The Ministry of Higher Education recently approved distance learning, where students take courses via the Internet, as an accredited method of learning. E-learning, as it is also called, has established itself internationally.
Distance learning wasn’t always web-based; the concept emerged at the beginning of the past century with the introduction of correspondence courses. More recently, the International Council for Open and Distance Education was founded to serve as a global umbrella in online, flexible and blended learning, including electronic learning.
For many students, e-learning is a good alternative to attending university. The Kingdom’s first distance-education group of students graduated last year with an amazing outcome.
However, this developing movement in higher education wasn’t quite grasped by some of the public and private sectors. They rated distance education graduates as second-rate. The Ministry of Higher Education must issue an official decision stating that degrees given by universities of distance education are equal to degrees acquired from any university in the Kingdom.
The word “distance education” or “e-learning” must be removed from the certificate to comply with the demands and requests of traditional sectors. It’s an alternative solution to give those graduates job opportunities.
Members of the Supreme Council of Higher Education must exercise their authority in changing this understanding. I ask that all officials in charge of our higher education system help in removing any information related to the nature or type of education the graduate acquired from official papers. They must take serious decisions that stop the chaos of manipulating the qualifications of university graduates so they have their chances in the job market to prove their skills.
