Owing to greater support from the King for the advancement of women and the expansion of educational opportunities for all in the kingdom, in the past decade the number of private, non-profit colleges and universities in Saudi Arabia has increased rapidly.
Although segregated on the basis of gender, the provision of parallel facilities and services has resulted in improved enrolment for women in higher education institutions in the kingdom. Indeed, more females are enrolled in primary, secondary and tertiary levels than ever before and a truly noteworthy statistic is that women now outnumber men in higher education.
Beginning in 1999, 27 universities and colleges – three of which are exclusively for women – were launched in Saudi Arabia. Among the very first was Dar Al-Hekma, an excellent representative of a women-only college in Jeddah.
Dr Suhair Hassan Al-Qurashi, president of Dar Al-Hekma, takes pride in seeing an increasing number of young women matriculate every year: in 1999 there were just 120 students enrolled. Ten years later, there were 1,200 students enrolled. The president is also extremely pleased with the academic advancement the college has achieved.
“In 2008, we received international accreditation from the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), making us the first higher education institution in the kingdom to achieve institutional accreditation from a US accrediting body,” says Dr Al-Qurashi.
Yet DAH’s focus transcends academics; it also engages in a vigorous, multi-pronged approach to enhance the entire educational experience for its students.
“Our programmes include opportunities for student enrichment through curricular and extra-curricular activities, addressing the five dimensions of personal development: the intellectual, spiritual, social physical and self-development aspects,” explains Dr Al-Qurashi.
DAH’s accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. Besides strong partnerships and collaborations with universities from around the US and Europe, the students and faculty at the women’s college have been honoured by King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Princess Al-Jowhara bint Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim (wife of King Fahd) and US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. l
0 COMMENTS