JEDDAH, 13 August 2006 — Long-distance correspondence courses offering students bachelor, master and even doctorate degrees have been popular in foreign countries for decades. Only recently, however — and much to the dismay of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) — have people in the Kingdom began taking such courses.
In fact, such is the negative feeling toward distance learning that the MOHE and many of the Kingdom’s educational bodies do not approve of them. Nonetheless, many Saudis are opting to undertake correspondence courses.
Abdullah, an education office employee, feels that the MOHE simply does not understand the significance of the courses.
“Long-distance courses have been prevalent in many advanced countries for a long time,” said Abdullah, adding that there were plenty of people who have jobs, but would also like to have a higher qualification.
“Those who have commitments and do not have the time to attend college or university are the ones who end up benefiting from these courses. This is without a doubt a brilliant way for people to gain an education,” he said.
On the other hand, college students feel negatively about the courses. “I personally don’t support the idea of long-distance learning. If there were regulations and an organized system set up by bodies such as MOHE, then the course wouldn’t be a problem,” said one college student.
He feels that long-distance learning has some advantages, especially for those who work and do not have the time to go to a university or college but he stresses the importance and need of accreditation bodies to supervise distant courses.
Muhammad Khalifa is a student who prefers a traditional system of education. “I think it is important to have professors teaching you things but maybe if long-distance courses gain support from other professional bodies, then they could have a hand in educating Saudis and allow people to gain academic qualifications,” he said.
Dr. Muhammad Areef, dean of Higher Studies at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, feels that distance courses are simply out to make money. “I truly believe that these education offices do not support education or those in search of it. Their only goal at the beginning and the end is to make money. As long as they don’t submit themselves to the MOHE’s supervision then chances are people could be dealing with colleges, institutes and universities that are not approved of by the MOHE.”
Dr. Areef also added that if a college or university offering home courses is not on the list of approved academic bodies then that means their reliability is highly questionable.
Correspondence courses effectively try delivering education to students who are not physically “on site.” Instead, teachers and students communicate via e-mail, post, and telephone. One of the oldest long-distance education universities in the world is the University of South Africa, which has been offering courses since 1946. The largest distance education university in the United Kingdom is the Open University, which was founded in 1969. There are many private and public, profit and nonprofit institutions offering courses and degree programs through distance education. Levels of accreditation vary and some universities may be fraudulent.
