assuming that an authoritarian leader is forced to accept some notions of ‘improving on governance’; what specific dimensions of governance would be targeted for reform? How would they be ‘narrated’ to the domestic and international audience? The main purpose of this thesis is to explore the communication of policy change in authoritarian regimes through a new lens on the policy process. This original lens is based on the combination of discursive institutionalism and the narrative policy framework. At the outset, we argue that authoritarian regimes are interested in ‘good governance’ as defined by international organizations, but very selectively and with strategic intentions connected to the different internal audiences and international audience costs. We also argue that these regimes use narratives to support their strategic intentions and that their discourse is contingent on the institutional context – which shapes coordinative and communicative elements of policy discourse.
    [Show full text]
  • Idress Hamad Attitalla, and Abobaker M
    الســـــــــــــــــيرة الذاتية Curriculum Vitae معلومات شخصية اﻻســـــــــــــــــــم: إدريس حمد عطية هللا صالح تــــــاريخ الميــﻻد: 21 ـ 04 ـ 1969 م الجنســـــــــــــــية: ليبي الكـليــــــــــــــــــة: العلوم القســـــــــــــــــــم: علم النبات – رئيس قسم علم اﻷحياء الدقيقة المؤهــــل العلمي: دكتوراه الدرجــــة العلمية: أستاذ التخصص الدقيق - التطور الجزيئي هــــــــــاتف: 0910540392 صنــــــدوق بريد: 919 البيضاء - ليبيا https://scholar.google.com.ly/citations?user=JatnLx8AAAAJ &hl=ar ـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ 2 معلومات شخصية Personal Information Material status: Married (4 daughters, 13, 12, 8 years old and one son 5 years old) متزوج + 5 أطفال الحالة اﻷجتماعية الجنسية- ليبى مكان الميﻻد – طرابلس - ليبيا Nationality: Libyan Date of Birth: 1969.04.21 Place of Birth: Tripoli, Libya Swedish ID number: 690421-5198 اﻻسم تاريخ الميﻻد ومكانه السنة الدراسية سندس إدريس 1998 السويد الثانى إعدادى إبتهال إدريس 1999 ليبيا اﻻول إعدادى إستبرق إدريس 2002 السويد الرابع إبتدائى محمد إدريس 2007 ليبيا -------- إمتثال إدريس 2010 ماليزيا -------- المؤهﻻت العلمية Education and Degrees التدرج الوظيفي الدرجة الوظيفية إعتباراً من مــعــــــــــــــيد 1992 م محاضر مساعد 1998 م محــاضـــــــــر 2004 م أستاذ مســـــاعد 2007 م أستاذ مشـــــارك 2011 م استـــــــــــــــــاذ 2015 م 3 المؤهﻻت العلمية : Education and Degrees BSc. in Biology, (1992). Degree project: Research on Down Syndrome in Al-Bayda, Libya Omar Al Mukhtar Universitey, Faculty of Science-Department
    [Show full text]
  • Control Systems Immersion Program for High-School Students, Benghazi, Libya
    Control Systems Immersion Program for High-School Students, Benghazi, Libya IEEE Control System Society Outreach Fund Final Report 1- Introduction Libya has been going through so many unrests and tribulations in the last decades. This small North African country, population 6.5 million, is now looking to the future with fresh prospective. There is a strong realization that education, especially in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), is key to the many problems the country is facing. This makes sense in view of the fact that more than %33 of the country’s population is under the age of 24, according to UN data (2015). On the other hand, it is increasingly obvious that there is a huge appetite by the country’s youth to get exposed to the latest trends and technical tools related to STEM subjects. Certainly, the prevalence of the internet and open information sources have helped in closing the gap of knowledge. However, there is still a strong need for real-life, project-based learning opportunities and face-to-face interactions with experts in various fields. This outreach proposal aims to help in filling this gap. Control systems engineering has been a core subject of study in most of the Libyan universities. Recently, many of the country’s leading universities, such as the University of Benghazi and the University of Tripoli, have adopted control systems as one of the main areas of specialties in a number of their engineering departments. The growing interest in control can also be seen in the increasing number of graduate projects and degrees related to this field.
    [Show full text]