Indian expatriates and their wards are facing a dilemma in pursuing higher education despite the existence of four Indian distance learning institutes here. The degrees are not recognized here as equal to the local standards of Saudi degrees. This limits better job prospects and further education. Adding to the woe is the fee structure of these courses. Local centers are charging over three times the fee for the same course in India. For instance, a two-year MBA program offered by one university costs around Rs42,000 (approx. SR4,200) in India, whereas the same course from the same university here costs around SR14,000. A three-year BA (Bachelor of Arts) program costs SR700 a year, while the same university offers the same program for Rs1200 (approx. SR120) a year in India. However, e-learning for Saudi students costs much more in the Kingdom. At King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, for example, Saudi students of Bachelor of Arts and Eonomics have to pay SR4,000 a semester for a 4-year e-learning course. “We pay $75 for each of the 16 groups (papers) in the course. The aggregate would be one-third of the course fee in India. There aren't any counseling sessions here,” said Faiza Ata, who is pursuing a two-year Master's program in psychology in Jeddah from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India University (ICFAI). At present, around 2300 students are registered locally with the four distance learning institutes here: Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Sikkim Manipal University (SMU), ICFAI and Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU). IGNOU and MANUU are central universities recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC), an Indian government body that provides recognition for universities in India. MANUU and SMU are recognized by the Distance Education Council of the government of India. The local learning centers provide counseling and tutoring services to the students in specific courses. Students are also provided with CDs of VSAT (a two-way satellite ground station) classes to facilitate viewing of the programs at any convenient time. “Distance education is the future,” said Mohsin S. Bazaham, center manager of Enterprise Development Services, partner institute of Sikkim Manipal University (SMU). SMU has over 400 students from across the Kingdom. He said programs like BBA (Bachelors in Business Administration) and MBA (Masters in Business Administration) find the maximum takers here. MANUU offers graduation and post-graduation courses in Urdu language. “Age is not a factor for further studies. Many of the enrolled students are between the age groups of 40–50,” said Sultan Mazharuddin, coordinator of MANUU. “Housewives, teachers, journalists and others are taking up courses as it will provide a boost to their career prospects,” he said, adding that the post-graduation courses in English and Urdu are gaining popularity. At present, MANUU has over 60 registered students of various nationalities across the Kingdom. IGNOU caters to about 1800 students from across the Kingdom, who are of 17 different nationalities of which 70 percent are female students. “Open university is a new concept here,” said Riaz Mulla, Director of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Saudi Arabia. He said it has especially benefited many parents who are reluctant to send their children, mostly girls, away for studies. ICFAI has 12 local students. For all universities, admissions are made at the local learning centers. The universities offer a flexible plan wherein students, who for some reason may have to discontinue their stay here, can appear for exams at a local center in their city in India. “Most private sectors recognize these degrees, but the same is not true in the government sectors. Saudi universities and colleges do not recognize our degrees,” Riaz Mulla said. He said the university officials with the Indian consulate are working to equalize IGNOU degrees and certificates. However, there is “no clear picture” of progress, he said. Mohsin said SMU's programs are recognized worldwide except in some Arab countries. “We do not know what the procedure is for accreditation of our degrees. The Saudi ministry should tell us the procedure,” Bazaham said. “We have contacted the Saudi embassy in India in this regard and the Indian consulate here is cooperating,” he said. However, Indian consulate officials said they haven't been approached by any one about this matter. Since the universities operate under the patronage of the Indian embassy, exams are held at the Indian consulate in Jeddah and at the International Indian School, Jeddah. The Saudi ministry requires all foreign institutes, including distance learning centers to obtain a license to conduct classes and examinations. How many of these institutes have this license is still a mystery. Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, the previous Indian Consul General in Jeddah, spoke about the issue of equalization of degrees many times. “These degrees are not yet recognized at par with their local counterparts like many countries have done,” he said, addressing IGNOU's graduation ceremony in May. Many are demanding a unified system of education to establish parity of degrees with that of the local universities here. “Recognition and equalization of degrees are two different things. Indian degrees are recognized, whether or not they are considered equal to the local degrees. In most cases, the employer is concerned with their recognition and not their equalization,” said Mazharuddin, who heads the Indian Education Council (IEC), a local body recognized by the Indian consulate and formed with one of its objectives to assist Indian universities in obtaining accreditation from the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education. Zia Ur Rahman, who works in the Middle East Specialized Cable Company, pursued his MBA from IGNOU. He said his office management has acknowledged his degree. “They have also given me a pay hike as promised,” he said. “A system should be evolved where the students can undergo a short course in their subject locally followed by an assessment after which their degrees can be verified,” Dr. Abdullah Moopen, former president of IEC said. Dr. Moopen referred to the system of licensing foreign medical degrees here after they have been assessed by the Saudi medical authorities, and a similar system in Canada, where an Indian medical degree of four and a half years is recognized only after the candidate undergoes a six-month course locally. In 2006, Indian Minister for Human Resources Development Arjun Singh, during his visit to the Kingdom assured the Indian expatriates that all such issues were raised by him and brought to the notice of the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education. Local students are choosing from a variety of under-graduate, post-graduate, diploma and management courses in many disciplines. Vocational courses in fields like mass communication, tourism, fashion designing etc are on offer apart from basic Arts and Commerce programs. Management courses (MBA- Master of Business Administration) in various specializations (Human Resources, Finance, Marketing) are finding the maximum takers here, according to local study centers. __
