Regional

AOU Expands With 3 New Campuses

Students from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt will soon be able to study at new regional campuses of Arab Open University (AOU), which begins its second semester in February.

Based in Kuwait, AOU opened last October with branches in Lebanon, Jordan and Kuwait, with a student enrollment of more than 3,000. The university is a collaboration between Open University in the United Kingdom and the Arab Gulf Programme for the United Nations Development Organisation.

A number of Open University courses have been adapted to meet local needs. The university currently offers bachelor’s degrees in information technology, English language and business administration in English, and an education bachelor’s degree and postgraduate diploma in Arabic.

— Open University news release
Nov. 4, 2002

Jordan

Education Gets Major Upgrades

The Ministry of Education is set to launch three major projects to improve the quality of education in Jordan.

In February, the ministry will announce the connection of 1,000 schools to the Internet in cooperation with Jordan Telecom. In addition, an education portal will be launched to connect all education institutions with a single gateway. The Japan International Cooperation Agency is working with the private sector on the portal.

In January, the cornerstone for a synchrotron laboratory was laid, introducing the region to one of the most advanced research technologies in the world – synchrotron light – whose wavelength ranges from that of infrared radiation to X-rays.

The Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy initiative – a 10-year plan divided into two main phases – intends to increase school competency, expand the use of information technology in learning and upgrade the general quality of education.

— The Jordan Times
Dec. 3, 2002

Kuwait

Universities Segregating Sexes Once Again

For the first time in 30 years, Kuwait University is enforcing a Parliament mandate to segregate all activities on campus along gender lines. Founded in 1966, the institution was originally segregated by sex, but by the early 1970s women were allowed to study together with men. The university was the only postsecondary institution in the country until a private school opened in the fall of 2002.

Many common areas of the campus, such as parking lots, corridors and the campus bookstore, remain coeducational out of necessity, but classrooms, the cafeteria and the library will have to comply with the government mandate for separation of the sexes. This means the construction of dividing walls, division of spaces and for the library, separate floors for each sex.

The private Gulf University of Science and Technology, a U.S.-style university that opened last fall, also has to abide by the law despite a barrage of complaints from students who believed they would be able to study in a coeducational atmosphere. Currently, students split the day in two, reserving the morning for women and the afternoon for men.

At Kuwait University, with a student body of 20,000 in 13 colleges, allowing for the new mandate is not as easy. To make sure segregation at the university is completed, the Kuwaiti government has allocated US$150 million for the task. Many see this as wasting resources that would be better spent improving educational services at the university. The next step to be implemented is the construction of a women’s campus.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
Jan. 3, 2003

Palestinian Authority

Israel Closes Two West Bank Schools

In Hebron, the Israeli army closed the Islamic University and Polytechnic Institution as part of its response to a Tel Aviv bombing earlier in January in which 22 people were killed.

According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, security officials had recommended the closure of three colleges on the West Bank as suspected centers of Hamas and Islamic Jihad activity. In addition to the previously mentioned institutions, Islamic College in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Abu Dis had also been recommended for closure.

The shutdown Jan. 14 marked the first time in the 27 months of the current uprising against Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that the Israeli army has formally shut down Palestinian universities. However, strict enforcement of curfews has made it difficult for several institutions to operate.

According to Haaretz, the military decided to close the two universities because they assisted in the “recruitment, training and instruction of hundreds of militant activists.”
University officials said the closing of the schools, which is effective for two weeks and could be extended to six months, represents a new level of Israeli attacks on Palestinian cultural institutions. The closures could cause an increase in militant activity, they warned.

— Haaretz daily
Jan. 8, 2003

Saudi Arabia

Construction on Private University Begins

The foundation stone for Prince Sultan Private University was laid Jan. 28 in Hawiya, according to Dr. Zuhair Al-Sibae, general supervisor of the university.

The university will comprise four colleges in the first phase: medicine, nursing, health administration and health information management. Classes are expected to start in September.

According to Arab News, plans for the university and its colleges were made in cooperation with the University of Arizona and UNESCO.

— Arab News
Dec. 31, 2002

The United Arab Emirates

Purdue to Offer Master’s Degrees at ‘Knowledge Village’

Purdue University has selected Dubai as its center of educational excellence for the Persian Gulf region. The Indiana-based university will offer postgraduate engineering programs through its affiliate office, Gateway Institute, at Dubai’s Knowledge Village.

The programs will be conducted online, with students studying the same material as on the Indiana campus. The master’s degrees being offered are in engineering, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering and industrial engineering.

Construction of the physical infrastructure of Knowledge Village, where Purdue is to house its affiliate office, is set for completion in April. The village seeks to set a new standard for industry-oriented learning methods. It is hoped the village will have a symbiotic relationship with hundreds of companies at neighboring Internet City and Media City to develop the skills and know-how of the industry.

Recent news releases suggest that several universities from the West have expressed an interest in making Knowledge Village their teaching conduit for the Middle East region. The British Council in March 2002 signed a memorandum of understanding with Knowledge Village to boost cooperation in promoting learning opportunities in the region.

— Gulf News
Jan. 6, 2003