WHEN he needs new books to teach one of his courses, Professor Ibrahim Abdullah orders at least two from abroad: one for himself, one to give to the university library. If he needs scholarly articles, he writes to his friends overseas and asks them to send copies, since the university cannot afford journal subscriptions.
Mr Abdullah is one of the most senior academics at Fourah Bay College, part of the University of Sierra Leone and the oldest institute of higher education in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. Once dubbed the “Athens of west Africa” and a magnet for students across the continent, its decay over the years stands as a metaphor for the small west African nation’s strained post-independence history.
Despite his efforts to boost academic standards, Professor Abdullah this year found his tenured contract terminated. This “unprecedented” move was, he and others claim, in response to his outspoken criticisms of the university’s administration. “If nothing is done in two or three years the place is going to collapse,” he says.
He is not the only one surprised to find himself without a job. Another academic,...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/23p9Z1D
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