Khabar Khair (Only Good News) – Fatima Rashad

     Private universities in Yemen stand between investing in higher education and its outputs and facing charges that “they do not meet academic standards.” However, they confirm their concern on providing business outcomes with the specifications required in the labor market, through theoretical educational curricula and practical application that meets market requirements.

     Ali Ahmed (graduated from a private university) says: “My high school average was not suitable to join a government college, so some friends suggested to apply to a private university that accepted me, and I found the major I wanted with my average, which did not qualify me to get a seat in the university. Government College”.

    While Ali’s average did not qualify him to enter a government college, we find Mahoub Al-Nasiri himself choosing to join a private university, although his average helps him to join a government college and save the cost of the fees, but in the sense that the loss would be the same if he studied at a government university that is several kilometers away from his house. The National University near it.

     Day by day, the need to establish private universities is increasing to meet the requirements of the labor market, which has become focused on outcomes, and does not give much attention to where the student studied or whether he is a graduate of a govenment or private university.

     Omar Abdulaziz (an employee of an employment agency) says to “Khabar Khair (Only Good News)”: “When we advertise a post, we focus on the major. Will it meet the purpose of obtaining the advertised post or not, because most employers have certain conditions for employment, and the employee is chosen according to the required conditions”.

    From the University of Science and Technology, which is one of the leading universities and ranked first among Yemeni private universities, we met Dr. Munir Al-Abadi (Vice-Chancellor of the University of Science and Technology in Aden Governorate), who told “Khabar Khair (Only Good News)”: “We have 16 programs at the University of Science and Technology, All of them are qualitative programs for the needs and requirements of the labor market, and our university is distinguished from other universities in that it does not imitate government universities, but rather chooses the majors through which the student gets the job in which he can serve himself and his community.”

    Munir Al-Abadi continues, saying: “We adhere to the academic and administrative standards represented in the selection of the teaching staff. There is a specialized selection committee. We also strive to change curriculum and syllabus every five years and update them by selecting some international and regional universities, to benefit from their experience in university education. “.

     accommodating students in private universities reduces the burden on government universities, as the role of private universities is no less important, as they provide an educational service contrary to what people say that the goal is investment. It also provides students with useful knowledge and the right way to create a capable mindful generation that will develop and improve Yemen.

    However, there are problems facing the Ministry of Higher Education because of private universities. According to what higher education undersecretary. Khaled Basalim said: There are 50 private universities throughout the Republic of Yemen, of which 28 have met the requirements and their data were submitted to the Ministry of Higher Education, and some of them did not meet the requirements and have reached 22 universities and they are doing their job without paying it any attention.

    He added, “We in the ministry are trying to follow up on any violation of university licenses and know their orientation. If we find any violation, we will immediately suspend it.”

     Higher education is the future of Yemen, its development and construction, so the student must choose the best college from which he will graduate.

    Dr.. Zohour Nagy (a teacher at a private university), says: “When our students choose their majors, they must be chosen well, because this will affect their work performance after graduation. As for the ones who choose to study in private universities, this is a personal freedom that we have no control over, especially that There are students whose parents can afford large amount of money for their education. The private universities are distinguished by their manifest interest in the issue of practical application before theory.”

    Fares Shehab (media student at the Faculty of Arts, University of Aden) prefers private university over government university, and the reasons are due, he says, to “the interest in the practical and theoretical aspect in private universities, by providing well-equipped laboratories to serve the student, especially medical students, and this is what the student is looking for.” Rehearsal and application in addition to theoretical study, and we in our government university – media – do not find a studio equipped for students of the media college to apply their work in it, our departments in government universities lack many things, so we graduate while we are ignorant of the practical application process, therefore every major must be attached to Practical application, and this is what we do not find in government universities.

    Dr. Abd al-Salam bin Habtoor (Rector of the National University Branch in Aden Governorate) told ” Khabar Khair (Only Good News)“: “One of our goals that we seek to achieve is to link our educational outputs with the requirements of development programs to meet the needs of the labor market through qualification programs and scientific research in various fields, as well as support The national economy by contributing to limiting the process of sending students abroad and providing distinguished university educational opportunities for those who did not have the opportunity to enroll in government universities.”

    Habtoor continues: “The university is distinguished by providing modern curricula that copes with scientific advancement and meet the requirements of the labor market, as well as open education and distance education in a in a range of majors with modern technology consistent with academic development.”

    A society cannot rise unless the quality of education improves, and this requires a change and diversity in the curricula and the teaching plan, and making these curricula keep pace with the times and meet the requirements of the labor market.

   Al-Rowad University in the governorate of Taiz was able to find a place among the universities in Yemen and have a special presence and dedication by what it offers.

     Dr. Yahya Al-Gharbani says to ” Khabar Khair (Only Good News)“: “The university is one of the branches of the Lebanese International University, and it is the first international university in Yemen since its inauguration in 2006 AD until today. The university has a global system for teaching, which is the academic hours system, and it is the only university in Yemen that teaches with this system. The university also has a system that enables the university to manage the university academically and administratively. This system is one of the systems in force in the most prestigious international universities, and what distinguishes this system is that the student can register online and download materials while he is at home, and the father of the student can obtain his son’s grades while he is at home, and at the same time he can know the extent of his son’s commitment to attendance or his frequent absence through the same system.

    Al-Gharbani continues: “The university has four faculties: the Faculty of Clinical Pharmacy, and the Lebanese International University is the first university in Yemen to teach clinical pharmacy, and this program is one of the best advanced programs in clinical pharmacy, Dr. Including a specialization in graphic design and interior design, and the university is the first university to teach these two majors and a nutrition major , and the university is the first university to study this major, and the College of Engineering in all its majors.

    In order to improve education outcomes and integrate students into the labor market, a number of calls and solutions were presented by the Deanship of private universities, professors, and some academics and students, through “Khabar Khair (Only Good News),” and these calls were summarized as follows:

Holding scientific courses and workshops for the purpose of developing curricula and linking them to the labor market.

Developing scientific research and encouraging local education.

– Permanent control over the outputs of universities, whether governmental or private, and the establishment of a permanent partnership – if possible – between private and governmental universities so that if there is a deficit in government universities such as providing laboratories for application , private universities must accommodate some students of public universities, so there will be a partnership in the educational process without duress, to accommodate some of the government  university’s students for practical application in their laboratories.

-Qualifying the academic staff and keeping abreast of developments to serve the educational process.

-Providing opportunities for scientific research submitted and taking courses and curricula out of them if they are worthy of being in the framework of teaching.

-The importance of renewing the curriculum every five years; to keep pace with the continuous changes in higher education.