Higher education struggles under multiple pressures

Higher education in Comoros continues to struggle under growing student demand, high graduate unemployment, poor infrastructure, brain drain and inadequate levels of teaching, learning and research, according to experts. But support is on the way, with plans for branch campuses of two foreign universities.

A member of the African Union, Comoros is a sovereign archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa. One of the smallest and poorest African states, the country has one university – Université des Comores or University of the Comores.

Founded in 2003, it is a multi-site university based in the capital city Moroni and in Patsy on the island of Anjouan. It is made up of faculties, institutes and schools hosting the majority of Comorian students who previously had to travel to other countries to pursue higher education.

Describing the challenges facing the University of the Comores, Comoran scientist Kassim Papa told University World News: “We have a young university and a youth population thirsty to learn.” There was a vital need for equipment and infrastructure to support teaching and research.

He said the university had limited academic offerings, with the maximum level of study being the licence (three-year degree programme).

“In the field of health, the university's school of health only trains male nurses and midwives and no school exists for producing doctors, pharmacists, and technicians for medical and-or biological analysis laboratories,” Papa said.

Juma Shabani, former director of development, coordination and monitoring of UNESCO programmes with a special focus on Africa, said that in order to meet the challenges of quality and relevance, the university should accelerate and strengthen implementation of ‘licence-masters-doctorate’ reform adopted in 2005.

This could be achieved “in particular through increased use of information and communication technologies, and enhanced participation in regional and international academic partnerships and research networks”.

Shabani highlighted the challenge of rapidly escalating student numbers.

“The University of the Comores is facing several challenges that contribute to the deterioration of the quality of teaching, learning and research. Indeed, between 2003 and 2012, the number of students multiplied more than five-fold, growing from 1,250 to 6,500,” he said.

Student numbers are continuing to rise rapidly, but the number of academic staff is not likely to experience any significant increase and there are no plans to build new academic infrastructure.

According to Shabani, other problems affecting teaching and learning conditions include regular staff and student strikes related to delays in the payment of salaries and poor living conditions on campuses, including inadequate student transport, poor water and electricity supply, lack of access to the internet and an absence of student restaurants.

Several international reports have pointed to problems facing the higher education sector in Comoros such as low performance, unemployment of university graduates and brain drain.

According to the 2014 African Economic Outlook, unemployment, particularly among new graduates, was not expected to improve. It estimated unemployment in Comoros to be 14.3% and a high 44.5% for people under 25 years old.

Some students go abroad for training, often at their own expense, because scholarships are scarce. A brain drain has resulted, because few university graduates are willing to return to the islands.

To support Comoran higher education, the development of a branch of Egypt's Mansoura University is underway and an Iranian branch campus is also being planned.