AMMAN — Amidst recent developments, the Director of the
Unified Admission Coordination Unit and Spokesperson for the
Ministry of Higher Education, Dr. Muhannad Al-Khatib, expressed the ministry's respect for the
decision made by Kuwaiti authorities to temporarily suspend
university scholarships to Jordan for the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year.
اضافة اعلان
Khatib clarified that the scholarships being suspended are
funded by the
Kuwaiti government. However, he reassured that this decision does
not impact the recognition and accreditation of Jordanian institutions and
their certificates, AmmanNet reported.
Students who are willing to study at their own expense can
still proceed with their plans. Notably, Jordan currently hosts over 42,000
Arab and foreign students from 109 different countries, highlighting the
country's appeal as an
educational destination.
Circulating rumors are from social media platforms, not
official channels
The
Ministry of Higher Education is keen to engage in
diplomatic channels with the Kuwaiti side to gain a better understanding of the
reasons behind this decision. He emphasized that the circulating rumors about
the motives are derived from social media platforms and not official channels.
Suspension inclusions and exclusions
On the other hand, in an official statement, the Acting
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education in Kuwait,
Lamia Al-Mulhim,
announced that the temporary suspension of scholarships for the 2023-2024
academic year is based on adopted procedures and recommendations aimed at
ensuring the highest quality of education in Kuwait. The suspension includes
both direct scholarships and scholarships for children of diplomats in medical
disciplines such as human medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and pharmaceuticals in
both Jordan and Egypt. The decision was issued through Decision No. (183) on
June 5.
Mulhim further revealed that the number of students affected
by this suspension has surpassed 5,000, encompassing those sponsored by the
Kuwaiti Ministry of Higher Education in Jordan and Egypt, as well as
self-funded students.
Specifically, there are currently 2,944 students (in human medicine,
dentistry, and pharmacy only) in Egypt and 2,319 students (in human medicine,
dentistry, and pharmacy only) in Jordan.
Regarding the Ministry of Higher Education's perspective,
Mulhim emphasized that students who were already enrolled at their own expense
prior to the decision can be included in the ministry's scholarships if they
meet the specified program's conditions outlined in the scholarship
regulations. It should be noted that the enrollment of students in these
countries has not been suspended, but rather the scholarships have been halted
to redirect the state's financial resources towards quality educational
opportunities that enrich the local job market.
Concerns from “Dhabahtouna” campaign
The decision to suspend Kuwaiti scholarships to Jordanian
medical colleges has triggered concerns, leading to the "Dhabahtouna"
campaign by the national campaign for students' rights. The campaign staged a
protest in front of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Higher Education, urging the
government to reconsider its decision. The decision followed multiple visits by
specialized delegations to Jordanian universities in recent months. These
delegations conducted comprehensive studies to evaluate the quality of education
and made recommendations based on their findings during a meeting held at the
end of May.
The "Dhabahtouna" campaign firmly believes that
regardless of the motives behind the decision, it warrants being halted, and
sincere efforts should be made to thoroughly investigate the declared reasons.
The campaign highlighted the inconsistency and randomness characterizing the
admission policy in medical colleges over the past five years. These flaws have
led to an unprecedented overcrowding of accepted students, surpassing the
capacity of these colleges.
Posing a threat to the quality of higher education
Moreover, the campaign emphasized that the situation has
been exacerbated by the opening of medical colleges without adequate scrutiny,
posing a threat to the quality of higher education and its outcomes.
If the Kuwaiti government remains steadfast in its decision,
the campaign warns some of the public universities might use this decision as
an excuse to raise fees for competitive and parallel programs under the pretext
of compensating.
The campaign called on the Ministry of Higher Education to
establish a committee to study the current situation of medical colleges in
public universities and develop a clear plan and strategy to enhance these
colleges and restore their prestige.
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