Qatar

Houston Community College Graduates First Qatar Cohort

In September 2010, Qatar partnered with Houston Community College (HCC) and opened the Community College of Qatar (CCQ), the country’s first such college. In May of this year, less than two years after CCQ opened, 11 students became the country’s inaugural community college graduates. When the college opened in 2010, it offered associate’s degrees in arts, science and applied science. There were 304 students, all Qataris. The number of students has more than doubled, but the school has yet to take advantage of the country’s substantial expatriate market, with most students still Qatari.

HCC was chosen in part because it has been one of the most active community colleges internationally, aiding the accreditation efforts of institutions in Vietnam, Brazil and Saudi Arabia. But no arrangement is as complicated as the one with CCQ, through which HCC provides the faculty and staff members to teach their curriculum in Doha.

The institutions signed a five-year, US$45 million contract in May 2010, with reportedly no costs borne by HCC. Additionally, HCC is contracted to receive a 10 percent fee for its services — a projected $4.5 million over five years.

Although the college was up and running quickly, it promptly encountered unforeseen difficulties. The Supreme Education Council selected the president and the dean of the college, and its first dean clashed with the HCC administration and ultimately those differences have delayed CCQ’s efforts to become — as HCC already is — accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. This alarmed students who thought they would be graduating with degrees from HCC, which ultimately was not the case; their degrees are from CCQ. With a new leader in place, class of 2012 graduates now have the option of converting their CCQ degrees into HCC degrees by taking online courses in the summer.

– The New York Times
May 26, 2012

Saudi Arabia

Huge Investment in Education

The Saudi government allotted SAR81.5 billion (US$21.7 billion) for education in the current budget announced in May. In the budget plans there is a near equal focus on men’s and women’s education.

UNESCO statistics for Saudi Arabia show that literacy among women is 81 percent compared to 90 percent among Saudi males, meaning that there are 1.5 million illiterate Saudi women, and a little over a million illiterate Saudi men. In 2010, around 80,000 young Saudi women were illiterate while 28,000 young Saudi men were uneducated, UNESCO data shows. In all, 503,000 Saudi children are out of school.

Furthermore, Saudi Arabia’s tertiary enrollment ratios are much lower than most G20 nations, showing that significant investment in education is warranted. Improving the quality of education and including the kingdom’s young population in the fast-growing economy has been a top priority for the government. Saudi Arabia’s budget dedicated to education spending has more than doubled in size since 2005.

While there does not appear to be any shortage of funds for infrastructural projects, Saudi Arabia’s real test, according to the Zawya newspaper, will be in developing a curriculum that can satisfy the needs of Saudi Arabia’s unique culture and modern educational needs, while also moving away from rote memorization. Staffing universities and colleges with qualified instructors will also be a challenge moving forward.

– Zawya
May 2, 2012

United Arab Emirates

Ministry Releases List of Accredited Academic Programs

The Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) announced in July the latest list of accredited academic programs offered by the higher education institutions that it licenses.

According to Shaikh Nahayan Mubrak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, “to ensure that colleges and universities in the UAE operate at international standards, the CAA conducts a program of licensing and accrediting the higher education institutions and each of their academic program.”

“The eleven standards of excellence, and the criteria that all institutions must meet for licensure and program accreditation, provide quality guidelines and also reflect a consensus within the international higher education community about the essential characteristics of institutions that achieve a level of excellence. As a result, students, graduates, and their families can be confident that licensed institutions and accredited programs will provide high quality,” Shaikh Nahyan concluded.

The updated list can be accessed at: www.caa.ae.

– Gulf News
July 3, 2012