Private Universities, Qualifying or Disqualifying [Archives:2000/47/Culture]

Mohammed N.
Al-Hakimi
Yemen Times,
Taiz
Private universities emerged because of many reasons: the bad reality of public education, lack of policy for education output, lack of spcializations, prejudice in admission policy, lack of educational proficiency and environment. However, suspicions have been aroused about private university education.
Yemen Times discussed this issue with many university doctors and students.
Dr. Mohammed Saif Shuga,
Professor of Criminal Law in Sanaa University and Head of the branch of the Yemeni University in Taiz, said, The private universities appeared because of the need for having capacity for secondary school graduates, preparing them well in the scientific and practical aspects and giving them a chance to study specially those who did not get good grades in the secondary school. Besides, the small number of students in the private universities allows students to benefit more from learning. This sort of education is supervised by of Universities Council that specifies the government and private education policies. In addition, there is the draft law of private universities that specifies the education policy and rules. The Parliament is still discussing this law. The fees of private universities are only made to cover the costs and I think that the students can afford them. He added, Our job is to qualify students in certain spcializations away from the policy of having capacity for the education outputs for this is the governments job. Here, I want to indicate that the Yemeni University is an associate member as a private university in the Arab Universities Union. There is a cooperation between us and the governmental universities. We provide the same curricula provided by the governmental universities. There are privileges that the student can get like being granted a scholarship for doing the master degree in the university if he or she got the first grade. He added, We have many branches in Taiz, Hodiedah and Ibb but the main university is Sanaa. The university was established by 105 academic specialists most of whom work in governmental universities.
Dr. Mohammed Hasan Al-Bayati, an Iraqi national and Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, said, Generally, the private universities have better teaching staff than the governmental ones. Furthermore, the fees are less and there is a strict supervision on the curricula and on all the matters related to education. I advise all the people to be more concerned about the societys interest through which they can fulfill their own interests. The employees and managers must strike good examples. Through the work criteria on which performance is measured they can get awarded or punished.
Mr. Farouq Al-Tamimi,
a lecturer at the National University, said, Well, we have got a few students here can communicate and have good chance to go to the library. Students also can make use of the computer laboratory. Furthermore, we have Canadian teachers who are better than those Indians in the governmental universities. I shouldnt lose sight of the fact that students are worried about their future. The educational office refused to accept graduates from the private universities. Lastly, there should be some kind of relationship between private universities and governmental ones. They should work together towards making good generations.
Atef Abdul-Wali,
a student at the National University, fourth level, said, It is almost three years and one month since I have joined the university. I chose it for many reasons like the small number of students that makes us feel like one family. There is also a good relationship between students and teachers. At the National University we have incomparable chance to get some information of computer. The best thing I have to spotlight on is that the National University and Taiz University are the same and both of them are universities.
Wafa Ali Ahmed,
a 23-year-old student, Accountancy Department, said, We have problems when we get appointed in posts. The government universities students are given priority while appointing but we are not accepted. Our effort to get knowledge must be appreciated. What made me join the private university is the small number of students and the good education atmosphere.
Abdullah Ahmed Ziwar,
a student at the National University, English Department, said, The reasons that made me join the university is that I found a big opportunity to study the field that I like much. If I had to join the government university, I had to wait for two years. The private universities have highly qualified teachers as the government ones. Some say that private universities graduates are not capable of doing anything but we have proved that we are as good as the government universities students, if not better. However, the private universities fees are very high and I know many people who give up the idea of joining these universities because of this. The people who think that the foreign teachers are better than the Yemeni ones are totally wrong and they have to change this idea.
Afra Abdullah Al-Marebi,
Faculty of Education – History Department, said, As National University students we have many privileges. It saves us time. The students can interact with the lecturers through discussions and the doctors here make the students feel they have a role in the society and provide us with whatever we need. Besides, the number of students here is small and allows a good atmosphere for learning.
Mohammed Ali Al-Haj Abdullah,
General Manager of the Civil Service Office in Taiz, talked about the future of the private universitys education. He said that those who get more education, higher grades and more experience are those who get a government post or a post in the coordinate sector or who take up private jobs because they hold something they make use of. He talked about the outputs of the private universitys education. He said, I hope there is coordination between universities to cover the lack of spcializations required and the Civil Service Office must have future plans to determine the needs for the labor forces. These plans must depend on proper, modern and systematic framework. He also talked about appointing the private universities graduates. He said that many graduates have been given government posts by the Civil Service Office in the health field and settling employment situation will be next March.

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