Regional

Ministers Agree to Incorporate More Science into Higher Education

In January, higher education and science and technology ministers from member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) decided unanimously to make curricula in universities of member states more science-oriented.

At the 14th meeting of the OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), held in Islamabad, Pakistan, representatives of various organizations and universities agreed to increase training in science and technology, establish centers of excellence in universities, and promote university-industry collaboration. As well as 110 delegates from 24 international science and higher education institutions, 26 ministers of science and higher education from Pakistan, Iran, Jordan, Egypt, Malaysia, Bangladesh and other countries of the OIC participated in the meeting.

OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu of Turkey said that from an average expenditure of just 0.2 percent of GDP on research and development in 2005, the average R&D spending of OIC member states had doubled to 0.41 percent. Countries such as Tunisia were already spending 1 percent of GDP on research and development while in Turkey it had increased from 0.48 percent of GDP in 2003 to 0.73 percent five years later, he said. The OIC’s target is to spend 1 percent of GDP on research and development.

– University World News
January 16, 2011

Iran

Many of Iran’s Best Students are Choosing North American Universities

According to a senior Science Ministry official, Iran’s top students are choosing North American universities to pursue masters and doctoral degrees. Mehr news agency quoted Hassan Moslemi Naeini, the head of the ministry’s General Bureau of Scholarship and Overseas Students Affairs, as making the comment on December 22.

Naeini said that half these students receive scholarships from universities in the United States and Canada. He added that since about five years ago, sending Iranian students to study at universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada on Iranian government scholarships has been banned.

Paris-based academic Saeed Peyvandi told RFE/RL‘s Radio Farda that the main reason why Iran’s top students leave the country to study abroad is conditions at Iranian universities. The negative atmosphere at universities in Iran, pressure on students, and lack of educational possibilities drive Iranian students to leave the country, Peyvandi said. According to a 2009 report by the International Monetary Fund, Iran ranks first among 91 developing and underdeveloped countries in the number of specialists leaving the country.

– RFE/RL
December 23, 2010

Universities Ranked

Iran-based Islamic World Science Citation Center recently launched a new classification system for Islamic universities, using the criteria of research and education performance, international cooperation and scientific impact. The first phase of the system has been implemented by ranking Iran’s universities and research institutes.

The new Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC) classification system uses key performance indicators, including research (50%), education (35%), international outlook (7%), facilities (3%) and socio-economic impact (5%). The system extracts data both from direct contact with universities and from institutions’ research journals, which are collected and processed in different subsystems of the ISC.

Using the new system, in January the ISC published a list detailing the ranking of top universities in Iran based on their activities for the June to December 2010 period. The top five institutions were the University of Tehran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Sharif University of Technology, AmirKabir University of Technology and Iran University of Science and Technology.

– University World News
January 26, 2011

Jordan

25% of Foreign Students from Palestinian Territories

According to figures from the Jordanian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, large numbers of Palestinian students are opting to study at universities in Jordan. In 2008-09, the most recent year for which figures are available, 25 percent of the 5,592 foreign students in Jordanian universities were Palestinian, more than any other nationality.

Jamal Hussein, director general of the university education department in the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education, told The Jordan Times that although there were 14 public and private universities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, many Palestinian students found it “safer and easier” to study in Jordan because of the security situation at home. The newspaper added that Jordan was actively encouraging more Palestinian students to choose to study there.

The ministry’s figures show that the second largest source of international students at the undergraduate level is Saudi Arabia, with 778 students enrolled in the country’s universities, followed by Iraq (527), Kuwait (351), Syria (320), Yemen (184), Oman (160), Bahrain (143) and Egypt (91). Among other foreign students enrolled in the country’s universities during the 2008-2009 semester were 760 from Israel, 235 from Malaysia, 44 from the US, 16 from Thailand, 12 from Brunei, seven each from Germany and Indonesia, and six from Russia, according to the figures.

In terms of distribution, 1,175 out of the 5,516 foreign undergraduate students were at the Jordan University of Science and Technology, while 585 were at Al Ahliya Amman University, 467 at the University of Jordan, 449 at the Applied Science University, 437 at Yarmouk University 399 at Philadelphia University and 348 at Al Isra Private University.

– Jordan Times
January 11, 2011

Saudi Arabia

Government Announces Plans for Medical Schools and Teaching Hospitals

In late December, Higher Education Minister Khaled Al-Anqari announced that Saudi Arabia plans to build medical schools and teaching hospitals at all 24 of its public universities. The goal is to increase the number of Saudi doctors, reports Arab News. Saudis currently make up just 20 percent of the nation’s physicians. A five-year development plan calls for spending about $200 billion on expanding access to schools and universities, including a greater focus on preparing Saudi students for the job market.

– Arab News
December 29, 2011

United Arab Emirates

RAK Hosts Foreign Campuses Banned from Dubai

More than 500 students now have to commute daily between Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah to attend classes, after three academic institutions recently had their licenses revoked by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority of Dubai. A further six institutions are under scrutiny.

The institutions that have had their Dubai commercial and academic licenses revoked are UEIMS Medical Science University, Mahatma Gandhi University, and International Institute for Management and Technology. They have since re-established in Ras Al Khaimah, a northern emirate of the united Arab Emirates.

Both Mahatma Gandhi University, and the UEIMS Medical Science University are managed by Sudhir Gopi Holdings, and according to education officials in Dubai their licenses were revoked as their programs were not of the same quality as those offered at the home institutions – in India and St. Kitts in the West Indies (International University of the Health Sciences) respectively.

Currently, there are 16,000 students studying in 32 international universities and colleges in the free zone areas. Of these, 2,300 UAE national students are studying for higher degrees.

– Emirates 24/7
December 13, 2010