Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Muscat: A move to introduce a uniform admission process among universities and centrrs of higher education in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will be a boon to students seeking to enroll in graduate courses.
Aiming to achieve 100 per cent literacy, the GCC countries have decided to implement a uniform admission process in universities and centres of higher education.
The common standards are being created to provide equal opportunities to GCC students who wish to enter universities and seats of higher education in the region, a statement by the GCC Secretariat says.
“This will ease the procedures for students who are looking for courses. Now, the application forms and procedures are different, not only for colleges in one country, but also varies among different countries. Uniform procedures will be a blessing for students in the GCC,” said Rita Samuel, marketing head at Caledonian College of Engineering.
“Now we see students struggling to complete the admission process,” she added.
Creating joint educational standards had first been discussed during a meeting of the committee of the directors and presidents of universities and higher education institutions at the GCC Secretariat General in March 1986.
Those at the meeting reviewed topics of special importance to the process of cooperation and integration among GCC states.
The topics included a resolution of the Supreme Council on public education and higher education, objectives, policies and development plans, priorities for the joint action for higher education, equal treatment of student in admissions, coordination of efforts in the field of research and promoting integration and students' joint activities and meetings.
Meanwhile, Adbuallah Al Saidi, an undergraduate student at one of the schools, welcomed the move, saying that unified admission procedures will not only save time, but also help students choose the best colleges to attend without suffering through many administrative difficulties.
