HEC Secretary General: Three national universities in QS ranking

Manama, Oct. 12 (BNA): The Higher Education Council (HEC) organized a workshop in cooperation with QS University Rankings in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia on "toward more internationally ranked Bahraini higher education institutions". The workshop was held under the patronage of Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Daij Al Khalifa, Secretary-General of HEC and Vice-Chairman of its Board of Trustees, and in the presence of Ashion Jerome the Regional Director of QS University Rankings in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Administrators and academics from various local universities participated in the event. The workshop aimed at assessing the ability of higher education institutions to understand the standards and indicators of international classifications to compare them with the changing needs, Dr. Shaikha Rana said. When choosing a university, the student has become mainly dependent on the university’s ranking and reputation, and thus the rating affects the choice of the student who feels more confident when studying at a highly rated university, besides Academics and experts, who usually tend to work in such universities, which will add to their successful career, she added. Jerome praised the rapid development of higher education institutions in Bahrain, stressing that the universities are keeping pace with the development of technology, providing the appropriate educational environment for students, and integrating the student before graduation in the labor market. The universities included in the QS University Rankings are: Applied Sciences University (ASU) in the 561-570 classification, followed by Al Ahlia University (AU) in the 651-700 classification, and the University of Bahrain (UOB) in the 801-1000 classification.