Bahrain’s universities to be inspected by British Accreditation Council

Come to our MENA Universities Summit from 2-4 February 2016

The British Accreditation Council has signed a contract to inspect Bahrain’s universities, in a significant expansion of its international activities.

The BAC will work with the country’s Higher Education Council to develop documentation for accreditation, run workshops for universities and train HEC staff, in addition to carrying out inspections of public and private institutions.

The BAC currently accredits institutions in 14 countries around the world, but this is the first time it has designed and agreed to conduct a nationwide inspection regime.

It also accredits private colleges in the UK, but this role was diminished by government reforms in 2011 that required accreditation by approved bodies such as the Quality Assurance Agency.

The Bahrain agreement was signed by Paul Fear, the BAC’s chief executive, and Majed Bin Ali Al Noaimi, the country’s education minister.

“The contract represents a huge vote of confidence in the rigour of BAC accreditation procedures and reflects the high regard for the UK’s reputation for integrity and transparency in education,” Mr Fear said. “This contract will help to support the HEC in raising standards in higher education and will give confidence to both national and international students considering studying in the kingdom of Bahrain.”

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com