Introduction
Guinea with a land mass of 245,857 square kilometers (94,926 square miles) has a population estimated at 7.6 million. Guinea remains among the less developed and highly indebted countries with an income per capita estimated in 1997 at US$ 570. About 40% of the population live under the poverty line (about US$ 300 per head per year).

History of Higher Education
In 1962, the Polytechnic Institute of Conakry (IPC) was the first institution to be established to train engineers and administrative staff to meet the economic and social development of the nation. From the 1970s onward, several institutions oriented primarily toward agriculture were established. By the early 1980s, their number grew rapidly to around 40. This significant increase was accompanied by very high enrollment approaching 20,000 students by 1984, particularly in agronomy.

Currently, the higher education system of Guinea consists of two universities--University of Conakry and the University of Kankan--and three professional institutes, which have been annexed to the universities (the Institute of Education, the Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Sciences, and the Institute of Mining and Geology).

Enrollments
Every year, only one-third of the candidates sitting for the entrance test is admitted to higher education institutions. The rate of student success within higher education varies from 62% to 87% depending on schools. The attrition rate varies from 27% at the Polytechnic Institute and 26% at the School of Medicine to 6% at the Boké Institute of Mining and Geology.

Faculty
In 1999, there were 325 administrative staff members employed by universities. Higher education institutions have relatively few senior professors. In 1999, there were 717 full-time professors (among whom only a little more than one-third hold PhDs). Of these, 11 professors had a rank of full professor or lead-researcher and 68 have a rank of ”Maitres de Conference“. About 300 part-timers were hired to meet the shortage of professors. Among these there were some 60 expatriates working on long- and short-term contracts.

The IPC is a major institute enrolling about 13% (1,021 students) employing 85 faculty members, among whom there were 6 full professors, 48 lecturers, 31 assistant professors, 50 assistants and laboratory technicians, 37 part-timers and 15 administrative staff members.

Research and Publishing
The first research institution, established in 1922, was affiliated with the Pasteur Institute in France. Since independence, several other research institutions were created through international cooperation. They conduct applied research in a number of fields such as agriculture, marine biology, fishing, building materials, energy, traditional medicine, and environment.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research is responsible for the coordination, supervision, and implementation of educational policies. A variety of problems confront the development of research in the country.

Governance and Administration
Up until 1986, all institutions were controlled and managed by the central government. Reforms initiated by the government conferred great autonomy to public institutions even though the state continues to be their principal funding entity. Appropriate procedures have been put in place to ensure more autonomy to public institutions while participatory governance is encouraged within the institutions.

Two administrative bodies manage the implementation of the national policy in matters of higher education: The Department for Scientific and Technical Research and The Department for Higher Education. These organs are responsible for ensuring the coordination, evaluation, and follow-up of the sub-sector. For lack of appropriate operational resources, the efforts of these departments remain ineffective.

Private Higher Education
As part of the government’s liberalization policy, private higher education institutions became part of the educational landscape in the second half of the 1980s. A private school of economics and two colleges of economics and computer science were created. Several other postsecondary schools, focusing particularly on professional training in computer sciences, business administration, and technical areas were opened as well.

Funding and Resources
Higher education is financed by the national government. The higher education budget dropped from 29.3% in 1990 to 22.5% in 1992. It remained between 17% and 20% since 1996. In 2000, higher education and scientific research received 26.33 billion Guinea Francs which represented 25.8% of the total budget of the national education sector. Of these, 3.4 billion Francs were allocated to salaries.

Almost 76% of the financial resources are channeled into salaries in research institutions. Research projects financed through bilateral and multilateral assistance approach 65% of the overall funding allocated to research institutions. Although the government encourages higher education institutions to develop income-generating activities, no major progress has been made in this respect. Until now, institutions were only capable of contributing about 10% to their financial resources.

Gender Issues
The proportion of female students at the universities is low. At the Polytechnic Institute, for example, all 47 students are male. After some progress registered in the 1970s when female students represented 19.4% of the student population, the rate fell below 6% at the beginning of 1990 reaching 10% in 2000.

The proportion of the teaching staff is even more dismal. At the University of Kankan, for instance, only 2 out of 100 professors were female. Female professors represent only 4% of the full-time faculty. At the University of Conakry, the percentage of females in positions of responsibility is 25% at the central administration level, 30% at the school of law and economic science and administration, 15% at the school of medicine, 12% at the school of human sciences, 6% at the school of natural sciences, and only 3% at the Polytechnic Institute.

Note: For detailed account on the state of higher education in Guinea, please consult: Soriba Sylla with Hassan Ez-za, African Higher Education: An International Reference Handbook (Damtew Teferra and Philip. G. Altbach, eds., Indiana University Press, 2003), pp. 350-354.