Iran

International Higher Education Center Planned

Iranian education officials have announced plans to develop an “international higher education complex” to be located in a free trade zone in the northeast of the country near the border with Azerbaijan. Supported by sponsors from the private sector, the initiative will reportedly be implemented in collaboration with Islamic Azad University, located in Tabriz.

— Tehran Times
August 1, 2006

Israel

Council Nixes Plans for New University, College Upgrade

The Council for Higher Education announced in July that plans to establish a university in Galilee had been rejected alongside a request by the College of Judea and Samaria in the West Bank settlement of Ariel to become a university.

In concluding remarks by the decision-making panel it was stated that over the next five years no additional universities will be established in the country as there is no perceived need. The current network of Israeli universities has the capacity to absorb hundreds more research students, the panel reported.

The Galilee initiative would have united existing colleges in the region under the umbrella of a single university. However, the Council did decide to adopt a proposal to consider the establishment of a research institute in the Upper Galilee as an alternative to what would have been the first university in the northern region.

— Haaretz
July 13, 2006

Oman

New Zealand Education Group Contracted in Project to Upgrade Education Colleges

The New Zealand Tertiary Education Consortium (NZTEC), a consortium of New Zealand tertiary education providers, has been contracted by the Omani Ministry of Higher Education to work on an initiative to upgrade five colleges of education to colleges of applied sciences offering foundation and degree programs.

Under the contract, thought to be one of the biggest offshore education projects signed by a New Zealand-based body, NZTEC will provide content for degrees in international business administration, information technology, design and communication studies as well as content for English-language and academic foundation courses set to begin in September this year.

— New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
June 22, 2006

Saudi Arabia

First Private Medical School Approved by Ministry, New Private University to Spark Reform

The first private medical college approved by the Saudi Arabian Higher Education Ministry, Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies, has opened its admission process for the 2006-07 academic year. The college will admit 130 male and female students for medicine (MBBS), 70 in the field of dentistry (BDS), and 120 to pursue a degree in pharmacy (Pharma-D). To date, the school has attracted a large number of expatriate students from more than 20 countries including the United States, Canada, and various European nations.

Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies is sponsored by Al-Jedani Hospital Group of Jeddah, and utilizes a curriculum designed by Prince Abdullah Research and Consulting Institute in association with King Saud University in Riyadh. In the future the college plans to incorporate degree programs in medical technology and nursing.

In related news, a Saudi foundation plans to launch next year a private university it hopes will help reform the nation’s oft-criticized system of education. Costing hundreds of millions of dollars and backed by the King Faisal Foundation, Al Faisal University will offer its major degrees in the sciences, engineering, and medicine, with Islamic studies offered only as secondary courses, according to the deputy managing director of the foundation, Prince Bandar. Bandar hopes the new institution will emerge as a shining light in the country and act as a catalyst for change among other universities, which will have to compete with it for the nation’s best students. The university expects to attract up to 4,000 students in its first year.

— Arab News
June 13, 2006
— Reuters
April 10, 2006

Two New Universities Announced, Foundation Stone for Another Laid

King Abdullah laid the foundation stone for Saudi Arabia’s newest public university in June, while plans for two other universities were also announced earlier in the year. Hail University will include colleges of engineering, computer science, medicine, science and community as well as a university hospital.

Earlier this year, King Abdullah announced plans to establish two new universities in Tabuk and Baha. When construction of these institutions is complete the total number of government universities in the Kingdom will reach 17.

— Arab News
June 14, 2006

United Arab Emirates

Legislation Defining Legal Status of New Sorbonne Campus Inked

The new Abu Dhabi campus of Paris-based Sorbonne University will enjoy financial and administrative independence while being wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi Education Council, according to legislation signed into law by Abu Dhabi President Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in May.

Upon approval from the council, additional branches may be opened inside and outside the UAE, according to a report from Gulf News. Academic credentials will be awarded according to French regulations and issued by Paris-Sorbonne University. The university will offer graduate and doctoral degrees in line with the structure of the new European Higher Education Area, as defined by the Bologna accords. French will be the language of instruction, and French-language courses will be offered to new students who require them.

Registration is now open for students wishing to enroll for the upcoming academic year.

— Gulf News
May 29, 2006

Tough Line on Bogus Credentials Would See Fake-Degree Holders Deported

Those found trying to pass off bogus credentials in the United Arab Emirates will be deported and refused re-entry beginning in 2007, according to Labor Minister Ali bin Abdullah Al Ka’abi. Companies will be held accountable too, and may suffer undisclosed consequences if they are found to be employing fake degree holders. Degree certification will also be made mandatory for visa renewals, according to a Gulf News report.

According to Integra Screen, a company that verifies degrees for the labor ministry, the construction and engineering sector has registered the largest number of fake certificate holders applying for labor cards. Other sectors that have witnessed high numbers of fake-degree holders applying for work permits include the service sector (17 percent), banking sector (9 percent) and trading (8 percent). Since September 2005, 421 fake certificates have been detected, although the number is apparently declining. Pakistanis ranked first amongst nationalities holding fake certificates.

— Gulf News
June 21, 2006