Twenty-two-year-old Ahmed Masoud Karkam is a Semester V computer science student at the Higher Institute of Science and Technology of Kikla University, 150 km southwest of Libya’s capital, Tripoli. Following violent clashes in Kikla in October 2014, the university was forced to close and many residents, including Ahmed and his family, fled to Tripoli.

"Because the conflict happened so sudden, we had to leave Kikla as quickly as possible. We couldn’t bring anything and left everything in our house, including my computer," Ahmed said.

Technology in ruins

Kikla University was one of the many buildings damaged during the violence in 2014. The Higher Institute of Science and Technology, built at the beginning of 2014, was one of the buildings affected. Computers and other equipment, which would have been used by Ahmed and his classmates, were stolen or destroyed.

As well as the material damage to the university, students and teachers were also displaced.  "The Ministry of Education set the date [to resume lectures] on October 2015, and we did start then,” said professor Abu al-Qasim Saleh, Director General of the Higher Institute of Science and Technology, “but we were in Tripoli as displaced people. We were granted access to one of the schools there to work.”

"The first goal of the Institute was to get our students out of the war and displacement environment. Their morale was very low. We then started with basic introductory classes", explained the professor.

How to study in an unequipped space

Two years after the conflict ended, Ahmed and his family returned home. They found their home looted. Ahmed’s computer, which had become indispensable for his studies, had been stolen.

At the end of 2016, Ahmed and his classmates were able to return to Kikla University. But they did so without computers or other learning equipment. "At the beginning, we received some help from a local company who were able to give us some computers, but the amount was too low to equip the laboratory properly," said Abu al-Qasim.

“In order to understand the course and receive good marks, I have to be able to practice implementing computer programming languages. Unfortunately, this was not available to us. We were acquiring more theoretical skills than practical ones,” said Ahmed.

Ahmed’s lecturer of computer basics, Souad Saleh, explained, "when we were giving theoretic and practical lecture, three students, and sometimes even five students, had to share one computer. This reflected negatively on the results of their exams. Each student must work on his or her own computer to be able to understand the course."

Stability for returnees

The Stabilization Facility for Libya (SFL) is an initiative that aims at strengthening the state’s authority and promoting national unity among all Libyans. It was implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The SFL, led by national and municipal Libyan institutions, provides quick rehabilitation of critical infrastructure and the delivery of equipment to support local authorities so that they can improve services to their citizens. 

In 2017, SFL was able to rehabilitate the Kikla University and to equip the computer lab with 60 new computers. Ahmed and his fellow students will now have practical classes in better conditions.

"The equipment has excellent specifications, and this is what we lacked during the last period," said engineer Abdel Salam Qeshish, head of the civil engineering department and teacher of electronic drawing of construction maps (AutoCAD).

Many people will be able to take advantage of the new equipment in Kikla University, not only computer science students. “Besides the classic curriculum teaching, we will set up programmes after classes for students to strengthen their skills. We will make the best use possible of these computers. I’m sure this will reflect positively on the stability of educational institutions in the Kikla municipality,” said Abdel Salem Qeshish.

Ahmed is happy with these improvements. “Having the appropriate equipment will have a significant impact on my results and will make me ready for the job market,” he concludes.

As they can now attend classes in refurbished facilities, many students have returned to Kikla University.