Abdullah Al-Musallam, secretary-general of the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA), warned Saudi universities and colleges last October that those lacking official NCAAA accreditation could face a loss of funding and licensing.
Since then, the NCAAA has been increasing its assistance in working with higher education institutions to gain quality assurance.
First established in 2004, the NCAAA was established to bring the Kingdom’s universities and colleges in line with the educational standards of the 21st century. Just last year the organization made it mandatory for both public and private higher education institutions to be certified in academic assessment and quality assurance.
“We have been asking universities to apply and get accredited since we began five years ago. When we said that they should all apply in 2009 we believe that they would be ready. This was our expectation. Some have applied but others still have not,” said NCAAA consultant Dr. Eqbal Darandari.
She added that it was especially important for private universities to receive accreditation. Otherwise, the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) could take away some of their funding in the form of scholarships.
Over the last five years the NCAAA has been laying the groundwork for the introduction of the accreditation system by providing training for institutions. It conducted two pilot reviews at Prince Sultan University (PSU) in Riyadh and King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU) in Jeddah before it finally implemented the system.
“The commission has consulted widely within Saudi Arabia and internationally in developing standards for accreditation and procedures for the internal quality assurance process,” Al-Musallam told Arab News. “Responses to draft materials have been received from Saudi universities and colleges and leading quality assurance experts from a number of countries such as the UK, US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.” He said the system was fully introduced last year with a mandatory call for all institutions to apply for certification by 2009.
Upon applying, the institution has up to one year to complete certification requirements.
However, Al-Musallam added that the commission’s main commitment is to also help institutions achieve continuing improvements in all aspects of higher education, with particular emphasis on attaining high standards of achievement among students.
“We will accredit institutions and programs when those standards are achieved and provide a number of support services to them to help achieve that result,” Al Musallam said.
However, Darandari said many local institutions have expressed an interest in becoming fully quality certified but they claim it is not always easy. “Some small colleges may be able to fulfill the requirements more easily than large universities with several departments, which need more time,” she said, adding that in some cases it is easier for large universities to gain international accreditation than local accreditation.
Darandari said that the NCAAA have been visiting several institutions and assisting them in completing the remaining certification requirements.
She also explained that the system of quality assurance used is unique to Saudi Arabia and not merely an international standard. Therefore it should be recognized as a highly standardized national system. “We have built what we call the learning outcomes with new models of requirements for teaching and learning and have added them to the national educational framework with documents, which explain what we expect from all levels of degrees and the expected standardized skills to be included,” she said.
When asked if she feels that the new system will give parents and students more confidence in Saudi higher education rather than an education abroad, Darandari said local universities are a lot more accountable now than in the past.
“The university or college will gain a widely respected reputation and will be considered equal to high international standards, which will also make it easier for students to transfer to other programs at other institutions whether locally or abroad, because all universities will be observing the same quality framework,” she added.
