As an academic working and pursuing a PhD degree in Egypt, both in private and public universities respectively, I wanted to put forward a simple question:
What is the role of universities, and other academic institutions, today? Was there ever a time where universities were agents of revolutionary action and change, or was it only a subject of the overall consumerist system?
We can take many steps back till the Ancient Egyptian times, where scribes and priests were taught writing, mathematics, and documentation of daily exchanges. All the way till today's era of digital globalization and mass education, where knowledge production process has become more of a virtual canvas rather than actual knowledge. Has knowledge ever served its purpose? Have academic institutions, and of course academic scholars, ever delivered the true purpose of education?
Was, and still, education's main sole purpose is economic prosperity of certain classes, hence socio-economic segregation?
I think that this role has declined significantly in some countries that have suffered from crises.
Today's global societies are very competitive in so many ways; as a result, this trend has a ripple effect in global educational institutions as well. Specifically speaking, without an MA/MS degree, one cannot compete to get a decent job in the professional level job market. Thus, universities are driven to restructure their institutions to meet this demand
The opinion analyses the contradictory role of universities throughout history. On the one hand, they have been centres of social change, fostering anti-colonial and revolutionary movements (as in Mexico, Egypt or France). On the other hand, they have functioned as institutions that reinforce social hierarchies and serve the dominant power, especially under the neoliberal model, where education becomes a commodity, market-driven careers are prioritised, and inequality is reproduced.
Historically, knowledge has been both a tool of liberation and control, from Egyptian scribes to church-sponsored universities. Despite this, there are still forms of resistance and possibilities for transformation. The text proposes paths such as the decolonisation of knowledge, public intellectual engagement and alternative educational models.
Finally, a critical reflection is raised: universities can be engines of change or instruments of the system, depending on who controls them. The current challenge is to reappropriate the university as a space for radical transformation.
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