JEDDAH, 6 July 2006 — King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU) and Sun Microsystems yesterday signed an initiative that will eventually lead to the development of a Sun Center of Excellence at the university. The agreement between KAAU and the software giant is aimed at providing high quality IT education.
When fully developed, the Center of Excellence (COE) will, as one of its main focuses, develop eGovernment applications based on the platform and technology developed by Sun.
“As one of the premier academic institutions in Saudi Arabia,” said KAAU Vice President Abdulrahman Al-Youbi. “We endeavor to equip our students with the best education so that they are equipped to face challenges in the workplace.”
Al-Youbi added that the IT department was working closely with Sun to ensure students were kept abreast with the latest global innovations.
Chris Cornelius, managing director of Sun Microsystems for the MENA region, said that by partnering institutions Sun was able to engage with local youths and develop their IT skills and eliminate the “digital divide”.
“Digital divide” describes the growing gap, or social exclusion, between those who have access to the new services of the information society and those who do not.
A number of reasons contribute to this: access to education or training, lack of money to buy the required equipment and lack of access because of the problems obtaining the required communications links or services to get online.
“Innovation and the rapid development of technology have cut down all communication barriers,” said Cornelius. “That has made it possible for people across the world to access, connect and enhance their skills over the Internet,” he added.
The initiative will enable students at KAAU to access a training program and get experience with state-of-the-art IT technologies through the Internet and develop competitive skills equal to those anywhere in the world. Over 130 programs are available through the COE scheme; many leading to internationally recognized certification.
To be a candidate for the COE scheme, an educational institution must be recognized as being advanced in its use of IT. Spin-offs from the association with Sun could lead to the COE attracting funding and being more attractive to other institutions offering business and education partnerships.
As a COE, the institution will participate in a web-based community of institutions doing work in similar areas.
The tie-up comes at an appropriate moment in the 30-year history of KAAU. There are 65,000 students — including 22,000 undertaking the distance learning programs — on the university roll. With the increasing reliance on knowledge-based industry and the need to develop a commercial infrastructure parallel to the oil industry, the need for competent and qualified IT graduates has never been greater.
“As one of the biggest markets in the Middle East,” said Al-Youbi, “the country has seen a steady increase for talent to serve the region’s growing IT sector.”
