Latest news with #MinistryOfHigherEducation
Times of Oman
2 days ago
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Preference modification phase for new academic year registration, admission to begin tomorrow
Muscat: The preference modification phase for registration and admission for the 2025/2026 academic year will begin tomorrow 'Tuesday' and continue until Thursday 31 July. The results of the initial sorting will be announced on the evening of Tuesday, 19 August, while accepted students will have the opportunity to complete their procedures starting from Tuesday, 19 August until noon on Sunday 24 August. Ahmed Mohammed Al Azri, Director General of the Higher Education Admission Centre (HEAC) at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, stated that the number of available seats received from government higher education institutions, domestic scholarships, private sector grants for private higher education institutions, and external scholarships and grants from Arab countries for the 2025/2026 academic year has reached 29,252 seats. Of these, 16,884 seats are in various government higher education institutions, 607 are for external scholarships and grants, while the number of domestic scholarships and grants for study at private universities and colleges in the Sultanate of Oman stands at 11,761. He added that the preference modification phase is one of the most critical stages of registration, allowing students to finalize their program choices in the system for the initial sorting competition. He noted that the updates this year focus on two main aspects, namely admission procedures and academic programs. Regarding admission procedures, the center will launch this year a self-funded admission system, regulating student admissions at Sultan Qaboos University on a self-financed basis, in addition to educational specialization programs at private higher education institutions within Oman (Sohar University, Nizwa University, Dhofar University, and the University of Al Sharqiyah). The center has issued a student guide detailing all information related to this system, coinciding with the preference modification phase. Registration under this system will open after the initial sorting. Additionally, he noted that updates to the Unified Admission System include the launch of a complaint submission service on the Unified Government Services Portal, reinforcing government efforts to facilitate access to e-services and streamline transactions through a single platform. As for academic program updates, he pointed out that higher education institutions (scholarship providers) have aligned programs with labour market demands. New domestic scholarship programs for bachelor's degrees include Emergency Medical Services Science, Environmental Management and Practices, and Human Medicine at Dhofar University. Domestic scholarships have also been introduced for students with learning difficulties to study at private higher education institutions. Al Azri further added that new external scholarships have been introduced for specializations overseen by the External Scholarships Department at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, such as Healthcare, Health Planning, Health Risk Management, Therapeutic Nutrition, Law, and Actuarial Studies. He said that the ministry, represented by the Domestic Scholarships Department, has also directed scholarships toward high-demand specializations in the labour market, including Process Engineering, Production Operations, Occupational Health and Safety, Welding, Mining, Renewable Energy, Quality Control Management, Tourism and Hospitality Management, and Legal Assistant Studies. Additionally, new professional diploma scholarships for Air Transport Pilot Licenses have been introduced at the Oman Aviation Academy. He noted that government higher education institutions have expanded their programs and specializations. The Military Technological College has increased its capacity this year, opening admissions for female students alongside males in various engineering disciplines (bearing in mind that these are not coupled with employment). The University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS) has added a new engineering specialization at its branch in Musandam Governorate. The university has also introduced a an advantage for social security family students, allowing them to apply without allocated seats in engineering programs; upon acceptance, they may choose the nearest branch of the university to their residence. He explained that the Higher Education Admission Centre had earlier announced the trial sorting results this month, noting some common errors among applicants. Al Azri emphasized that students can avoid these issues, which negatively impact their admission chances—particularly high-achieving students. The trial sorting results showed that 1,936 students with an 80% grade or higher did not receive a preliminary program offer. 76% of them had listed too few preferences, focusing on highly competitive, limited specializations. Additionally, 247 students with a 90% grade or higher did not receive a preliminary offer, with 84% of them listing fewer than 30 preferences. This highlights the need for students to include more program options and diversify their choices across institutions and disciplines. In conclusion, Al Azri urged students to maximize their program selections (meeting admission requirements) and prioritize them by preference to enhance their chances of securing a seat. He also stressed the importance of diversifying choices across institutions and specializations and encouraged following the center's website for updates on registration and admission stages.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
A-G Report: UKM awarded over RM66m tenders to unqualified firms, broke procurement rules
KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — Three out of the seven procurement tenders by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) totalling RM66.64 million were found to not comply with the stipulated procurement procedures, according to the Auditor-General's Report (LKAN) 2/2025 tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today. The report revealed that the UKM Tender Procurement Committee had selected companies that were not recommended by the Technical Evaluation Committee, Financial Evaluation Committee and Pre-Tender Committee. 'There were serious irregularities and weaknesses in the tender procurement process and procurement management governance at UKM. The Tender Procurement Committee's decisions were made collectively by all members. 'This includes the Pre-Tender Committee, which endorsed a company that had failed at the Tender Evaluation Committee level for the project involving the upgrading and replacement of 16 elevator units,' it added. The report also stated that the Vice-Chancellor, as the Procurement Committee chairman, is responsible for ensuring the university's operations and procurement governance are carried out properly, in line with subsection 12(3) of the UKM Constitution and the principle of duty of care. According to the report, UKM also failed to appoint a representative from the Ministry of Finance (MoF) as a member of the Procurement Committee, while the appointed representative from the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT) did not attend meetings regarding the three tenders. Among the non-compliances identified were the selection of a supplier for Linear Accelerator (LINAC) equipment that did not meet integration specifications with the existing system (ARIA), and taking a company that had failed at the technical level for food catering services to the final tender stage. The report also revealed that a tender was awarded to a company listed as an ailing project for elevator replacement works, in addition to disregarding the recommendations of three key evaluation committees. This decision resulted in the tender being awarded to a company not capable of fulfilling the contract within the stipulated period. As an improvement measure, the National Audit Department recommended that UKM revise its procurement guidelines to align with Treasury Circulars and ensure strict monitoring of LINAC equipment supply and elevator replacement works at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM) so that the work schedule is adhered to. 'In addition, disciplinary action is also recommended against officers and committee members involved, subject to the decision of the KPT's Internal Investigation Committee,' it added. — Bernama
Times of Oman
2 days ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
Sixth phase of National Programme "Eidaad" launched in Oman
Muscat : The Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation, in cooperation with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), today launched the sixth phase of the National Program for Training University Students, titled "Eidaad" (Eidaad), under the patronage of Her Excellency Dr. Rahma bint Ibrahim Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation, at the Arab Open University in Seeb. The "Eidaad" program is a national training program that extends over a full academic year and targets students in their penultimate year at public and private higher education institutions in the Sultanate of Oman. It aims to provide students with basic skills by exposing them to the work environment and its requirements for a sufficient period of time. This program is part of efforts to enhance cooperation between the industrial and academic sectors by providing participants with the technical expertise, knowledge, and skills necessary to meet the requirements of the labor market. This edition of the program is being attended by 28 higher education institutions (both public and private), along with 41 sponsoring companies and institutions from the industrial and private sectors. The number of graduates from the program since its first edition in 2020 has exceeded 1,000 students. The ceremony included the announcement of the creation of an advanced career path mapping unit, which aims to provide students and academic advisors with a more comprehensive view of academic specialisations and related jobs, helping them make informed career decisions. A detailed visual presentation was also given on the program's components. 12 cooperation agreements/protocols were also signed between the industrial, private, and academic sectors. These agreements were signed on behalf of the Ministry by Her Excellency Dr. Rahma bint Ibrahim Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation, and on behalf of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), by Farid bin Khalfan Al Harthy, Executive Director of Corporate Support at the company, and on behalf of the industrial and private sector institutions by several representatives. It's worth noting that the primary objectives of the "Eidaad" program are to strengthen the link between the three sectors: academics, represented by public and private higher education institutions, and industry in the Sultanate of Oman, and to provide systematic training opportunities for higher education students, with the goal of creating meaningful employment opportunities in the labor market after graduation.
Zawya
14-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Jordan: Cabinet approves draft bylaw for Scientific Research Fund
AMMAN — The Cabinet, during a session chaired by Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, on Sunday approved the validating reasons for the draft bylaw of the Scientific Research and Innovation Support Fund for 2025, to be submitted to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau for the required legal procedures. The draft bylaw aligns with the government's ongoing public sector modernisation agenda and fulfils provisions stipulated in the recently enacted amended Law No. 6 of 2025 on the Restructuring of Government Institutions and Departments, according to a Prime Ministry statement. In line with Article 7 of the bylaw, the Scientific Research and Innovation Support Fund, previously affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, will be transferred to the Higher Council for Science and Technology, along with all its rights and assets, with the Council considered the legal and actual successor to the fund. The Cabinet also approved an amendment to the 2025 Building and Zoning Bylaw for the city of Amman. The amendment allows for reduced fees on unpaid charges for buildings constructed in 2025, including fines outlined in Paragraph (B) of Article 72 of the bylaw. The move aims to ease financial burdens on property owners and promote fairness and equity in the application of zoning regulations, the statement said. The Council of Ministers also endorsed the application of the 2017 Electronic Vehicle Tracking and Usage Monitoring Bylaw to vehicles operated by the Ministry of Agriculture for transporting untreated organic fertiliser. The decision seeks to safeguard public health and protect the environment by ensuring best practices are followed in the transport of untreated organic material, minimising associated risks and potential harm, the statement read. © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LaSalle College fined $30M for over-enrolling students in English-language programs
Montreal's LaSalle College says it's facing an existential threat after it was handed down back-to-back fines totalling almost $30 million from the Quebec government for enrolling too many students in its English-language programs. The private college received a letter from the Ministry of Higher Education at the end of June saying it owed $21,113,864 for enrolling 1,066 students over its quota for the 2024-25 academic year. That amount is added to the $8.7-million fine it was handed down last year for the same infraction. "The first question that came to my mind is which organization or family business can afford to pay such a fine," said the college's president and CEO, Claude Marchand. Leading up to the introduction of the quotas in 2023, he said he had pleaded with the government to no avail to give colleges a grace period, as it had done for businesses adjusting to Law 14, also known as Bill 96, Quebec's law to protect the French language. LaSalle College received its first quota in late February 2023, which was to be enforced in the fall of that same year. But by that point, the college's enrolment process for international students was well underway. "So, we were already doomed when we got that number," said Marchand. That year, it surpassed the quota by 716 students. LaSalle College ran into the same issue the following year. Meeting the quota would have meant breaking the college's contracts with some students who had enrolled before the quotas were ever introduced and cutting short their academic careers at the school, which LaSalle wasn't willing to do, said Marchand. "Now we're fully compliant in fall 2025, but it took us those two years to be fully compliant," said Marchand. "We're not challenging the law per se. We are challenging the penalty that is the outcome of the law." Colleges faced reduced fines at first to help them adjust, says government The fine per student enrolled over the quota increased from last year. A spokesperson for Pascale Déry, Quebec's minister of higher education, says the reduced fine rate in the first year was the transitory measure. "Despite close support and several warnings, it is important to point out that LaSalle is the only subsidized private college to continue to defy the Charter of the French Language and to not respect the law," said the minister's office in a statement. In a post to X, Jean-François Roberge, the minister responsible for the French language, said Quebec's move to cap enrolment into programs taught in English was "brave, but necessary." For his part, Marchand says that negotiating and getting any indication of flexibility from Déry has been complicated. LaSalle was the only college, private or otherwise, to be fined by the government for contravening the quota in 2024 as can be seen in Quebec's budgetary and financial regimes for that year. Other colleges were able to negotiate their quotas, like the public Cégep Marie-Victorin, which was initially allotted 232 spots in its Attestation of College Studies (AEC in French) programs for the fall 2023. That number rose to 332, according to a government document from October that year, released through an access to information request. LaSalle is contesting both fines in a civil suit at Quebec's Superior Court, claiming, among other things, that the government's quotas were unreasonable to begin with. That's partially because, as the suit says, the quotas are inferior to the number of international students enrolling into an English program the college is allowed to accept — a number the government itself sets. The government says its fines are meant to recover the amount of overpaid subsidies. But the government doesn't subsidize international students at LaSalle, the suit goes on to explain, and the particular quota the school didn't meet is at the AEC level where there are a lot of international students. Marchand calls the fines a "clawback" saying the government is also fining it twice for the same student over the last two years. "We don't have more students in those [English-taught] programs than in 2019 which is the ultimate spirit of the law. We're fully compliant for next semester and we have a public mission to serve all [our] 5,000 students and we want to keep going."
