University of Asmara

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.
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. In 2002, the government issued a directive re-configuring the university. This effectively shut down all of the university's undergraduate programs. Future students were not allowed to enroll and were directed to the Eritrea Institute of Technology, which opened after the University of Asmara closed. High school graduates were not allowed to pick their course of study, and were assigned vocational programs based on their performance on a maltriculation exam, however students in the military were granted a medical waiver from the exams. The government denied exit visas for those looking to study abroad, and university academics who wished to travel abroad required permission from the University president and the government. The university 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

To date, the fate of the UOA remains unknown, with the government having never given any explanation for the closure of the university.

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Eritrea Institute of Technology

The Eritrea Institute of Technology is located on Mai Nefhi, about 20 km south west of Asmara, near the Mai Nefhi dam. It currently has three colleges: Science, Engineering and Technology, and Education. Other new colleges are also under construction elsewhere in the country in other fields of studies. The Institute began with about 5,500 students during the 2003-2004 academic year.

The EIT was opened after the University of Asmara was ordered closed. The government however claims that reason for the opening of the college was to achieve equal distribution of higher learning in areas away from the capital city of Asmara. Similar colleges were opened in other parts of the country. College enrolment has dramatically increased in the country as a result of the opening of these institutions.

Currently the Eritrea institute of Technology or EIT at Mai Nefhi is the main college of higher studies in science, engineering and education in Eritrea. The number of faculties is increasing every year and the EIT facilities are getting better. The funding for EIT is basically external. However some funding is also provided by the Ministry of Education, Eritrea. The number of students graduating is also increasing every year.

Surprisingly enough, the University of Asmara, the only university in the country and one with international accreditation was ordered to close its doors in favor of the newly established colleges, none of which has a recognized international standing. Currently the government has plans to shut down EIT in 2012 and ship the student back to UOA and use the EIT facility for military training purposes. The government has done this because the previous sawa camp was to far for the students and wanted students to be encouraged by being close to asmara the capital and for mainly budget purposes currently the UOA is undergoing severe renovation for the new students. Second of all students with a UOA degree, certificate, and diploma will be internationally accredited. Although there is much frustration with students over the changes in schools the ministry of education is working diligently to encourage students. students who have 1yr left will be still in mai nefhi but in a different facility from the national high school students, to encourage sawa students how much important higher education is. EIT is currently helping with 45% percent of the development in Eritrea. From chemical engineers to Geologists Eritrea is reaching higher and higher to a developed country. Currently EIT's motto is EDUCATION FOR NATION BUILDING students love the motto and feel a sense of pride when they recognize that, Students realize that they are working day and night to give their country a better future. Some of the courses are bio-medical, chemical, medical, micro, scatological,and other engineering courses. On the education facility the graduates are helping their current severe shortages of teachers. The current teachers are old, but new graduates will be younger and help with the school shortages. By 2015 the student-teacher ratio will drop by 52% meaning less students per teacher, which is part of the ministry of education eagerness to help Eritrea become more developed.

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