The Limitation of Academic Freedom - Research Paper Example

ABSTRACT The intended research will focus on the limitations to academic freedom in Oman. The research is premised on the fact that Arab countries, Oman included, offer little academic freedoms such that faculties and students are not at liberty to conduct the researches they would want to, as research in some fields perceived to be sensitive is restricted. The statement of the problem highlights the challenge posed by limiting academic freedom and hence sets the foundation to conduct the research. The purpose of the study is to investigate the education situation in Oman, with a focus on the level of academic freedom in the country, as well as the extent of the country’s scientific research. To achieve the objective, the study aims to focus on the areas of research allowed by the government, delve into the levels of knowledge generation, and analyse the level of application of knowledge in terms of development in Oman. The intended research is important because it will help unravel the challenges facing the expansion of the education system in Oman with the hope free education system is likely to encompass many issues both at the national level and at the international level. Importantly removal of barriers to academic freedom is likely to open up many areas of study and thus help deal with the issues that are hitherto unaddressed in Oman. Further, the research will help determine the existing limitations, how to remove them, and the likely impact of removing them. Also, by understanding the education system in Oman as regards academic freedom, it will be possible to implement measures to open it up, thus increasing possible areas of research and attracting incentives such as scholarships and other forms of funding. An important fact here is that such incentives cannot flourish in environments that lack openness and trust or which lack the required freedom to raise issues. A review of literature shows that most countries in the Arab and Muslim world are not open to academic freedom. Hence, it is not possible for faculties and students to facilitate research in some social, political and cultural areas that are perceived to be sensitive. The heavy handedness of most academic institutions coupled with the government control they are subject to hinders their independence and objectiveness in research. This limits opportunities such as scholarships for advanced research in some areas. Additionally, also although there are slight gaps in gender balance in terms of education in the Arab countries, it is evident that most men pursue their higher education overseas and have access to better courses and facilities compared with women. This also raises a question regarding the nature and quality of courses offered at home, which make most men go for further studies abroad. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction to the research topic Academic freedom refers to the right of the academic instructor to teach the subject of his specialization according to his best lights; to hold, in other subjects, such ideas as he believes sincerely to be right; and to express his views on public questions in a manner that shall not interfere with his duties as a member of the faculty or negative to his loyalty to the university that employs him. Where there is academic freedom, there is a belief that the freedom of inquiry by faculty members and students is critical to the mission of an academic institution, and that scholars should be at liberty to teach or communicate facts or ideas (including those that would otherwise be perceive to be inconvenient to political groups or authorities) without fear of being targeted for repression or victimisation (West, 2008, p. 19). This in essence means that freedom is granted to faculties to teach according to their interests; and that academic institutions are at liberty to determine the professional standards for their academies (Yeshurun, not dated). As seen above, where there is academic freedom, higher education institutions (colleges and universities) do not impose any limitations upon the faculty’s freedom in the exposition of his/her own subject in the classroom or in addresses and publications. Moreover, instructors can help students to learn and achieve in any academic institution around the globe. The situation in Oman and other Arab countries is however different as such freedoms do not exist in learning institutions, especially at the higher level. Where such freedoms exist, they are only to a limited extent. The extent to which freedom exists in higher learning institutions in Oman is thus what this paper seeks to find out. 1.2 Statement of the problem Although the Basic Charter of Oman provides for freedom of speech and of the press, the government generally restricts these rights in practice. The law prohibits criticism of the Sultan in of Oman in any medium or form. Thus, any academic research that would be perceived to dwell on this phenomenon would not be allowed to take place. True to this, the government of Oman has restricted academic freedom, such that publishing or discussing controversial issues such as politics is prohibited. Along the same line, professors may be discharged for going beyond acceptable boundaries (see the NC Buy Oman Human Rights Report, 2005). It is such limitations to the academic field that need to be investigated. 1.3 Purpose of the study The purpose of the study is to investigate the education situation in Oman, with a focus on the level of academic freedom and the extent of scientific research in Oman. The study will also aim to investigate whether there is need to limit academic freedom in Oman. As highlighted in the statement of the problem, there is general concern that Oman, as are many other countries in the Arab world, does not guarantee the freedom required for education systems to effectively carry out their mandate. Currently, there is limited access to information, which greatly hinders the scope of research. For instance, Omanis have access to the internet through the national telecommunications company, and the government censures politically sensitive content. In addition, the government restricts academic freedom by preventing the publication of politically sensitive topics (Freedom House, 2005, p. 59). To achieve the objective, the study will focus on the areas of research allowed by the government, levels of knowledge generation, and application of knowledge in terms of development. There is a general concern that many countries in the Arab world and Africa are faced with instances of brain drain, underdeveloped systems of research, and high education, and an incapacity to contribute to the global knowledge pool – a situation that renders them consumers of knowledge only (Bubtana, 2005). The study will therefore investigate if in deed there are weaknesses in the Omani system of education in regard to these areas, which presents new ideas in the context of education in Oman. The study will be done in number of universities in Oman to determine the limitations to academic freedom that affect them. 1.4 The importance of the study It is important to address the challenges facing the expansion of the education system in Oman as a free education system is likely to encompass many issues both at the national level and at the international level. Removing barriers to research is likely to open up many areas of study and thus help address the issues that are hitherto unaddressed in Oman. This requires an understanding of the existing limitations to academic freedom and what can be done to alleviate them or eliminate them completely. Importantly the study will help understand what would happen should the current education system be changed, that is by removing the limitations to academic freedom. According to a presentation by Yeshurun (not dated) at UNESCO Conference, it is important to have academic freedom as this promotes the relationship between students and faculty and enhances working towards the mission of the academy. Additionally, scientific research is likely to boost countries that still lag behind in science (such as Oman) and is therefore a boon to the whole society. Addressing the limitations to academic freedom in Oman through this research will therefore be significant in addressing the challenges of penetration of research skills in the country. Another point is that when there is academic freedom, it is easier to attract incentives such as scholarships. According to Yeshurun (not dated), scholarships cannot flourish in an atmosphere of distrust and suspicion. Lecturers and students must always be encouraged to be at liberty to inquire, to study and to evaluate. With the findings of this research, it will be possible to open up the Omani society by promoting the benefits of a free academic society, such that the country is open to academic studies and evaluations, which are bound to attract funding for through scholarships – and hence promote the education system even further. 1.5 Research questions 1. Is there funding for research at the university level in Oman? 2. Are researchers free to choose a topic of field of research of their own choice? 3. To what extent are researchers encouraged to pursue education to higher levels? 1.6 Hypotheses for quantitative studies 1. There is minimal funding for research at university level. Access to information (such as over the internet) is restricted, thus limiting the level of research. Hence the need to invest more in research at higher education levels. 2. The academic field is regulated. The government censures research that touches on politics and other areas deemed inappropriate. This hinders free and open research in diverse areas. 3. There are not equal opportunities for study. For instance women are sidelined in education matters. The solution if to promote equal opportunities and provide incentives for higher learning to fill the existing gaps. 1.7 Definitions 1. ICT- Information communication technology 2. Open learning- independent, self determined, interest-guided learning. 3. Distance learning- Learning where students are not physically present in a conventional educational location such as a classroom 1.8 Limitations 1. It may not be possible to access primary information about universities. 2. There has been little research on education in Oman; it may not be possible to gather secondary relating to Oman only. 3. The research will involve university instructors only; hence the results may not be generalisable to all stakeholders in higher education. CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Existing literature shows that most countries from the Arab world are not democratic; in fact none of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is ranked among the top 100 democratic nations. Oman comes number 140, Qatar 144, Bahrain 130, Saudi Arabia 161 and Kuwait 129. Common characteristics of these countries include non-open and discussions in the education systems, most of which are male dominated (Freedom House 2008; Reiche, 2009). The trend in the Middle East has been that institutions that are perceived to perpetuate western interests are shunned, implying that most people from the Arab countries have to pursue higher education in other countries such as the United Kingdom and the United states. As such, many people in positions of leadership in the Muslim and Arab world have studied at universities in the United States. As an exemplar, 80 percent of the members of the cabinet in Saudi Arabia have a master’s or doctoral degree from the United States (Djerejian, 2003, p. 35). Yet ironically, within the Arab and Muslim world, there is limited academic freedom as many scholarly initiatives and institutes have been effectively silenced by governments that are supported by the United States (Djerejian, 2003, p. 35). Arab countries, Oman included, have a good number of research programmes, but these are still limited compared with other countries. Forest and Altbach (2006, p. 414) claim that the Arab university has been undergoing a period of crisis, transition, expansion and introspection for several decades. According to the Arab Human Development Reports of 2002 and 2003 [cited by Forest and Altbach (2006, p. 414)], the Arab region suffers from a serious “knowledge deficit”. Authors of the reports point out that in most of the countries, the scientific quality of most faculties in national universities across disciplines has been mixed. Limited financial resources imply that there is a low scientific output, substandard equipment, limited scholarships, low salaries, few international scholarly exchanges, as well as deteriorating facilities (Forest & Altbach, 2006, p. 414). All these can be attributed to the fact that there is limited academic freedom to attract funding. In terms of governance, the prevalence of largely cumbersome, authoritarian and at times absurdly bureaucratic institutional structures seriously hinder the university’s ability to thrive. Arab governments have variously displayed undesirable behaviour as regards faculties. Heavy-handedness and security-oriented institutions often interfere in academic circles in matters such as student admissions, student conduct, faculty and student research, travel of faculty, choice of materials, as well as topics of conferences. In most countries of the Gulf region for instance, scholarly research on religious, social, cultural and ethical issues remains severely restricted. Hence, instead of academic freedom in most universities in the Arab world, there are “different levels and types of academic oppression” (Forest & Altbach, 2006, p. 414). In some cases, governments have tied academia down to centrally managed institutions (these include polytechnics, public services, research centres and universities), preventing the emergence of autonomous scientific communities where individuals can conduct independent and objective academic research (Arvanitis, Waast & Al-Husban, 2010, p. 71). There are also instances (mostly attributed to the government) where other circumstances limit the ability of learners and their tutors to choose the topics of their choice or of universities to design their own programmes. According to Bubtana (2005, p. 8), various tools and systems put in place by states to restrict and limit academic freedom include censorship, prescribed priorities of research and funding, appointed rather than elected institutional management, the illegality of academic and student unions, and sometimes the imprisonment of university researchers and professors. Further given that university administrators have power over their faculty members, there is usually some form of internal interference as regards the topics under which research is to be done (Masri, 2011, p .5). Although there are narrow gaps in terms of education between the genders in the Arab world, it is evident that women do not have equal research opportunities as men. This is a major drawback especially with regard to matters involving women. Most data show that equality between the sexes in higher education has been achieved in twelve countries in the Arab world, Oman included. But despite this perceived equality, most men from the Arab countries pursue higher education in overseas countries (United Nations Development Programme, Regional Bureau for Arab States & Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, 2006, p. 78, Herrera, 2006, p. 415) which brings into question the quality of education or freedom of the same offered at home. In addition, although female students take more that half of the available undergraduate education opportunities in Arab countries, they do not have access to the full range of faculties open to their male counterparts (Herrera, 2006, p. 415). This status quo goes against the tenets of academic freedom, which, according to the University of Hong Kong [cited by Currie, Petersen and Mok (2006, p. 83)] “embodies an acceptance of the need to encourage openness and flexibility in academic work, and of the accountability of academics to each other and to the norms of cooperative pursuit of knowledge. REFERENCES Arvanitis, R., Waast, R. & Al-Husban, A.H. 2010, “Social sciences in the Arab world,” World Social Science Report, available from http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/divers11-01/010050270.pdf (8 August 2011). Bubtana, A. R. 2005, “Problems and Challenges in Arab and African Countries” Academic Freedom Conference, 10 – 11 September, 2005, Alexandria, Egypt, available from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001494/149491e.pdf (3 August 2011). Currie, J., Petersen, C. & Mok, K. 2006, Academic freedom in Hong Kong, Lexington Books, Lanham, MD. Djerejian, E.P. 2003, “Changing Minds Winning Peace: A new Strategic Direction for U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Arab & Muslim World,” Report of the Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim World, available from http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/24882.pdf (8 August 2011). Forest, J. J. F. & Altbach, P. G. 2006, International Handbook of Higher Education, Volume 1, Sringer, New York. Freedom House, 2005, “GCC Country Reports 2008,” available from www.freedomhouse.org (3 August 2011). Freedom House, 2005, Freedom in the Middle East and North Africa: A freedom in the world special edition, Freedom House. Grix, J. 2001, Demystifying postgraduate research: From MA to PhD, Continuum International Publishing Group, New York. Herrera, L. 2006, “Higher education in the Arab world,” in James J.F. Forest and Philip G. Altbach (eds), International Handbook of Higher Education, Volume 1, Sringer, New York, 409-415, available from http://campus.iss.nl/~herrera/highereducation.pdf (8 August 2011). Masri, M. 2011, “A Tale of Two Conferences: On Power, Identity, and Academic Freedom,” AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom, available from http://www.academicfreedomjournal.org/VolumeTwo/Masri.pdf NC Buy 2010, “Oman Human Rights Report,” available from http://www.ncbuy.com/reference/country/humanrights.html?code=mu&sec=2a (7 August 2011). Reiche, D. 2009, “Energy policies of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries – paper possibilities and limitations of ecological modernization in rentier states,” Energy Policy, available from http://www.wupperinst.org/uploads/tx_wibeitrag/GCC_EP_Reiche.pdf (3 August 2011). 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