JEDDAH: The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) is currently investigating a complaint from a student who is accusing a private academy in Jeddah of withholding his certificates and preventing him from continuing his studies at another school.
It is understood that he only found out his studies were not accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education after he joined the academy, prompting his decision to leave. He had already paid his registration fee and attended over three weeks of classes. He claimed the academy had refused to return his educational certificates and other documents unless he paid the course fees in full.
The academy’s president admitted to Arab News that it had not received any accreditation from the ministry until now.
“We expect to be accredited within a few days. It is true that the institution did not fulfill some of the conditions laid down by the Ministry of Higher Education at the beginning of the program. But we fulfilled them two weeks ago,” he said. “Since the student attended classes for over three weeks, he should pay the fees. But he refuses to do it. We have also discussed the matter with his guardian. You know that we run the institution using the fees we receive from students. So students should pay their fees as per the academy’s regulations. He is not a poor student who needs a fee concession.”
NSHR will study the issue and send a report to the Ministry of Higher Education and other related departments for further action.
Meanwhile, the Undersecretary for Public Relations at the Ministry of Higher Education Muhammad Al-Hizan told Arab News that the ministry’s website supplies detailed information about the accredited universities and higher institutes of learning, both in the Kingdom and abroad, as well as whether the courses they teach are an adequate replacement for Saudi degrees.
The list also includes those institutions recommended for accreditation, he said. He added that there are strict rules and standards for accrediting an education institution. “Its specifications are not limited to the curricula alone but also take into consideration the learning environment, including the teachers and other facilities available,” he said.
