Calicut University making forays into Gulf
ABDUL LATHEEF NAHA
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Calicut University is planning to promote affiliated colleges and courses in the Gulf countries in a significant move to open up educational access to expatriate students at an `affordable cost.'
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NEW DESTINATIONS: Calicut University Vice-Chancellor Syed Iqbal Hasnain holding discussions with UAE Education Minister Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan in Dubai.
Calicut University is in the forefront of Indian institutions that have started in earnest to compete with their foreign counterparts to attract students in the Gulf region. After offering study centres and extending its distance education programmes, the university has now offered affiliation and courses to colleges in the Gulf. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be the first Gulf country to get an affiliation from the university.
Back from a short Gulf trip, Calicut University Vice-Chancellor Syed Iqbal Hasnain looked enthused about extending the university's jurisdiction to the UAE. A beaming Dr. Hasnain told The Hindu-EducationPlus that Calicut University would soon start a nursing course in UAE's Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT).
Amendment needed
It is understood that the State Government has given its green signal for an amendment to the University Act in order to facilitate the university, which has the largest number of affiliated institutions in Kerala, to expand its wings further. The university currently has affiliated colleges in Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur and Palakkad districts.
For it, starting affiliated colleges and courses in the Gulf may mean "providing quality education at an affordable cost" and also "strengthening the historical links between Malabar and the UAE." For those in the Gulf, particularly the expatriate Malayali community, the university move means much more.
At present, expatriate students after Plus-two are forced to leave the Gulf either for Kerala or other Indian States seeking quality education at the graduate level. The university's move is expected to check this student exodus from the Gulf to a good extent.
The number of Malayali students opting for courses in nursing has been on the rise, especially after the recent spurt in demand for nurses in the western countries. The demand for nurses in the Gulf countries too has been high. By offering nursing courses in major institutions, such as HCT, the university has made a solid move to endear itself to not only the Malayali community in the Gulf but also the Arabian nationals.
According to Dr. Hasnain, the university is attempting to give back what the Gulf has given to the Malayali community. The poor in the Gulf will benefit hugely from the move.
Educational entrepreneurs among the NRKs too stand to benefit from the university's move to start affiliated colleges in the Gulf. They will be able to start colleges in the Gulf as they do in Kerala.
Some NRKs entrepreneurs have already held talks with the university authorities. Apart from nursing, courses in fashion designing, multimedia and hospitality are also being promoted in the Gulf. The university will also consider exchange programmes for teachers and students from the Gulf.
First college at Ajman
Dr. Hasnain said the first affiliated college would be at Ajman. Doha is likely to be the next destination.
HCT Vice-Chancellor Tayeb A. Kamali will visit Calicut University after Ramadan to learn more about its courses and facilities.
Calicut University's move has come at a time when the western universities have been campaigning vigorously to capture the Gulf's educational market. Last week, a delegation from 25 American universities was in the UAE, trying to change the post-9/11 fears and perception. Among them were the representatives of George Washington University, Hartford University, Northern Iowa University and Creighton University.
Meanwhile, Calicut University has decided to award an honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) degree to UAE Education Minister Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan. He will become the first foreigner to get such a degree from the university.
The decision to honour the UAE Minister was taken at a meeting of the Syndicate on September 28. The degree will be awarded at a special convocation after Ramadan.
The university has selected Mr. Nahyan for its highest honour considering his contributions to the development of education, particularly higher education, in the UAE. Mr. Nahyan was instrumental in bring about a revolution in the oil nation's educational sector by setting up six universities.
Calicut University has awarded honorary D.Litt. degrees to several Indian personalities who have excelled in different fields. Among them were the writers M.T. Vasudevan Nair, N.V. Krishna Warrier and Vaikom Mohammed Basheer, the jurist V.R. Krishna Iyer, the academic Arun Nigavekar and the artist M.F. Husain.
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