University of Asmara
Encyclopedia
The University of Asmara (UoA) was Eritrea
's first university and is located in the capital city, Asmara
. It was created by the Piae Madres Nigritiae (Comboni Sisters). The school was meant to provide for the local population, though its initial enrollment in the 50s was entirely Italian.
By 1964 the University had been renamed and began offering Associate Diploma programs in the Arts, Commerce, and the Sciences.
The school just limped along through the 1970s until 1979 when a new president pushed through a major reorganization of the curriculum and structure. The next years saw an increase in students from 300 to 2,700. New courses, staff, day and evening extension programs and campus buildings revived the University, together with a bilateral agreement to exchange students and faculty with the University of Addis Ababa, particularly focusing on graduate training in Addis Ababa to produce faculty for Eritrea.
However, the university stopped accepting incoming students in the early 2000s and has been non-functional since the end of the academic year 2005/2006. The university was ordered to close its doors supposedly due to student protests in 2001 against alleged excessive government control of the university and lack of freedom in every-day life.
currently UOA will reopen in 2012 for EIT students
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
's first university and is located in the capital city, Asmara
Asmara
Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of around 579,000 people...
. It was created by the Piae Madres Nigritiae (Comboni Sisters). The school was meant to provide for the local population, though its initial enrollment in the 50s was entirely Italian.
History
The University was originally founded in 1958, albeit by a different name, the Catholic College of Santa Famiglia.By 1964 the University had been renamed and began offering Associate Diploma programs in the Arts, Commerce, and the Sciences.
The school just limped along through the 1970s until 1979 when a new president pushed through a major reorganization of the curriculum and structure. The next years saw an increase in students from 300 to 2,700. New courses, staff, day and evening extension programs and campus buildings revived the University, together with a bilateral agreement to exchange students and faculty with the University of Addis Ababa, particularly focusing on graduate training in Addis Ababa to produce faculty for Eritrea.
However, the university stopped accepting incoming students in the early 2000s and has been non-functional since the end of the academic year 2005/2006. The university was ordered to close its doors supposedly due to student protests in 2001 against alleged excessive government control of the university and lack of freedom in every-day life.
Current programs
The University was at the core of a National Education program designed to provide many more teachers for an enlarged secondary school system and to provide the economy with many more trained professionals.currently UOA will reopen in 2012 for EIT students