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By Ashraf Abdul Wahab and Michel Cousins.
Tripoli, 3 February 2014:
Derna’s university college reopened today after a five-day closure forced by guards . . .[restrict]over pay and work contacts.
Classes had stopped after they prevented lecturers from working. They were protesting over delays in their employment contracts being approved. Without the contracts, they were not being paid.
The issue has now been resolved according to the head of the Derna Local Council’s higher education committee, Awad Lairij.
Part of the problem has been dissatisfaction with the performance of the guards. “There’s been lots of problems with security [at the university] – lots of robberies, almost daily, especially at night,” Lairij told the Libya Herald, explaining that this had complicated the issue of issuing the contracts. “We don’t have a complete solution. Another three [guards] have been employed but there is not enough money for more. It’s only partially solved the problem.”
Studies at the university college were suspended last year because of security concerns after a series of thefts and arson.
The campus is one of four of the Omar Mukhtar University of Beida, the other three being at Beida itself as well as at Guba and Tobruk. It was a separate university until 2007 when it merged with the Omar Mukhtar University, but is still independent in terms of administration and finance.
Three are three other colleges in Derna.
Last September, guards at the university college demanded that male and female students been segregated. According to Lairij they were not the same as those who last week forced the staff to stop teaching. [/restrict]
