Council of Higher Education Convenes, Reviews Progress, and Approves New Programmes and Partnerships

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

On 20 June 2024, the Board of Trustees of the Council of Higher Education, led by His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma, the Minister of Education and Chairman of the Council, held its periodic meeting. The meeting included council members, advisers, and invitees.

The Council reviewed the findings from field visits conducted by the General Secretariat's examination teams. These visits assessed the readiness of private higher education institutions to commence new academic programmes approved by the Council and monitored the progress of final exams for bachelor's and master's programmes during the previous academic year.

Additionally, the Council examined the General Secretariat's report on the implementation of initiatives from the Higher Education Council's Operational Plan.

The Council issued a resolution on regulations for field training programmes at higher education institutions in Bahrain. This resolution establishes the criteria for enrolling students in training programmes as part of their academic curricula. The Council also acknowledged the initiative to develop a framework for research and development governance, aimed at enhancing Bahrain's competitiveness.

The Council reviewed and approved several applications from higher education institutions, including:

- The American University's proposals to launch Bachelor of Science programmes in Information Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Software Engineering.
- Kingdom University's request to discontinue the Master of Sustainable Architecture programme hosted by the University of Florence in Italy.
- Kingdom University's proposal to sign a memorandum of understanding with King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia.
- Gulf University's request to sign a memorandum of understanding with the National Power Academy (NPA) in Saudi Arabia.
- Bahrain University of Technology's requests to sign memoranda of understanding with the University of Dubai (UAE) and Amity University (India).
- Bahrain Medical University's proposal to sign a cooperation agreement with the National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences in Taiwan.
- Medical University of Bahrain's request to reconstitute its Board of Trustees.
- University of Strathclyde - Bahrain's request to form an interim board of trustees headed by Khaled Al Hammadi and to appoint Professor Stephen McArthur as the university's president.
- Arab Open University's request to appoint Dr. Najma Ghuloom Redha Taqi as the university's president.

His Excellency the Minister of Education also briefed the Council on ongoing efforts by the Council and the Ministry of Education to combat forged qualifications and unrecognised educational institutions, noting that coordinated measures have been taken with the Public Prosecution.