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| October 2005 | Volume
18, Issue 5 |
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FEATURE FROM THE ARCHIVES Methods of Document Recognition and Authentication (Jan. 2003) REGIONAL
NEWS PRACTICAL INFORMATION FROM THE ARCHIVES Asian Students Have More Opportunities at Home (May 1999)
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Regional
News
Middle East and North Africa Bahrain New Panel to Oversee Higher Education
— Gulf News Israel Enrollment Drops The number of university students totals approximately120,000. The decrease amounts to several hundred students, and stems largely from the number of new students accepted to universities, which has dropped 10 percent. Matters look even worse for the coming years. Because of severe budget constraints, the state will only be able to subsidize one-third of students. The crux of the problem, according to President of Jezreel Valley College Aliza Shenhar, is that enrollment has grown by a steady 10 percent in the last four years, but budgets have not kept pace. — Haaretz Jordan Open University Celebrates First Graduation AOU, which primarily teaches in English, offers bachelor’s degrees in information technology and computing, business administration (systems track) and English language and literature. A fourth program, education, is taught in Arabic. AOU has signed an agreement for cooperation and affiliation with UK Open University. The agreement includes: licensing of materials, consultancies, accreditation and validation. AOU has been granted institutional accreditation and program validation by the Open University Validation Service of the United Kingdom. The agreement will provide the opportunity for students to obtain a joint certificate from both universities. — Jordan Times Palestinian Authority Saudi Plans Assistance for Palestinian University Students
— Arab News Saudi Arabia Budget Surplus to Aid Education The government also is encouraging the private sector to open colleges and universities. According to Mohamed Al-Saleh, secretary-general of the Higher Education Council, the Higher Education Ministry has given preliminary licenses to approximately 60 investors to establish private colleges in various parts of the country. — Arab News New Colleges to be Established The Department of Computer Science at King Abdul Aziz University will be transformed into an independent college for computer science and information technology. Um Al-Qura University will open a department of genetics at the College of Medicine and Medical Sciences. The Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University will open a mathematics department and physics department. A marine research center will be established at King Khaled University, and a community college will be established in Huraimala. — Arab News New Scholarship Offer King Abdullah, then crown prince, traveled to the United States earlier in the year to meet with President George Bush, and one of the topics under discussion was how to help alleviate current hurdles that exist for Saudi students wishing to study in the United States. More information on the scholarship program is available through the Ministry of Education Web site at www.mohe.gov.sa. — Arab News United Arab Emirates Australian University Leaves Students Stranded
Angry staff and students at USQ have been demanding compensation from the university. Bill Lovegrove, USQ vice chancellor, maintained that responsibility lies with the Dubai authorities and not his school. In late September, however, a senior USQ transition team from the main campus in Queensland began helping a significant number of the 340 students affected by the closure. A number of students are still considering options, but USQ has assured the public that no student will be “abandoned.” So far, 63 students have made the decision to continue studying at USQ, with 19 going to Australia. For these students, USQ will provide them with a scholarship of eight courses free of tuition if they already have successfully completed two courses with USQ Dubai. The school also is negotiating with two universities in Knowledge Village to teach-out the USQ degree programs. — Khaleej Times British Campus Offers New Research Degree
The British University in Dubai also has signed an agreement with Dubai’s Department of Economic Development to begin a program to promote economic and scientific research and development in the UAE. — AME Information Private University Accredited
The Abu Dhabi-based university, supported by Abu Dhabi Holding Co. (ADHC), will accept only 300 students in its first few years until it has moved to its permanent campus in Khalifa City. — Gulf News French University to Establish Campus
The university will be a “secular and co-educational higher education” institution. The programs on offer in Abu Dhabi will be in line with the ongoing European reforms that are being undertaken as part of the so-called Bologna Process. The Sorbonne also is in the process of reforming its degree programs to fit the new European bachelor/master/doctorate (or licence/master/doctorat -- LMD) structure. As in Paris, UAE-based students will earn European ECTS credits in the course of their studies. Students will the have the option to transfer these credits to the Sorbonne, or to any other European university. Currently, the university plans to offer its first classes in October 2006; after a few years of operation, it hopes to enroll approximately 1,500 students from countries across the Middle East. — al-Sharq al-Awsat
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Authorities in Bahrain have been asked to set up an administrative body to oversee higher education. Due to irregularities in professional conduct, underqualified students are graduating, which reportedly is causing problems. The General Secretariat for Higher Education will be established to monitor professional conduct at institutions of higher education — of which there are 14 — including the problem of private universities falsely claiming affiliation with foreign universities. It will also be charged with the responsibility of ensuring equal access for all students in the admissions process, by reducing corrupt practices. The new body will help the government work towards its goal of establishing Bahrain as a regional center for higher education by helping to ensure quality standards. In other news, a bill making education compulsory for children age 6 to 15 is expected to pass into law.
