Introduction
Central African Republic (CAR) has 3.2 million inhabitants unequally spread over 622,984 sq km (240,535 sq miles). Political turmoil has severely affected the economy and GDP growth has been fluctuating between 3.5% and 5.2% a year.

History of Higher Education
During independence in 1960, the country had no single university. Central African students expatriated, particularly to France, to obtain degrees in higher education institutions. In the early 1960s, the country shared with Gabon, Chad, and the Republic of Congo, a common post-secondary institution: the Foundation for Higher Education in Central Africa (FESAC), created by France to provide a regional training infrastructure for people of the former colonies of the French Equatorial Africa. CAR hosted the Agriculture Institute, while secondary schools teachers received their training at the School of Education in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.

At the Wakombo Agricultural Research Center and botanical center, high-level research was then conducted on tropical plants such as coffee, cocoa, and pepper trees. The center ran the Cahiers de la Maboke, a respected international journal published in collaboration with the French Museum of Natural History, from the mid-1940s to the nationalization of the center in 1966.

December 1969 marked the creation of a national university. Rulers of Gabon and Chad did the same in their respective countries, which led to the end of the FESAC.

Student Enrolment
At the beginning of the 2000-01 academic year, the higher education sector consisted of only two public institutions, the University of Bangui and the National School of Administration and Judiciary (ENAM), and one private school, the International Preparatory College (College Preparatoire International, CPI). Student enrollment in 1998-99 was 5,486, which represented an increase of nearly 80% in three decades. Today, approximately 6,500 students are enrolled in the post-secondary system.

Enrollment figures indicate that the number of students preparing for the mathematics and physical sciences baccalaureate degrees have significantly increased. At the University of Bangui the proportion of students in mathematics and sciences jumped to 35% in 2000, compared with 8% in 1981.

The percentage of female students remains very low. It varies from 3% in science to 16% in law and the human sciences. Young women are facing strong pressures in the society to leave school and take up their traditional role of housekeepers. Other ethnic minorities, such as Pygmies and Bororo, are poorly represented in higher education.

Faculty
At the beginning of the 2000-01 academic year, the faculty body has reached 300, including contractual and part-time instructors. Only 5% are expatriates and nearly none are female. Half of the instructors have not earned a doctorate degree in their fields. Most full professors are medical doctors who received tenure via the French medical board examination. Their promotions were not based on teaching experience or research capability. They are, however, respected as the first and brilliant generation of faculty who trained and tutored the hundreds of young medical doctors now running the health sector in the country.

Faculty salaries are low. On the other hand, teaching loads appear to be quite reasonable. They range from five hours per week for a full professor to eight hours for an assistant. Like all state employees, university faculty may be appointed to positions in other services. They must then keep a minimum of one hour teaching in their respective schools.

Research and Publishing
All higher education institutions are teaching oriented and research activities are limited. In the 1970s, the University of Bangui published the Annals of the University of Bangui, which included articles in fields of mathematics, physics, economics, and law.

The department of geography created Masaragba (which means "rhino" in Sango) in 1992. Masaragba is a journal devoted to environmental issues. At the time it was created, this journal was a contribution of the University of Bangui to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has been so successful that the editorial board continues to publish the journal with financial support from GTZ, a German non-governmental organization.

Governance and Administration
Appointments and promotions at the University of Bangui are handled in the same way as most universities that are members of the CAMES, with peer evaluation. There are no advertisements on vacancies and applications are reviewed by a departmental committee and a university committee appointed by the rector. The University Council then makes its recommendations. The minister in charge of public administration hires candidates retained by the University Council after recommendation by the minister in charge of higher education. The promotion process is identical.

Diplomas have been the major criterion for recruitment, while promotion decisions are based on teaching and publication. Violations of this process by politicians often occurred. In order to prevent subjectivity and other frequent external pressures on decisions of promotions, and to stimulate faculty research performance, the University Council decided in 1994 to submit all dossiers to CAMES' approval.

Funding and Resources
Higher education in the CAR is provided and financed publicly. During the 2000 fiscal year, the budget of the University of Bangui represented approximately 1.7% of the national budget. The budget was primarily devoted to salaries and scholarships. No substantial investment was expected. 162 million FCFA (Francophone Central African francs) was supposedly allocated to investment; but in reality, the money was used for facilities maintenance needs. As of October 2000, the government has still been unable to provide these financial resources.

Faculty and other university workers have not been paid for months. This situation has been the major source of several problems. Many professors choose to teach in private secondary schools or work in the commercial sector to meet their daily needs. Some of them have decided to relocate to developed countries for regular and higher pay. Corruption has been rapidly growing on campus, and teachers’ willingness to evaluate fairly has been jeopardized. Immediate consequences of this difficult situation have been poor training quality and low faculty performance.

Note: For detailed account on the state of higher education in Central African Republic, please consult: Gaston M. N’Guerekata, African Higher Education: An International Reference Handbook (Damtew Teferra and Philip. G. Altbach, eds., Indiana University Press, 2003), pp. 229-236.