Regional
News
Middle
East
IRAQ
U.S.
Schools Given Lead in 'Modernizing' Iraqi Higher Education
U.S. universities will lead the effort of rebuilding Iraq’s war-torn
higher-education sector. The U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) in June asked U.S.-accredited institutions of higher education
to submit bids for a US$30 million scheme designed to “invigorate
and modernize” Iraq’s colleges and universities. Other coalition
partners have been barred from submitting applications and will be involved
only if lead U.S. institutions choose to “collaborate” with
them.
Applications
for the program had a due date of June 30, which has since been revised
to the end of July and, at the time of writing, Aug. 8. Up to six U.S.
universities or consortia, which can include non-U.S. institutions, will
then be chosen to handle one-year grants of US$3 million to US$5 million.
The Coalition
Provisional Authority has counted 24 Iraqi institutions of higher education
that the market-led program is designed to aid. The initiative’s
main focus will be:
1. Replacement
of antiquated equipment and rehabilitation of educational and library
facilities
2. Promotion
of national, regional and international partnerships and the fostering
of intellectual diversity and growth
3. Innovative
subject material and new courses to develop the quality of higher education
and to prepare Iraqi youth for leadership and employment in a competitive
market economy
4. Modern
administrative practices that “orient higher-education institutions
to the demands of the market”
USAID expects
benefits to be reciprocal, “strengthening Iraqi universities while
enriching U.S. universities with respect to the culture of Iraqi higher
education and related development issues.” Knowledge of the social,
political and economic circumstances of the Arab region — Iraq,
in particular — and a demonstrated ability to build bridges across
ethnic, religious and other fault lines are among selection criteria.
—
USAID
June 30, 2003
SAUDI ARABIA
Private
Universities Set for September Openings
According to recent figures, 72.6 percent of the Saudi population is under
30. And with an increasing number of women being given access to education,
demand for higher education is far outstripping supply.
In response
and after several years of planning, the government in June officially
approved 36 private colleges and Saudi Arabia’s first two private
universities, developed in cooperation with foreign companies and universities.
Dar Al Faisal
University is to be located on the site of Riyadh’s sprawling King
Faisal Palace. The project is being undertaken in close collaboration
with the Steven’s Institute
of Technology, a private technical university in New Jersey and French
telecommunications giant Thales. The university will be offering degrees
in engineering, sciences and business technology. The new institution
is expected to open in September for graduate students and a year later
for undergraduates.
The other private
university to receive ministry approval is the Prince Sultan University,
which is also slated for a September opening (See January/February
issue WENR).
—
Arab
News
July 17, 2003
British
Council Luring Saudi Students
Twelve British universities have clubbed together with the British Council
in an attempt to attract increasing numbers of Saudi students to the United
Kingdom.
The “UK4”
program has been designed to ease entry into the British higher-education
system for Saudi students through a four-year preparatory package leading
to direct entry into the program of their choice. The admission score
of 85 percent is based on the Saudi secondary-school examinations (Thanawiyah
Al-Amaa).
The Saudi
Ministry of Education is said to be pursuing this initiative following
the recent restrictions on Saudi students wishing to study in the United
States. It is hoped that the UK4 program will attract as many as 20 percent
of Saudi undergraduates currently studying in the United States.
—
Not-So-Foreign
June 11, 2003
SYRIA
Virtual
University Addressing Needs of the Nation
The Syrian Virtual University
started in September 2002 with a modest 400 students and a temporary office
at the Ministry of Education. The institution represented a first in the
Arab world, and although it attracted mainly Syrians, it did enroll from
a number of other Arab countries.
A quick scan
of the university’s list of partners reveals an impressive array
of North American institutions that will enable Syrian and other Arab
students to have access to the best in modern Western education without
the expense of studying abroad, which the university hopes will help stem
the brain-drain by keeping educated Syrians at home.
The university
has been flexible in its approach to courses and has already added a preparatory
year in order to ready students to meet the language and other standards
required for studying at foreign universities. All programs are currently
in English, but SVU plans to develop its own Arabic-language curricula
and will also add courses in French, Spanish and German. SVU offers 800
extra courses in areas such as business, information technology, writing
skills and proposal writing that are open to everyone, not just SVU students.
A two-year Higher National Diploma (HND) in computing and business applications
has been developed to address Syria’s need for trained technicians;
like many Arab states, Syrian education suffers from a serious imbalance,
with students keen to study prestige fields such as medicine, while society
has more need for nurses and technicians.
To garner
equal access to SVU’s programs, telecenters have been set up for
those who cannot afford the necessary hardware. To date, of 80 planned
centers, 15 have been established. It also maintains an office in Dubai
Internet City and two in Lebanon. If SVU gets its formula right, its graduates
will be qualified to work in any of the world’s advanced economies,
but they will choose to use their skills at home.
—
Emerging
Syria 2003, Oxford Business Group publication
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Private
University Opens in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi University will start its
first academic year on Aug. 30 in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. The University
has gained accreditation from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific
Research for the following academic programs: B.Sc. Computer Science,
B.B.A. Management, B.B.A. Marketing, B.B.A. Finance, B.A. Information
and Library Science, B.A. English Language Translation, B.A. Teaching
of English as a Foreign Language, B.A. Education - Field Teacher in Arabic
Language and Islamic Education, B.A. Education - Field Teacher in Science
and Mathematics, B.A. Education - Field Teacher in Social Sciences.
A wide range
of other bachelor’s and master’s degrees are awaiting accreditation.
—
Gulf
News
June 30, 2003
Knowledge
Village Continues to Attract Big Names
The London School of Economics (LSE),
Manipal Academy of Higher
Education, the Birla Institute
of Technology and Science (BITS) and the University
of Wollongong, in Australia, are the latest institutions to sign agreements
with Knowledge Village, a collection of
education and media interests based in Dubai, designed to spur a knowledge
economy in the Middle East.
The University
of London (UoL), in association with LSE, will be offering bachelor’s
degrees in business, economics, finance and information systems. LSE will
be offering a diploma in economics, which will serve as an entry route
into UoL’s degree programs and will itself be a stand-alone qualification.
The programs are set to start in September and will be available through
the International Institute for Technology and Management, part of Knowledge
Village.
The University
of Wollongong joins British University
in Dubai — a collaboration of leading British universities currently
spearheaded by Edinburgh University
— as the only institutions offering research and graduate opportunities
at Knowledge Village.
BITS will
open its first campus outside India and will be offering undergraduate
programs in computer science, electrical and electronics engineering and
electronics and instrumentation engineering. Manipal Academy of Higher
Education will be offering a wide range of undergraduate programs as well
as master’s degrees in finance, business and computer science.
—
Knowledge
Village news releases
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