Six UAE higher education institutions lose licences

The Ministry of Education has cancelled the licences of six higher education institutions in the UAE as they failed to meet a host of academic and administrative criteria, according to a report of Arabic daily Al Bayan. Six other institutions were placed under monitoring.

Four new licences for universities and colleges were approved, while another four were rejected, the report added.

Professor Mohammad Yousuf Bani Yas, higher education adviser and director of the Academic Accreditation Commission at the Ministry of Education, said a set of criteria is being implemented in monitoring trust levels in universities in the UAE. They could achieve either 'high', 'medium', 'low' or 'very low' trust levels.

Among the factors that affect an institution's evaluation are how good its academic programmes are; how clear its strategy is; and how much it cares about its students, especially during exams.