英语论文网

education is the solution for most obstacles to national development, MCIT has been working closely with the Ministry of Higher Education on a number of projects aimed at empowering students with ICT skills, thus preparing them for the demands of the modern workplace. A search for national higher education policies was done in order to ascertain whether ICT or e-learning is mentioned in higher education policies. (Egypt, n.d.a, 2007).

ICT could be considered as advice to educators in facing the challenge of knowledge and technology revolution. This can only be achieved by developing every level of higher education in terms of both academic and administration issues。

1.6.3 High student numbers

One of the ‘strategic and prime mandates’ of the Egyptian government is to admit all students coming out of secondary education into tertiary education. Approximately a third of these students enter general secondary schools, the traditional route to universities. Almost 70 per cent of students are channeled into technical secondary education, but fewer than 20 per cent gain employment when they leave (Said, 2001). Secondary education reforms aim at channeling approximately half of the students admitted to secondary education into general secondary schools. However, since 2004-2005, due to a change in policy, instead of directing 70 per cent of preparatory school graduates to technical/vocational schools and 30 per cent to tertiary education, the mix has been reversed. This means that the number of students entering university will be doubled in coming years. It is feared that this will cause further overcrowding, and will burden the higher education system. Thus, many are looking towards e-learning as a solution (Beckstrom et al. n.d.).

Egypt has one of the largest higher education systems in the developing world (1.67 million students in 1999/2000) (Egypt, n.d.a, 2007). Approximately 22 per cent of the 18–22 age groups are enrolled in higher education (Said, 2001). More students mean more lecturers and more complex higher education system which needs more advanced management. Therefore, a significant aspect in the development of higher education is to create and enhance the systems to manage, develop and improve higher education for an increased number of students. This forms a challenge for the MOHE as new universities makes an increase in the Ministry’s budget crucial. This leads to the next challenge which is finance.

1.6.4 Financing of higher education

Officially, the state is responsible for financing higher education in Egypt. However, the state’s funding of universities was reduced to 85 per cent in 1994/95, leaving the universities to generate the remaining 15 per cent through various revenue diversification strategies. This has resulted in universities adopting a number of approaches, like charging nominal tuition fees for alternative academic programmes that are perceived to be of high quality, and introducing foreign language programmes for which they charge tuition fees, or charging for degrees where English is the medium of instruction. The number of applicants in some degree programmes in public universities exceeds available spaces, providing the opportunity for universities to charge for tuition (usually about 33 per cent of the actual cost of the programme). Recently, a new system of admission to the faculties of law, commerce and arts