Regional

Mediterranean Virtual University Launched

Mediterranean Virtual University (MVU) project was launched in September in conjunction with universities from eight countries in the region and Europe. MVU will specialize in computer science and information and computer technology, with curriculum input provided by industry. MVU will begin offering classes in 2005; the principle language of instruction will be English, in addition to each participating country’s national language.

The project is led by the University of Strathclyde in Scotland; the other participating universities are Aalborg University in Denmark, University of Cyprus, Ain Shams University in Egypt, University of Malta, Islamic University in Gaza, Birzeit University and the Welfare Association in the West Bank, the Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology in Syria, Jordan University of Science and Technology and Sabanci University in Turkey. MVU is a project of the Euro-Mediterranean Information Society (EUMEDIS), which aims to develop the information society in the Mediterranean region under the overall supervision of the European Commission’s EuropeAid Cooperation Office.

— The Jordan Times
Sept. 21, 2004

Israel

Colleges Given Right to Award Research Degrees

The Council for Higher Education, Israel’s licensing authority, announced in October that colleges can now award research-based master’s degrees, reversing a previous ruling that permitted them to award teaching-only master’s degrees.
While welcomed at the college level, the council’s decision was vehemently opposed by universities. Those institutions complained that colleges, which were originally supposed to be strictly undergraduate institutions, are now competing with universities in graduate work. This, they charged, lowers Israel’s academic level and harms the universities’ budgets.

— Haaretz
Oct. 28, 2004

Jordan

German-Jordanian University Set for 2005

The German Federal Ministry for Education and Research is supporting the establishment of a German-Jordanian University in Amman with more than US$1.2 million. The first programs will be in the fields of engineering, informatics, economics, logistics and tourism, It is expected that 320 students from Jordan, Syria, the West Bank and Iraq will begin classes in October 2005. Further programs, such as electrotechnology and hydro-economics, will be added in 2006.

Courses will be based on the German university of applied sciences model, which combines academic knowledge with technical know-how. Closer cooperation between the German and Jordanian business sectors is planned.

— DAAD
Sept. 30, 2004

The United Arab Emirates

Environmental Classes Added to Curriculum

The Ministry of Education has announced that classes on environmental issues will be added to the first- and second-grade curriculum in an effort to raise the level of environmental awareness in the country. The ministry hopes the classes will help promote greater attention to issues of pollution and recycling.

— AMIDEAST
Oct. 28, 2004

Regulations Set for Equivalency of Foreign High School Certificates

Education officials have clarified procedures for the recognition and verification of domestic and foreign high school credentials. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) will be responsible for the verification of high school certificates awarded in the UAE, while the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research will take responsibility for accrediting certificates from abroad.

According to new regulations set by MEYS, those students wishing to enter institutions of higher education in the UAE will require a high school certificate that represents at least 10 years of pre-tertiary-level study. In countries that have two-tier high school systems, such as A and O levels, candidates must have qualifications at the higher level, and at least six at the lower level, including mathematics, science, social studies and languages. English is considered a must for admission, and those who have not studied English must pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language with a score of 500 or higher (173 in computer-based exams). Finally, all certificates must be verified by the relevant national educational authorities.

— Gulf News
Sept. 2, 2004

Women’s Technical Institute Set to Open

A new, women-only campus of the Sharjah Institute of Technology will formally begin classes in September 2005, the Khaleej Times reports. Affiliated to the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, the school will offer various programs to women who have completed the high school preparatory cycle (grade 9). The institute will offer City and Guilds programs and qualifications administered by Edexcel, the British examination board.

— Khaleej Times
Nov. 10, 2004