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Big boost for Dubai graduates

Students graduating from free zone universities in Dubai this year will be the first to receive degrees validated by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) as the education regulator sent out the first batch of ‘certified’ degrees.

The ‘certified’ degrees are issued in line with Decree 21 of 2011 issued by the Dubai Executive Council, which mandates public and private sector companies in Dubai to accept degrees issued by higher education providers in Dubai’s free zones.

“This is a landmark step for students, universities and the KHDA. It is a huge boost to students that their degrees are recognised by all public and private sector entities in Dubai, and a sign that the quality of private higher education on offer in Dubai is indeed world-class,” said Wessen Rawazik, Director of Higher Education of Regulations and Compliance commission (RCC) at KHDA.

Once certified in English and Arabic, each degree will have a stamp and a QR tag, which will link student details to a central database containing academic information. The decree was implemented with an objective to help students graduating from free zone universities in Dubai to secure employment in the emirate without hassles.

It is mandatory for universities to get new degrees earned from the 2012 academic year to be verified and certified by the KHDA before being awarded to students. The KHDA has also requested past graduates to submit their degrees for certification as and when needed, as they need to be submitted by universities on behalf of students.

The first degrees to be certified came from Heriot-Watt University, which submitted 15 certificates. A further seven institutions have also presented their students’ qualifications for certification. “Currently we have over 6,500 students registered in our database for certification,” added Wessen.

The certification is charged at Dh200 per stamp. In most cases students are charged by their institution or the cost is accounted in the tuition fees.

Private universities in Dubai are accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, while international branch campuses in free zones, if not federally accredited have their quality assured by the KHDA.

According to the latest ‘Higher Education Landscape’ report, student numbers in Dubai recorded a growth of 10 per cent in 2011. Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Knowledge Village together have 30 higher education providers offering hundreds of courses and study programmes.

muaz@khaleejtimes.com

How it Works

For the KHDA to certify degrees, higher education providers must submit their graduates’ details, including a letter confirming that students have graduated with a degree issued by the institution’s home campus, to be uploaded onto the KHDA database.

Once this data has been received, they must submit further supporting documentation, such as official transcripts, certification requests from students and identification papers. The KHDA will then certify the degree and inform the education provider when it is ready for collection.