Hurray for post-secondary education reform!!

I’ve always felt bad for anyone that has the misfortune of being the Minister of Education (MoE). Not only must he carry the burden of ensuring that kids receive a proper education, which is a huge responsibility, but he must also attend the very boring and redundant graduation ceremonies of numerous post-secondary institutions (I can count 13 off the top of my head). Frankly, I think that it is improper for a gentlemen of that standing to have to waste his evening with something like this after putting up long hours at work, all while having to put on a stiff smile while handing degrees to kids in funny hats and loud make-up.

If you think that’s bad, imagine how awful it must be for Dr. Majid al-Nuaimi to sort out the post-secondary education mess. Since Bahrain decided to allow the creation of private universities not too long ago, they have mushroomed all across the country. Some in Manama, and some in Saar. Some built actual campuses, while some are on top of Jasmi’s! The situation was bound for disaster, since they all set-up shop without proper regulation or scrutiny. The integrity of education in Bahrain was in jeopardy, and the authorities recognized that.

Finally today, the Quality Assurance Authority for Education and Training (QAAET) released an evaluation Bahrain’s education system that showed that most post-secondary institutions performed poorly. The review used a four level evaluation, in the descending order of “outstanding”, “good”, “satisfactory”, and “poor”. None of the institutions received the highest score, while only three rated as “good”. The Higher-Education Council, headed by MoE Dr. al-Nuaimi decided to issue a series of warnings to these institutions and suspend several programs that do not satisfy its requirements. I applaud Dr. al-Nuaimi for that, but that is not adequate.

Education is not a business, and these universities behave like for-profit money grabbers. The MoE must recognize that first. Second, suspending a few programs within substandard universities won’t encourage others to outperform them. Maybe if they shut down one or two sloppy unis, those running the show will realize the importance of what is at stake. The education of Bahrain’s youth will ensure our future growth and prosperity. Let us not fill this country with inferior and second-rate degree holders, ladies & gentlemen!

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=254365