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Cairo Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CILAS)

Type	Alternative University
Established	2013
Founder	Karim-Yassin Goessinger
Address	10 Darab El-Labbana st., al-Khalifa. in front of Al-Refai mosque , Cairo , Egypt
Website	http://www.ci-las.org/

Higher education in Egypt has been through a lot of educational policies; from “Education for the Elites” to “Education for all” to “Privatization”. Throughout all of these policies, Higher education has faced myriads of issues like overcrowding, lack of funding, low quality of education as well as loss of autonomy.

A new shift in education can be seen now all over the world, that includes the establishment of alternative universities as well as eco-verities. Alternative universities are educational institutions that do not follow the conventional structure of normal universities. It offers a different non-traditional experience with a wide range of courses. It is also claimed to be an attractive option for students who are looking for flexible and unique degrees. Eco-versities is an alliance of learners and communities that try to reclaim relationships, knowledge and imaginations to come up with new and creative approaches to higher education.

Cairo Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CILAS) is an autonomous academic community, alternative university and an eco-versity. It was established by Karim-Yassin Goessinger in 2013 as a thought-provoking continuation of the Egyptian 2011 revolution. The institution uses a discussion-based learning philosophy, which is inspired by the Egyptian cultural tradition of debating society and politics in street cafés. Learners generate knowledge that is rooted in and relevant to the locations they live over tea and food for the body and mind. CILAS’ students study Humanities and Social Sciences under the umbrella title of Liberal Arts to gain a knowledgeable grasp of the world's complexity

Higher Education in Egypt

Higher Education in Egypt refers to all sorts of professional, academic, and technical education provided by colleges, universities, and institutes to students who have finished their secondary education.

Historical context

Policy era one: 1944-1952

From 1922 until 1952, Egypt was a constitutional monarchy. Egypt was occupied by Britain in 1882 and became a British protectorate in 1914 until attaining independence in 1921. Education was dubbed the "Education of the Elites" during this policy era, except for Al-Azhar and small study circles in local mosques for teaching the Holy Quran and Arabic language.

Policy era two: 1956-1970

Egypt implemented a socialist platform that included "Education for all"/"Mass Education". Everyone was to get free education from kindergarten to university. As a result, more universities were needed to support infrastructure and respond to labour market needs in all fields. The Universities in this era lost their autonomy and lost their unique rules, which were replaced with national laws for academic, administrative, and financial concerns.

Policy era three: 1970-1981

Despite commencing the policy move toward economic "Privatisation"/"liberalisation", fundamental components of higher education policy did not and have not signified a dramatic change.

Policy era four: 1981-present

In this policy era, Egypt was under a military regime for 30 years that ended following a peaceful revolution on 25th January 2011.  In this policy era, the privatisation of education was fully entrenched.

Higher Education issues in Egypt

Severe Crowding is a great issue as universities enrol more than five times the number of students they were built to hold.There is a decline in quality and limited educational resources and facilities. Additionally, exam preparation and teaching methodologies are troublesome as students are directed towards memorising and rote-learning rather than being encouraged to interact critically with the subject hand leading to passive learning. According to the OECD, Egypt’s educational improvement targets are unlikely to be met using the existing method of supporting public higher education institutions primarily from government funds.^[4]One of the primary concerns is political meddling in higher education and lack of autonomy. Political meddling in higher education represents policymakers' view of the university's duty, which is to sustain the status quo and political stability. The university's infrastructure is also highly centralised, with several layers of supervision and involvement from governmental bodies, with little space for adjustment which led to a lack of freedom of expression and the politicisation of university culture.

Alternative University

Dorms, frat houses, and large lecture halls may spring to mind when you think of a university, but the university experience comes in many forms. An alternative university can be defined as one that offers students anything more than a “conventional learning experience”. In a traditional university context, students are required to follow a fixed programme at pre-determined periods and are rewarded with a degree and the opportunity to work in their sector of choice. Eventually, each student in that programme experiences the same things over their university years. In an alternative university, the plan may change dramatically not just from one school to the next, but also from one student to the next. Alternative universities provide students with fewer courses, a more flexible learning schedule, and in certain situations choice over their degree program's path.

Alternative universities could also be right for students who are unconventional thinkers and follow their path. They also give you the means to acquire a degree in a unique method, from creating your curriculum to taking classes that fit your schedule. In addition, it is recommended for people who want a career shift, people who have families or other obligations, and those who seek learning activities outside of the classroom.

Eco-versities

All the Eco-versities around the globe

Eco-versities can be defined as 'learners and communities reclaiming diverse knowledges, relationships and imaginations to design new approaches to higher education'. Eco-versities can be seen as a global movement that is progressively gaining traction, although it frequently goes unnoticed by formal education and the media. It is claimed that it is a people, organisations, and communities recovering their knowledge systems and cultural imaginations to repair and re-envision learning processes that are meaningful and relevant to their times. This network is claimed to both critique failing educational institutions and cultivate new practices to regenerate natural and cultural ecosystems. Another purpose was to discuss various working approaches that stem from a focus on shared information and mutually beneficial learning. Music, poetry, walks and dancing provided additional sources of inspiration. To put it in another way, it can be seen as the process of discovering or constructing a language through which we could communicate with and learn from one another to co-create a new tale of higher education.

There is also an Eco-versities alliance which includes 260 organisations from 47 countries that aims to change the world's unfair economic, political, and social systems/mindsets, which are perpetuated through neoliberal and colonial education. The most active regions are India and Latin America, with Africa presently hosting four. CILAS is the only eco-versity of its sort in North Africa.

The Origin of CILAS and the Egyptian Revolution

Al-Tahrir Square on January 25 2011

Since the beginning of 2011, the Arab world has been heading toward change through a series of revolutions called the Arab Spring. It began in Tunisia and then Egypt where the revolution began on January 25, 2011.The revolution was triggered by the growing intensity and pervasiveness of social, economic, and political concerns. The major demands of the demonstrators were to repeal the emergency legislation and restore freedom, social fairness, and human dignity.

After the Arab Spring especially the Egyptian revolution, new educational institutions were and are still being established to represent that post- revolution era. This tradition resonated with individuals involved in the revolution and the overthrow of the dictatorship in the aftermath of the revolution. It struck a chord because it recommended taking a hard look at historical revolutions while arguing how to relate the present to previous periods of change. CILAS was fuelled by the intellectual hunger of people looking for liberating routes to travel down from Al-Tahrir Square where the revolution started.

Founding

Karim-Yassin Goessinger is the founder of CILAS. In the Netherlands, Brazil, and France, he studied political philosophy and urbanism. In Latin America and the Middle East, he worked with several development groups on subjects such as microfinance, informal housing, and local governance. He established CILAS after completing his graduate studies at Sciences Po in Paris. Between 2013 and 2016, he managed the yearlong liberal arts study programme at CILAS, where he coordinated the field of study in Social Sciences.

Physical Environment and CILAS

Many educators have come to understand that aspects of the physical environment might influence students' behaviours and attitudes. This new awareness is likely due to the increased interest in environmental psychology and the studies that link environmental variables like classroom design, seating position, density, and more and relate them to student behaviour. It is suggested that students' spatial behaviour, improved contact with materials, fewer interruptions, and more meaningful inquiry have all been proven to be affected by very simple design changes implemented into already functioning classrooms.

Local Cafe in Downtown Cairo 2021

This interaction between space and pedagogy has taken the following form at CILAS: Students are asked to take part in discussions and debates in a non-conventional setting. Classrooms are not at all like traditional classrooms. CILAS began in the back alleyways of Islamic Cairo where it inhabited a place that had previously been a scholar's home. Both scholastic and domestic elements were evident in the setting. Sitting on the second floor at the end of a tiny alley. CILAS was particularly interested in the spatial and temporal organisation of debates in ordinary life, particularly in Cairo's street cafés. Cafés in Cairo's streets take on various shapes depending on the time of day. Plastic chairs, tables, and beverages are provided, but the sitting arrangement is left to the discretion of the clients. Arrangements change based on the speakers' desire to speak. The conversations at these street cafés are claimed full of humour and are sure to provoke thought. Lavent gives us a more detailed picture of the physical environment of CILAS by sharing her story of when she visited CILAS for the first time. She explained that after mounting the 19th-century building's steps, you can see the library, classroom areas, and the rooftop. High ceilings, portraits from a bygone era, maps, timetables, lots of sofas, and enough teacups have transformed the place into an ideal meeting place.

Buildings, Cites and Pigeon Towers

Goessinger demonstrates how the term "Ivory Tower" conjures up thoughts of meticulously groomed university campuses, concerns about dogmatic and more corporate higher education institutions, and doubts about relevance to everyday life. He added that the Pigeon Tower metaphor came to him and now become a guiding metaphor in the investigation of CILAS' operations. Here are three aspects of this symbolic Pigeon Tower as expressed by Goessinger.

Pigeon towers in Siwa Oasis, Egypt 2016

For starters, the Pigeon Tower metaphor emphasises the significance of building intellectual groups or collectives. Goessinger adds that according to research done by Oxford University, pigeon flocks self-organize in surprising ways, forming inclusive and non-hierarchical collectives. He believes that the collective knowledge of pigeon flocks may guide our attempts to rethink higher education. Adding that, pigeons show flexibility in their collective decision-making. Pigeons' natural ability to reorganise leadership hierarchies and display structural flexibility might be useful to the formation of scholars' communities.

According to Goessinger, the second distinguishing feature of a Pigeon Tower is its feeling of place. As a Pigeon Tower, CILAS is an integral part of Cairo's urban fabric, observing daily prayers, markets, weddings, children playing football, and tourists visiting ancient buildings.CILAS has established a co-produced learning environment that co-produces information, noises, and laughs. Pigeon Towers is a place to enjoy a meal, a place to walk about barefoot, and a place to think. Pigeon Towers and their embeddedness attribute are endearing since they acknowledge imperfection and fallibility. Pigeon Towers endures turbulence and copes with uncertainty by remaining open to the unexpected.

A Pigeon Tower's bridging function is its third attribute. Goessinger highlights that it connects academic or intellectual learning with experiential, location-based learning. Students at CILAS interact critically with theory while constantly striving to root it in the local environment. To put it another way, CILAS' Pigeon Tower hovers in mid-air between the height of the Ivory Tower and the streets. It provides students with the quiet that an elevated piece of infrastructure such as a tower affords while remaining close to the rest of the building. It is argued to facilitate both the contemplative practice, the slow pace, and the deep investigation required to create a scholarly mentality and connection-making skills.

Funding

Egypt has always been facing problems regarding funding universities. However, Egypt's universities’ funding experiences have gotten worse since the January revolution of 2011 which is around the time CILAS was established as the landscape in Egypt was unclear to everyone, which generated anxiety.

CILAS succeeded to raise more than $10,000 through "Zoomaal"; a crowd fundraising platform that promotes Middle Eastern enterprises.  However, they have been facing challenges with funding. There are several foundations interested in funding them, but they are unable to channel the funds for certain rules and laws. Moreover, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to grant CILAS authorization to receive Ford Foundation funds. CILAS also choose to get funded by organisations instead of the government to maintain its independence. For, they recognise that once you start receiving funds from the government, there is a certain amount of politics tied to the type of curriculum and programmes they have to offer.

Fees and Financial Support

Fees: The annual expenses of CILAS are 750,000 L.E. Tuition for the "Bridge" programmes is 15,000 L.E. each programme to make the "Bridge" programmes as accessible as feasible to financially differently-abled candidates. It is their aim that need-based deductions would enable them to build a self-sufficient intellectual collective that is also inclusive and fair.

Financial Support: To give need-based tuition discounts of up to 6000 L.E., they review school attendance, university degrees held, and residency location. CILAS will be given an offer during the interview that represents the students' financial need and ability to contribute. Prospective students who are Egyptian refugees are exempt from paying tuition.

Teaching Fellows

Teachers assist guide CILAS by coordinating their different disciplines of study, facilitating the learning process, and coordinating their separate subjects of study. Academic excellence, pedagogic experience, socio-cultural knowledge, and communication ability are used to choose them. They must have earned at least a Master's degree in their field of study from a reputable university. They must also have prior teaching experience, know development work, and be able to communicate effectively.

Teachers at CILAS are called "Teaching Fellows". The teaching fellows that CILAS welcomes to deliver courses, monitor conversations, and embody the spaces for interpretation, navigation, and reassurance of the necessity of becoming lost in our ways of thinking. CILAS teaching fellows are claimed to have a reputation for being curious, genuine, and persistent students. They bring the virtues of intellectual honesty, emotional humility, and lengthy breath to light via their practice.

Education: Liberal Arts and CILAS

CILAS’ vision and education can be understood through Goessinger’s words, explaining his views about Liberal Arts and how it should be taught in his opinion. He wanted to signal the significance of properly recognising the complexity of the world we live in by adopting the liberal arts and situating CILAS in its heritage. In his view, the Liberal Arts education is about slowing down and considering historical and contemporary facts. Additionally, Liberal Arts have come to be seen as the aesthetic discipline of thinking creatively and remembering respectfully, investigating philosophically and poetically, and attentively listening and watching. As a result, the Liberal Arts come before advanced, high-tech research and development to help anchor and guide them. 

Discussion-Based Learning

Discussion-based learning (DBL) is claimed to have the potential to increase student engagement, enhance higher-order thinking abilities, and improve learning outcomes. DBL is a constructivist teaching style that involves the exchange of interpretations, explanations, approaches to a problem, or proposed solutions, followed by an evaluation. People do not debate a topic that they already know and understand, instead, they discuss matters about which they have questions and join with others to construct an answer. DBL may be used for a variety of purposes, including allowing students to examine different views, investigate assumptions, establish democratic discourse habits, and engage in collaborative learning.

Teaching Methods

Egypt's higher education system is extremely centralised, with several layers of supervision and involvement from various governmental bodies. For example, university deans and presidents are appointed centrally and are commonly seen to be chosen for their allegiance to the ruling party. The state-dominated approach has resulted in numerous problems in higher education, suffocating institutional autonomy, limiting the flexibility of education and most importantly, weakening the system's responsiveness to student needs.

Goessinger explains how CILAS offers a different learning experience by offering Discussion-Based Learning (DBL) as a teaching/(un-)learning method. It provides a simplified typology of debates to assist provoke debate. A week normally passes between the pre-and post-discussion of any particular issue. Textual extracts, poems, visual graphics, sound pieces, guest speakers, and body-based activities have all been used as prompts or instructional aids to introduce a new topic. Pre-discussions encourage spontaneous reactions to a given stimulus. Students are encouraged to record, map, and visualise their reactions and sentiments during pre-discussions. These maps create the ground for seeding questions for the week leading up to the post-discussions.

The questions are revisited and addressed in the post-discussions. The liberal arts, with their emphasis on creating a sense of wonder and justice, teach students how to carefully frame questions and amend them. They teach students to pay attention to the resonances of questions to sense their urgency and depth – or lack thereof. Students at CILAS learn to converse about the world with others. They learn to return and consult with references as locations and individuals. They learn to sit down and listen to voices, as well as to open themselves up to the echoes that have the ambiguous ability to both torments and inspire them.

Collaborations

CILAS has collaborated with different institutions like Heinrich Boll Stiftung in Germany, and GIZ on promoting Women’s Rights, PoWR resources, StARS and more. CILAS has also collaborated with THoR which is an Ideas-and-Activities-Lab that crowdsources ideas and actions that highlight the vibrancy and innovative potential of the humanities at the University of Bern, Switzerland, and beyond. The programme is a bottom-up initiative that intends to develop bridges between academia and the general public, as well as individual research and engagement, and analytical and engaged scholarship.

The Programme

CILAS offers a year-long study programme in subjects of Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Culture and Arts.

First Trimester:

(1) The Core Curriculum: Students are introduced to the many topics of study available at CILAS through core courses. Inter-disciplinary fields of a study expose students to fundamental concepts, notable thinkers, and ongoing debates as well as skills training, with a focus on writing, presenting, and arguing.

Second to third Trimesters:

(2) Thematic Coursework and Community Service: Thematic courses expand on concepts, thinkers, and debates taught in the corresponding core courses to solve local development concerns. They teach pupils to think comparably and build spatial sensitivity as they proceed from theory to practice and from the global to the local scale.

(3) Community Service: It requires students to perform twenty-five hours of community service. Students can pick from different Community Service options.

Second and Third trimester:

(4) Capstone Projects: Students perform an internal Capstone Project in trimester two, and an external one in trimester three. For the internal one, students have the option of contributing to the CILAS Online Journal or organising and hosting the CILAS Conference. The external Capstone Project occurs at the end of the study programme and so serves as the program's completion.