UAE University to undergo official inspections

ABU DHABI // The country’s oldest university is preparing for its first official inspection by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

UAE University, a federal facility founded in 1976, had been exempt from inspections by the ministry’s Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA).

The inspections mean all federal universities will be expected to be on a par with the 70-plus private institutions that are regulated by the commission.

“It’s a good thing that all the institutions will be on the same page and subject to review, no exemptions for the federal institutions,” said Dr Mohamed Albaili, provost of UAE University since September.

“We all benefit from this – students, parents, us, our stakeholders.

“It’s an added value to the institution. You will be given more Government funding for research and more credibility from this process.”

The university is also applying for US accreditation, which Zayed University already has.

Dr Albaili said the CAA inspection, with its international team, was good preparation for its application to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.(WASC)

“You learn a lot from the accreditors and it will be interesting to hear the feedback,” he said.

UAE University’s new chancellor, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak, Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research, has plotted out a long-term strategy for the institution and its departments to ensure expectations are clear. The CAA review is just one part of this.

“It’s like having a GPS for us and it’s very helpful and practical,” Dr Albaili said. “It keeps you focused on the specific tasks.”

Dr Abdulmajeed Ameen, assistant dean of the college of medical science, said the CAA inspections would help the university prepare for the US accreditation, which takes eight years.

“With every inspection, there is something to learn, something to improve,” he said. “But we don’t want people to think this means we are not already accredited with the CAA. All our programmes are accredited.”

He described the international accreditation process as more like “rubber stamping”.

“Any revision that comes keeps you on your toes,” Dr Ameen said, although many of the academics feel burdened by the extra work this kind of international inspection requires.

“It helps you to know where you sit in terms of international standards,” he said.

Dr Ameen agreed that WASC accreditation would aid in garnering financial support when asking for research grants, more so than the CAA inspections.

“It may influence the decision-makers as they see it as a measure of international quality,” he said.

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