Editorial
2
Alfajr College for Science and Technology:
Resilience in the face of the challenges of the Khartoum War, April 15, 2023
Professor Mohammed Elbagir Ali Elameen, FRCP Dean of Alfajr College for
Science and Technology
The fifteenth of April, 2023, corresponded to the twenty fifth
of Ramadan, 1444 Hijri, is a day carved into the memory of Sudan history with a
lead chisel. On that day, the people of Khartoum woke up to the thundering sounds
of varied gunfire. Now, as of writing this article, five months since its
start, the war is still going on suspending every aspect of life in Khartoum.
This war destroyed most of the infrastructure of the Triangular Capital. The
destruction included all vital State utilities (water and electricity stations,
State administrative offices and various information centres), private
institutions (banks, companies and institutions), as well as citizens property
(homes, cars and belongings); this included the destruction of public and
private higher education institutions. The official committee formed by the
Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, headed by the Director of
the University of Gezira and published on the Ministry's website, provided a
sufficient statement of what happened to higher education. Here is a summary of
this report:
1. Higher
education institutions lost a number of their scholars and employees.
2. All
institutions of higher education and scientific research in the State of
Khartoum and a number of other States were damaged (104 public and private
higher education institutions and research centers were affected).
3. Many
Universities were damaged in their infrastructure, including laboratories,
workshops, and libraries.
4. In
Khartoum State, all public Universities, ten private Universities, and twenty
private Colleges were damaged.
5. In
other States, six public Universities were damaged, in addition to private
Colleges.
6. All
means of transportation and movement were stolen from the affected Universities
and Colleges.
7. Research
Centres, laboratories and libraries were burned.
8. Faculty
housing and property were also destroyed.
This is the end of the summary of the Ministry of Higher
Education report.
The Ministry of Higher Education
and Scientific Research addressed this emergency situation after shifting its
offices to the University of Gezira, Gezira State, as follows:
The Minister of Higher Education
and Scientific Research issued several directives to deal with the war
situation, including:
1.
Urge Universities and Colleges to
adopt synchronous e-learning to continue studying and setting regulations for
this type of study.
2.
Urge public and private
Universities in the unaffected States in Sudan to cooperate with Universities
and Colleges from Khartoum State to help accommodating their students wherever
possible. The Ministry laid down regulations and guidelines to regulate this
interaction.
3.
Universities and Colleges
affected by the war were allowed to deal with Universities outside Sudan
according to specific conditions and controls.
4.
Start accepting applications and
admission opportunities for the new academic year.
5.
Resume documentation procedures
at the Ministry of Higher Education.
In light of these directives, Alfajr
College held its first Faculty Council virtual meeting on May 25, 2023, in
which it was decided to resume education for all programs and levels in the College.
As a result, the program
coordinators initiated several meetings with the aim of adapting study plans to
the new situation. The Scientific Council continued to monitor the progress of
preparations by holding another eight interactive meetings, the outcomes of
which were as follows: -
1. Assess,
through a questionnaire, the different locations of students and professors,
the availability of the Internet and their ability to attend in person if
necessary.
2.
Direct the staff to take
advantage of the available electronic infrastructure of the College to continue
education electronically. This may be achieved through the College’s
educational platforms (Big Blue Bottom and Moodle), and applications like
Telegram, and WhatsApp.
3.
An agreement was concluded with
Iqraa University College in Fadasi at the suburbs of Wad Medani (14 kilometers
from the city) to host Alfajr College to complete the rest of the activities
that need laboratories and other practical aspects, as well as to conduct examinations.
This agreement was facilitated by the standing relationship between Iqraa
College and Alfajr College, as they are both owned by Al-Majzoub Organization
for the Service of the Holy Qur’an.
4.
Postpone practical, laboratory,
clinical and field activities until the end of the course, provided that there
is a schedule for each program for these activities when students attend Iqraa
College.
5.
Contact the graduate students
from the third batch of Medicine program to complete unfinished courses and
attend various examinations in preparation for graduation.
This
batch was supposed to sit for the Obstetrics and Gynecology examination
immediately after the blessed Eid Al-Fitr in the first week of May.
The outcome of these efforts from May to mid-September was as
follows:
o The
College started the teaching process through electronic learning that continued
effectively. This electronic process was needed to finish theoretical courses
in all the programs which were already on the verge of ending.
o A
memorandum of understanding was signed with Iqra University College. Iqra
College at Soba Complex established administrative offices for Al Fajr College
staff in their buildings.
o The
College Information Technologies (IT) staff prepared a local network to
accommodate 100 students for the purpose of electronic examinations in the Iqra
Complex. The Internet was introduced in the Soba complex to access the cloud
student system and to conduct examinations in the way used in the College. The
electronic Tablets required for the examinations were provided by a specialized
company in Wad Medani City.
o We
contacted the graduate medical students to come to Fadasi to complete the
courses on Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Emergency medicine and
rural residency. This would be followed by the final examinations for these
courses and to start graduation research projects. Students were accommodated
in boarding houses prepared for them in Fadasi. The attendance rate was 96.5%
(83 out of 86 students), including foreign students from the Arab Republic of
Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
o The
clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology examination was held in Fadasi. It was run
by 23 professors who were recruited from the cities of Wad Medani, Al-Hasahisa
and from Al-Butana.
o The
theoretical and clinical training of the Ophthalmology course was successfully
completed. This was followed by
theoretical and clinical training for emergency medicine held at the Police
hospital in Wad Medani City. The examinations for both courses were finalized
successfully with the help of professors from the University of Gezira.
o
We completed the rural residency
course in Fadasi and Al-Muslimiya rural hospital under the supervision of Dr.
Bashir Al-Tayeb, who came all the way from Khartoum to Fadasi in a two day trip
that should have taken two hours in normal circumstances.
o The
students continued to complete their graduation research under the guidance of
supervisors who were scattered in the different States of Sudan and abroad.
Regular meetings were held for the supervisors via Google Meetings platform to
follow up on the progress of the students’ research, discuss problems faced by
students, and agree on unified solutions for them.
All the administrative and technical staff needed by the
educational process reported to Fadasi. Rooms and amenities were prepared for
them in the town. Teaching staff included professors of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Emergency Medicine, and Community Medicine. The
program registrar, the staging officer, and the examination officer for the
Medicine Program were also present, in addition to the financial and e-learning
officers.
The conditions of the war and its psychological and social
consequences did not hinder the College from its research activity and its
participation in enriching the scientific arena.
It
published the first issue of the Sudan Journal of Health Sciences (SJHS)
in May 2023, and this second issue of the SJHS was also the result of an
exceptional effort in the current context.
As we are on the verge of completing the graduation of the third
batch of students and are preparing to receive the dental students according to
the schedule approved by the Scientific Council, Al-Fajr College and other
immigrant Colleges And Universities inside and outside Sudan were surprised by
the decision of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research to
stop University studies of all kinds in higher education institutions on August
14, 2023. This decision will abort all efforts made by the College to overcome
the obstacles imposed on us by this war. We hope that the Ministry of Higher
Education will review this decision.
It was an exciting, new and wonderful experience, especially
since the weather was autumn, and the nature of the countryside in Sudan is beautiful.
It was a nice opportunity for the professors and students to be in one place. This
created an atmosphere of familiarity and ease of contact in the educational
process, helped in its success by the full cooperation of the Iqra College
administration. Students and professors celebrated the end of this successful
period, and at the end of it, they honored Iqra College’s management,
employees, and workers.
I take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to everyone
who contributed to the resilience of Alfajr College of Science and Technology
to stand in the face of these difficult circumstances. I especially thank the
College professors and those who participated in teaching from other
Universities and Colleges, the administrative staff and workers. I pay tribute
to the graduate students who came to the town of Fadasi and lived in the
boarding houses of Iqraa College throughout studying these courses; their
attendance rate was remarkable (96.5%).
I also particularly thank Iqraa College, which provided us with opportunities
for success, including accommodation, hosting, and using all its available
academic aids.
Reference:
Sudanese
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research website