In Nigeria, students are at the forefront of a nascent protest against the repressive military dictatorship of the late Gen. Sani Abacha and his successors. So far, the regime has kept the lid on things by repression. Now, however, there are signs that campus-based unrest is gaining strength. In Germany, students last winter protested against deteriorating conditions at the universities. Lack of funding combined with expanding enrollments have brought Germany 's university system to its knees.
Classrooms are overcrowded, and students are taking longer and longer to graduate.
Students organized the largest demonstrations in Europe since the volatile 1960s to demand more funds for higher education. So far, even though these demands have not been met, protests have subsided, at least for the moment. 1998 happens to be the 30th anniversary of the great European student protests of 1968, a fact not lost on either students or the authorities in Europe. In Germany, unlike the situation in Indonesia or Nigeria, students are not questioning the basic legitimacy of the state, nor do they have the potential of seriously damaging the government. Their concern, at least for the present, is for higher education.