DRAFT
Box 5.1: One origin, three approaches to PPP: the German University in Cairo, the GermanJordanian University, and the German University of Technology in Oman While all three universities carry the name ”German” and partner with German authorities and HEIs, their legal settings, structures, organizations, and goals vary.
The German University in Cairo (GUC), the oldest among the three examples, was established in 2003 as a for-profit institution in cooperation with the State Universities of Ulm and Stuttgart. The study programs: (i) were created based on labor market demands and follow the German study structure; (ii) lead to degrees with double (Egyptian and German) accreditation; and (iii) include up to 50 percent of practical courses. The GUC is also involved in research activities. Overall, the GUC has obtained a good academic reputation. Nonetheless, student protests in 2011 highlighted inadequate Egyptian management, which has failed to deliver on promises related to study conditions, the percentage of German professors, study fees, and the creation of an independent student union.
The German-Jordanian University (GJU) is a public university founded in 2005, based on the German universities’ model of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen), and in partnership with the University of Magdeburg-Stendal. The GJU currently has 2,130 students enrolled in 19 technical courses, and plans to increase enrollment to about 3,500 with the finalization of a new campus in 2011. Students spend one year abroad in one of over 60 partner institutions in Germany to improve their language and technical skills. The GJU has high-level political support in both countries and also performs research.
The German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech), a private non-profit university, opened in 2007, and is the smallest (currently about 300 students) of the three German Universities in MENA. Enrollment is expected to rise progressively to about 1,500-2,000 students by 2017, supported by the finalization of a new campus in 2012. As opposed to the GUC and GJU, GUtech will most likely remain relatively small in the starting phase to avoid undesirable developments. In the final phase, enrollment is expected to reach 10-15,000. GUtech’s current rector is the former rector of the RWTH Aachen, GUtech’s primary partner HEI in Germany. The governance structure of GUtech clearly separates academic matters (large responsibility of the RWTH Aachen, with a German majority at the Board of Governors) from operational matters (run by the management team, supervised by the Board of Directors, the owners). About 80 percent of undergraduate professors are German and the programs are tailor-made for the Middle East. GUtech is also active in research projects. Finally, about 50 percent of students receive full or partial scholarships from the Omani Government, the DAAD, or private companies, a larger share than in either the GUC or the GJU.
5.1.3 Distinguishing PHE actors by their degree offer Finally, private HEIs can be distinguished by their portfolio or degree offer. One classification method differentiates between:
Private universities, which usually deliver the full degree spectrum of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees; Private specialized post-secondary education, which mostly focuses on bachelor’s and master’s degrees; Private post-secondary technical and vocational training programs, which typically provide certificates and bachelor’s degrees; Training for exams and private tutoring, which, by definition, have narrow objectives; and
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