AMMAN ------ September 12, 2011 ------------ The Arab Organization for Quality Assurance in Education (AROQA) and the Association of Arab Universities have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the aim of establishing relations of cooperation to upgrade educational programs.
The MoU was signed by the Association Secretary General, Dr. Sultan Abu Orabi Al-Odwan and HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, AROQA President.
The document sets a general framework for cooperation between the two parties in order to launch training courses in the areas of quality and accreditation, attract funding, organize courses, seminars, workshops, and to provide advice on academic quality as well.
In this regard, Dr. Al-Odwan said that the Memorandum comes within the framework of improving the quality of outputs of educational institutions in the Arab world by harnessing the available resources for the use of mechanisms and quality assurance standards in the various academic disciplines with the aim of examining and reviewing procedures related to institutional accreditation and the adoption of academic programs used at higher education institutions.
He added that the MoU is viewed as part of current efforts aimed at implementing the new vision of the Secretariat of the Association focused on upgrading and raising the level of academic programs for the advancement of scientific research.
In this context, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh said : "The Organization has contributed to the development of the quality of education in the region through strategic partnerships with international institutions, agencies and bodies specialized in quality assurance and accreditation, and we believe that our cooperation with the Association of Arab Universities represents an integration between our experience and the Association’s expertise , which will optimize and enhance the quality of education so as to keep pace with the rapid development witnessed by the education sector. "
Abu-Ghazaleh highlighted the support of the Arab Organization for Quality Assurance in Education and its keenness to cooperate with the Association of Arab universities to ensure quality education in Arab higher educational institutions, and to qualify them for accreditation at national, regional and international levels. He pointed out that the education sector has become the cornerstone for development and for building knowledge economy and that it has become extremely important and necessary to achieve quality education in this sector.
He added that it is about time we strengthen and reinforce efforts undertaken to upgrade education so as to invest and benefit from its outputs in building a civil society through restructuring partnership and cooperation for sustainable development in education and through stimulating creativity.
It is noteworthy to mention that the Arab Organization for Quality Assurance in Education was founded in 2007 as a non-profit organization in response to calls of Arab leaders at their Summit to develop the quality of education, advance and upgrade the quality of education in the Arab world through the provision of services relating to quality assurance, accreditation and improving the standard of education in addition to activities related to capacity building, experience sharing and awareness-raising of quality education features in the Arab region.
The Association of Arab Universities has (233) member Arab universities and its permanent headquarters is based in Amman. The Association has established a council for quality assurance and accreditation of Arab universities that aims to assist Arab universities to develop higher education and improve its quality through the dissemination of a quality culture and the provision of reference frameworks for higher educational institutions and programs .
Dr. Sultan Abu Orabi Al-Odwan, Secretary General of the Association of Arab Universities and HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh (middle) during the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Arab Organization for Quality Assurance in Education and the Association of Arab Universities.
A group photo of Dr. Sultan Abu Orabi Al-Odwan, Secretary General of the Association of Arab Universities, HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh and the participants of the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Arab Organization for Quality Assurance in Education and Association of Arab Universities