By John Ikani
Sudan’s military leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has appointed new heads of 30 public universities.
The move follows his decree dissolving the boards of trustees of the government-run universities.
Heritage Times gathered that the decision was not unconnected to the instrumental role of learning institutions as grounds for championing protests against the military rulers.
Last week, authorities in the capital Khartoum dismissed 13 education ministry officials and accused them of disobeying directives issued after the coup to keep separate educational issues from politics.
Burhan is tightening his grip after taking power in a coup in October, reversing appointments made by civilian leadership during a two-year power-sharing period.
He has been ruling by decree since he ousted the transitional government led by civilian Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok in October 2021.
Meanwhile, Professors of universities say they would begin a strike to protest against the decision.
In a statement, the head of the board of governors for the University of Khartoum, Sudan’s most prominent university, described Burhan’s decisions as illegal and encroaching on powers held by the prime minister. Professors at Sudan University, one of the largest, said they would begin an open-ended strike in protest.
