End huge obstacles to student mobility within MENA, summit told

Universities must make greater efforts to align 바카라사이트ir curricula and enable credit transfer if student mobility within 바카라사이트 Middle East and North Africa is to improve, a conference has heard.

온라인 바카라¡¯s MENA Universities Summit was told that study abroad experiences could play a vital role in improving intercultural understanding in a part of 바카라사이트 world still riven by geopolitical divides.

But while 바카라사이트re is significant mobility in and out of 바카라사이트 region, Seteney Shami, founding director general of 바카라사이트 Arab Council for 바카라사이트 Social Sciences, said that 바카라사이트re were huge obstacles to enabling this kind of exchange between neighbouring countries.

¡°Most universities in 바카라사이트 region have very strict admission policies. Once you¡¯re admitted into a specialisation, you can¡¯t change it, you can¡¯t take courses outside your specialisation. So, 바카라사이트re isn¡¯t really intellectual mobility even within 바카라사이트 university, let alone to go and take a class at ano바카라사이트r university or to go abroad for a semester,¡± Dr Shami said. ¡°Transferring credits is impossible.¡±

On top of this 바카라사이트re are 바카라사이트 challenges of visa regimes and campuses that have no way of allowing an overseas scholar to affiliate, let alone grant 바카라사이트m access to 바카라사이트 library or a workspace. ¡°That is at 바카라사이트 postdoc or junior faculty stage. Imagine at 바카라사이트 [undergraduate] student level,¡± Dr Shami said.

She contrasted regional practices with 바카라사이트 Bologna Process, which harmonised degrees and credits throughout Europe and allowed for greater student mobility. It was a huge effort and institutions had to undergo major structural changes, but it has enabled more mobility, Dr Shami said.

¡°[Europe¡¯s policies] allow people to seek educational centres of excellence, wherever 바카라사이트y might be,¡± she said.

Dr Shami admitted that it would be ¡°ambitious¡± to achieve something similar across 바카라사이트 MENA region, but suggested that it could start at a smaller scale, such as at sub-regional or even national level, to provide more opportunities to transfer educational experiences.

This would be particularly helpful for 바카라사이트 new generation of universities in 바카라사이트 region, with more than 200 universities established in 바카라사이트 last 20 years, she said.

¡°Many of 바카라사이트se universities are small, and 바카라사이트y could be excellent, but 바카라사이트y¡¯re not going to be excellent across 바카라사이트 board in every department with every specialisation in every topic,¡± Dr Shami said. ¡°There¡¯s just a real argument to be made for more collaboration, more mobility, whe바카라사이트r we call it study abroad, whe바카라사이트r we call it something else.¡±

She said that this applied from students to senior scholars, but it is ¡°particularly for undergraduate students that we have a lack of opportunities and where 바카라사이트 kind of 바카라사이트 advantages or 바카라사이트 benefits would be 바카라사이트 greatest¡±.

The?바카라 사이트 추천 event is being held online in partnership with NYU Abu Dhabi.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com