By Mohammad Aburumman
The decision by the University of Jordan’s Board of Trustees to hike the tuition fees for postgraduate studies, both for the international and parallel education programs, is dangerous and leading us in the wrong direction completely in dealing with the crisis of the Jordanian universities; it takes us a step further to deepening this crisis, not finding a true solution for it!
The motives behind the decision are known; the universities are trying to plug their fiscal gaps through tuition fees, without any sort of government support.
To avoid any negative feedback, the universities resorted to the postgraduate studies, both the international and the parallel programs, hiking the fees for those students by around 70-80%, as if we are trying to punish those people who wish to pursue further studies.
These high prices will be beyond the reach of many who deserve to pursue postgraduate studies, and give the opportunity to those who have money, not necessarily deserve, inflicting major injustice on a large strata of the middle class Jordanians, who fight to provide better life for themselves.
Essentially, what the University of Jordan did is a test tube, a preliminary decision for other universities who are undergoing a financial crisis much deeper than that of the University of Jordan; it might even try and pass other decisions that would affect undergraduate studies.
The graveness of the decision, and its results, we will witness together in the upcoming years in the quality of the outcomes of the postgraduate studies in Jordan, which this decision will push further into a plunge, rather than salvage.
What is the essence of the universities fiscal problems? It can be summed up in a simple sentence: First, and foremost, the culprit is the government disastrous policies in dealing with higher education, and the lack of any well-researched strategies, which rendered the universities a victim of tribal appeasement, which effectively destroyed its value through “official gambling”.
Are these harsh words, you might ask? No, rather downplays the true nature of the crime that has been committed by the officials toward higher education and universities. It has become obvious that new universities open, and others expand, as a courtesy for a tribe or another, and the bloating human resources hired are the deputies way of striking a deal to endorse a government and budget laws. Even faculty and administration resources are hired through this primitive, shameful practice.
The government itself is responsible for overburdening the higher education institutions, but now stands to complain about the financial burdens of the universities.
The government is punishing the universities, and does not want to give them any money, mandating that each university should raise its fees and depend on itself, while governmental universities around the world are the responsibility of the government.
The only alternative now is private universities, many of which have become a merchant for the degrees, not a centre for knowledge, enlightenment, education, and scientific research.
We base one mistake over the other, think in reverse, then we are surprised and shocked of the results of this destruction we have created in our own hands.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
