Dubai: An international board has been established to enhance both quantity and quality of higher education in the emirate's free zones aiming to graduate over 50,000 students by the year 2015.
A new board, named the University Quality Assurance International Board (UQAIB), comprising academics from all over the world will be responsible for setting standards of international higher education. They will come from South Africa, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the United States and the United Kingdom.
UQAIB, established by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), will be responsible for licensing academic institutions and universities in Dubai free zones.
It will review all licensing applications and applications to renew licenses of Higher Education Providers in Dubai free zones, and make recommendations to the Director of Licensing.
"This supports Higher Education Providers by giving them a format by which the quality of what they offer is transparent and easily understood by the public," Dr Warren Fox, Executive Director of Higher Education in KHDA.
One major aim of the board will be to ensure that a degree earned from an international higher education establishment on a campus in Dubai is of the same value as that achieved in its country of origin.
The current student population of 22,000 with 5,000 graduates for this year in 25 academic institutions and universities in Dubai is predicted to grow to 200,000 students with 50,000 graduates by 2015 as a target to meet Dubai's strategic plan of 2015, said Dr Abdullah Al Karam, KHDA's Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General.
One of the board's important tasks will be to co-ordinate higher education with the needs of the workplace to produce the highest quality of young professionals in all walks of life.
The board will ensure that all international higher education institutions in Dubai's Free Zones are properly accredited in their home country, or conform to international and the emirate's standards.
By Siham Al Najami, Staff Reporter