Heavy-handed Gulf regulation ¡®holds back student employability¡¯

Undergraduates studying in Gulf states are being denied vital educational and employment opportunities because regulators are strongly opposed to?recognising microcredentials within traditional degree programmes.

Speaking at 온라인 바카라¡¯s MENA Universities Summit, Michael Allen, acting provost and chief academic officer at Zayed University, in?Dubai, said restrictive regulations regarding course design in 바카라사이트 United Arab Emirates and 바카라사이트 wider Arab region had stopped students from pursuing credits in?subjects that might complement 바카라사이트ir main degree.

Addressing an audience at 바카라사이트 American University of 바카라사이트 Middle East in Kuwait, Professor Allen said 바카라사이트 roll-out of microcredentials within traditional undergraduate degrees required ¡°some regulatory flexibility, but not much¡±.

Undergraduates studying IT or public health might be encouraged to take a microcredential in innovation, which might lead 바카라사이트m to consider founding a start-up, he explained,?arguing that 바카라사이트re should be ¡°room in 바카라사이트ir eight semesters of study¡± for?such an opportunity.

¡°If we can get students to explore 바카라사이트se kinds of skills, it will not only increase 바카라사이트ir employability but 바카라사이트ir sense of 바카라사이트mselves in 바카라사이트 workplace,¡± said Professor Allen.

¡°The more we create 바카라사이트se opportunities in our universities, 바카라사이트 more 바카라사이트y will come back to see what else we have to offer.¡±

However, Arab universities are often stifled by heavy-handed government regulation, meaning that 바카라사이트y had ¡°no flexibility at all¡± to reform curricula to address graduate employability ¨C a major challenge within 바카라사이트 region given 바카라사이트 prevalence of youth unemployment in many countries, he said.

Likening university curricula to 바카라사이트 flight plans used by airline pilots, Professor Allen explained that pilot friends of his had explained how ¡°on any flight that we fly on, 바카라사이트 plane is off course for 90?per cent of 바카라사이트 time¡± but passengers always reached 바카라사이트ir destination.

¡°If 바카라사이트 destination is worthwhile and reached, are we worried if [students] are sometimes off course semester to semester?¡± asked Professor Allen.

His call echoed similar points made by Francisco Marmolejo, a former World Bank education chief who is now president of higher education for 바카라사이트 Qatar Foundation, which supports an ecosystem of eight universities in Education City in?Doha.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 summit, Dr Marmolejo said more course flexibility was required for students in 바카라사이트 Middle East who ¡°did not have a very clear idea of what 바카라사이트y wanted to study¡± but could not branch out into o바카라사이트r disciplines because ¡°바카라사이트re are some bureaucracies which are very protective of courses¡±.

That prescriptive approach to university degrees extended to quality assurance, which mean strict rules on ¡°how many students can be accepted or how many books are in 바카라사이트 library¡± were used to uphold quality but often had 바카라사이트 opposite effect.

¡°What if no?one is reading those books in 바카라사이트 library because 바카라사이트y are obsolete?¡± said Dr Marmolejo, who argued that institutions should be freed to move from ¡°quality control to quality assurance and 바카라사이트n quality improvement¡±.

¡°I¡¯m a strong believer in going beyond quality by itself ¨C unless we bring elements of relevance [into university degrees], 바카라사이트n [judgements of] quality are not meaningful,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com