The development of the Faculty of Media, at the University of Aden, certainly isn’t a mere task, but an investment in the future of the country. 

Reem Al-Fadhli (South24) 

The Faculty of Media, at the University of Aden, is facing many challenges that hinder its development and contribution to boosting the media sector in South Yemen. Amidst the deteriorating infrastructure and lack of capabilities, students and academics have to endure an improper educational environment that obstructs achievement of their goals.

Despite being autonomous, its faculty still operates from a small building affiliated with the Faculty of Arts in Khormaksar district in Aden. This reflects the challenges it continues to face in achieving a proper and independent educational environment. These challenges largely impact its ability to deliver high-quality education and prepare qualified media cadres.

In 1998, the Faculty of Media began its academic journey as part of the Faculty of Arts. In 2019, it was separated following a decision by the University of Aden. Despite the lack of facilities, the Faculty of Media succeeded in graduating 1,720 students, including 23 batches, to work in different media fields. This wasn’t achieved easily as the faculty is facing major challenges in providing the proper educational conditions and academic manpower.

A lecture being addressed to students of the Faculty of Media, University of Aden, September 29, 2024 (South24 Center)

Poor Infrastructure

During a field visit conducted by a delegation from ’South24 Center‘ to the Faculty of Media, we noted that the building lacks several necessary requirements amid the deteriorating state of some of the rooms allocated to it. Moreover, the faculty has to bear with acute shortage of infrastructure in a way that hinders its progress and development.

Dean of the Faculty of Media, Dr. Wahib Mahdi, told ’South24 Center‘: “The faculty faces big funding challenges due to the diminishing support by the Ministry of Finance to the University of Aden. The latter receives only 25-35% from its approved budget. This decline explains the difficult conditions being faced by the faculty.”

According to him, the faculty doesn’t only suffer from lack of funding but also of the basic elements of academic education, like lecture halls and administrative offices for the academic staff. This is in addition to the deteriorating state of some rooms allocated to the faculty. Thus, the educational process has taken a fall, and the faculty’s board of directors has been unable to carry out the necessary improvements to provide a proper education environment. 

Wahib Mahdi said that the students of the Faculty of Media also face a lack of basic educational resources such as equipment and tools required for practical education. He called for immediate measures to support the faculty and provide an educational environment tailored to the students’ needs.

 
A lecture hall in the Faculty of Media, University of Aden, September 29, 2024 (South24 Center)

Rana Al-Hatibi, Director of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the Faculty of Media, confirmed the big challenges that hinder its development. She expressed her dissatisfaction with the current situation, pointing to the urgent need for comprehensive reforms, particularly in infrastructure.

She told ’South24 Center‘: “The current building doesn’t keep pace with modern developments. The faculty suffers from the lack of large lecture halls that can absorb the increasing numbers of students. Furthermore, the shortage of halls equipped with electricity causes repeated problems, including having to cope to high temperatures that negatively affect the concentration of students.”

Despite the repeated visits by officials of Aden University, there have been so far no clear plans to improve the department’s conditions, according to her. She is concerned about the difficult circumstances being faced by students and lecturers alike. This directly affects the quality of education as many times the academic activities are cancelled due to the lack of capabilities. She stressed that students lack proper opportunities for practical training which hinders the process of preparing them for the job market.

Internal Voices

The lack of educational resources and basic equipment negatively impacts the level of academic learning and hampers improving the students’ practical skills. This is in addition to lowering the quality of practical education necessary for preparing students for the job market or helping them access competitive jobs in the future.