Benazzouz, Abderrahmane [2], Baez, Albert V. [18] 1978
In:
Impact of science on society, XXVIII, 4, p. 329-334
In this paper, the authors describe a project designed to equip Algeria with one of the institutions needed to provide a training for engineers and technicians based on the experience of a highly developed country. They give an account of the experience of one of these training institutions (INELEC) located in Algeria.
Introduction
Technology has developed from the demand for solutions to problems associated with man’s needs in the real world. The objective is not necessarily to deepen knowledge and understanding, but to find ways of over-coming practical difficulties. The term ‘technology’ covers not only the products which we manufacture to satisfy our needs but also the know-how required for their operation, repair and maintenance. When we speak of the transfer of technology (or the transfer of techniques), we are not referring merely to the transfer of equipment or related know-how, but also to a certain level of knowledge about the basic scientific concepts on which technology is founded—as well as to the motivation required to keep abreast with the evolution of that knowledge, and the attitude which makes this motivation possible. Technology cannot be transferred without some degree of adaptation. We have to know what is being transferred and how it is being transferred.
Adequate communication is consequently indispensable, and to be adequate communication must be more than a matter of words. If we are to understand each other better, the words exchanged must represent the same ideas for the persons involved in the transfer process. In this article we will attempt to describe a pragmatic approach in an effort to answer the two questions referred to above: What is to be transferred and how is it to be transferred? The experiment recounted here—which reached the implementation phase in March 1976—consists in establish-ing in Algeria, with the co-operation of American universities and industrial firms, an institute of technology adapted to Algerian needs, namely, the Institut National d’Électricité et d’Électronique (INELEC).
Factors involved in the problem
After gaining its political independence in 1962, Algeria embarked on a development programme in which industry plays an important part (43.5 per cent of all investments for the second four-year plan (1974-77)). An equally strenuous effort was made at the same time to develop educational structures (primary, secondary and higher education) and professional training (9 per cent of investments for the 1974-77 plan). What foreign partners were asked to supply was not limited to ‘turnkey’ plants but also included the training at all levels of the impact of science on society,
Algerian personnel required for the proper operation of the plants. In order to establish an electronics industry, Algeria turned to the partner with the most advanced technology in this field. Two important contracts were accordingly signed: one with General Telephone and Electric International for the construction of the Électronique Grand Public complex in Sidi bel Abbès1 and another with the Spanish subsidiary of International Telephone and Telegraph for the construction of the telephone complex in Tlemcen.2 These two complexes, which are to manufacture most of their products locally (integration rate approximately 80 per cent), were recently put into operation. Despite a sharp increase in student enrollment (3,718 students in 1962/63; 35,671 in 1974/75), the Algerian universities could not meet all the needs of industry unaided—particularly since the scientific and technical disciplines do not seem to attract many students; in 1973/74, 24.7 per cent of all students specialized in the sciences but only 1.6 per cent in engineering. It is in this situation that INELEC was set up to serve as an instrument of training for industry and joined the ranks of five other technological institutes of the same type previously established which are concerned with hydro-carbons, mining, metallurgy, light industries and engineering.
Initial phase
In 1974, a study contract was signed with an American organization, Education Development Center (EDC), which brought together representatives of about ten American universities and industrial firms with the objective of drawing up the curricula, determining the equipment and facilities needed for the new institute and estimating the cost of the entire project. In order to allow the members of the American study group to familiarize themselves with the needs of the Algerians, a series of visits and meetings were organized in Algeria. The group was thus able to visit a number of industrial plants which were in existence prior to independence or have been
1. Produces electronic components, radio sets (portables, 280,000 a year; other models, 120,000), black-and-white television sets, 190,000; colour television sets, 50,000.
2. Annual capacity: 80,000 public lines, 20,000 tie lines and 140,000 items of telephone equip-ment of all types, including intercommunication systems. 330
Abderrahmane Benazzouz and Albert Baez
recently completed, and to discuss development projects with the major national companies, standing most in need of electrical engineers and electronics specialists.1 The basic facts concerning the new institute were communicated to the study group: Capacity: students taking a five-year engineering course, 1,000; students taking a four-year high-level technical course, 2,000.
Admission requirements: for the engineering course, baccalaureate (thirteen years of primary and secondary education); for the high-level technical course, brevet d’enseignement moyen certificate (ten years of primary and secondary education). Site: definitive site at Tlemcen, 4 km from the telephone complex and 80 km from the Électronique Grand Public complex.
(Temporary accommodation provided at Boumerdès by other institutes.)
Use of English as the language of instruction: this will allow competent American professors to be recruited from a market which is not limited by a language obstacle and will make it easier for future graduates of the institute to keep abreast with technological developments in the field of electronics. The study group was briefed on the educational level of students upon admission to each course, the inadequacies regarding experience of manual skills, the poor technological environment and the main goals to be set for the training of the future graduates of the institute, with particular emphasis on: (a) students’ ability to become productive as soon as they graduate from the institute; (b) their ability to solve concrete problems independently; (c) acquisition of maximum manual dexterity; (d) ability to keep abreast with technological developments in their particular field. The results of the first phase of study bring out the following points: (a) the curricula proposed are similar to the BSEE or BSET2 programmes of American universities; (b) from the pedagogical point of view, it is intended that the programme shall be modeled on the most successful methods used in North American universities (and particularly the emphasis on practical training, the students being permanently in contact with industry) and that the laboratories shall be provided with modern equipment; (c) as regards the facilities required for the institute at Tlemcen, it is suggested that an American-style university campus should be built.
Implementation phase
In March 1976, a four-year technical assistance contract was concluded with the EDC, which was to arrange for a programme management committee to be set up by signing subcontracts with the American universities and industrial firms having agreed to advance the progress of the project from the initial study phase to the implementation phase. The management committee is responsible for the following tasks which are essential to the implementation of the programme in Algeria:
Recruiting professors.
Training Algerian teaching staff.
Defining the architectural programme and technical specifications for the premises which have to be constructed.
1. These companies include: SONELGAZ, a producer and distributor of electrical energy and distributor of gas; SNS, which manufactures and distributes iron and steel products; SONACOME, a mechanical engineering firm; SONELEC, a manufacturer and distributor of electrical and electronic equipment; and SONATRACH, which is engaged in all activities concerned with oil and its derivatives, ranging from research to marketing.
2. Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology.
3. Case-Western Reserve University (Case Institute); Oklahoma State University; Stevens Institute of Technology; University of Houston College of Technology; University of Missouri, Rolla; University of Wisconsin, Stout; Went-worth Institute of Technology; GTE-Sylvania; Harris Corporation; Raytheon. . Knowledge transfer in electronics: a North African case
Establishing a documentation centre and a system ensuring that INELEC has access . to all sources of information which will enable it to keep abreast with technological developments in the fields of electricity and electronics. Preparing specifications for the equipment required and providing assistance in obtaining and installing this material. . ; Supplying INELEC with any. information which might help the institute ; in; its development. Contributing to the preparation of educational documents for all the courses offered at the institute, to be used (a) by teachers, in order to ensure some degree of continuity in curricula and (b) by students, in order to supplement such textbooks as are available and to serve as instructional material when the necessary texts are not available. Ensuring continuous assessment of the effectiveness of the programme. The EDC undertook to organize the co-ordination of all these activities in order to be able to respond at any time to a specific request for assistance in solving a problem affecting the programme in Algeria.. The entire administrative staff of the institute is Algerian. It was agreed that the director-general, an Algerian, would be assisted in organizing the implementation of the programme .by an American project director appointed by the management committee; this project manager was to be aided chiefly by an administrative deputy and by three educational advisers—one for the engineering course, one for the high-level technical course and one for problems arising in connection with the use of English.
It was planned to start a training. programme for the Algerian teaching staff as soon as possible (Fig. ï) with a view to improving communication at the academic level and adapting curricula more adequately to Algerian needs. This programme, which is limited to an average duration of two years in the United States so that the trainee teachers will not be in danger of losing sight of the realities of Algerian life, comprises three branches: academic, industrial, pedagogical.
The importance of social factors during the running-in phase of the programme all kinds of difficulties arose, mainly owing to the encounter between different cultures, customs and environments. Some of the more delicate problems are mentioned below.
Unsuitability of the ‘high-level technical’ curricula. It was not until the courses had been taught for two years that it was realized that the term ‘high-level technician’ did not hold the same meaning for everyone. The curricula were thus based on the assumption that the level of students on admission to the institute was higher than it was in reality (two years’ difference). Language of instruction. Practically all the American personnel spoke English only while the few Algerians on the staff with some knowledge of that language could not use it fluently. To this problem must be added the difficulties due to lack of experience, for INELEC is the first institute in Algeria to use English as the language of instruction.1 We can report, however, that the students have adapted themselves easily to this situation. Living conditions. People always find it difficult to adapt themselves to an unfamiliar environment. When they have no idea of what to expect, even the most simple things can become insuperable problems.
The American families were chiefly disturbed by the following matters; (a) housing (it is not easy to secure an apartment where all the utilities function smoothly and to maintain it properly); (b) Algerian regulations regarding aliens (administrative procedures proved to be too slow when it was necessary to obtain a permanent resident permit or authorization to import a vehicle or personal effects). Time factor. Deadlines were rarely respected. Working conditions. The running of the institute has suffered from the lack of properly qualified Algerian personnel. . From the organizational point of view, it has been difficult to avoid the imbalance arising from the fact that all the teachers are American while all the administrative staff are Algerian. Moreover, since INELEC is only installed in temporary premises during this initial phase, no firm planning has been possible. Results of the experiment It can be said that a great deal has been accomplished in the space of two years. The 1978 enrollment figure at INELEC is 300; 83 students are in their third year, 105 in their second year and 112 in their first year. The number of teachers at the institute has risen from eighteen in March 1976 (working entirely in English) to forty-five at the present time, approximately half of these having been recruited for technical courses. Most of the necessary laboratories have been installed, as well as the nucleus of the library. The procedure for recruiting students is well under way and the examinations used are yielding satisfactory results. The position as regards the educational level of the Algerian students upon admission is now better understood and the initial curricula have been adjusted accordingly, particularly in the case of the curriculum proposed for the high-level technical course. Last July, INELEC sent a sixth group of candidates selected for teacher training to the United States, thus bringing the total number of candidates up to 113. The experiment must be credited with 1. The languages used elsewhere are Arabic and French. Knowledge transfer in electronics: a North African case 333
having clearly identified a good many problems; moreover, Algerians and Americans have worked together to smooth them out. Communication has improved. A sense of commitment to a joint project and a common line of approach are beginning to develop now that a necessary effort at adaptation has been made. For example, English lessons are now organized for the Algerian staff; before they come to Algeria, the American teachers follow a preparatory course designed to facilitate their integration into the Algerian social environment; also, efforts have been made to simplify contacts between the American teachers and the Algerian administration; furthermore, more auxiliary personnel have been supplied by the EDC from its own staff to meet the needs of the teachers when a very specific type of manpower was required and could not be found in Algeria.
Outlook for the future
The first INELEC graduates are scheduled to receive their degrees in March 1980 if they have taken the high-level technical course, and in March 1981 if they have taken the engineering course. Only when these graduates have taken up their appointments will it be possible to determine whether the proposed programmes meet the needs of industry in Algeria. In addition, since the first Algerian teachers returned from America in September 1977, it is now possible to evaluate the training they received and their ability to take over from the American teachers. These Algerian teachers will be full members of the teaching staff at INELEC and will take their place in an integrated organization currently headed by American chiefs of the three departments (engineering, technical course, language studies) and an Algerian director of studies. As a long-term project, INELEC will develop another type of relationship with the American. universities represented on the management committee, mainly by establishing a regular exchange of teaching staff between the two countries—involving participation in national and international confer-ences, distribution of publications, offers of visiting professorships, etc.—and by maintaining close contacts between its own library and the various libraries of the consortium. As regards the siting of the institute of Tlemcen, the initial plans have been revised in order to bring them into line with the Algerian social environment. The design of the buildings has been entrusted to American architects (The Architects Collaborative of Cambridge, Massachusetts) who have been informed by the management committee of the basic structural features required for the purposes of the academic programme. At the same time, the Algerian authorities have described the conditions of everyday life in which the new institute would have to operate. Work has begun this year on the construction of the institute, which is partly financed (approximately 60 per cent) through a loan granted to Algeria by the World Bank. The first buildings with a capacity for 1,000 students are scheduled for final acceptance in September 1980. By that time, it will be possible to judge to what extent these premises and a significant part of the programme as a whole meet the needs of the Algerian students. •
Abderrahmane Benazzouz and Albert Baez.
Vol. 28, No. 4,1978 329
• Abderrahmane Benazzouz, Albert V. Baez Mr Benazzouz, Director-General of the Algerian Institut National d’Électricité et d’Électronique (INELEC), was educated at the École Nationale d’Électricité et de Mécanique at Nancy and has taught (as an assistant) at the Université de Paris VI, the École Centrale at Châtenay-Malabry and the Institut Universitaire at Cachan. He is a former director of studies of the École Nationale d’Ingénieurs et de Techniciens d’Algérie (ENITA) and a former project director of the Société Nationale de Fabrication et de Montage de Matériel Électrique et Électronique (SONELEC).
Mr Baez, a native of Mexico, currently associated with the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California at Berkeley, is a former president of the commission on the teaching of science of the International Council of Scientific Unions and a former director of the Division of Science Education at Unesco. Mr Baez is a member of the Education Development Center at Newton, Massachusetts (United States of America), and has just terminated his activities as INELEC s project director in Algeria.