Okaz/Saudi Gazette RIYADH – Dr. Ibrahim Almuaiqel, acting president of Saudi Electronic University (SEU), has emphasized that the electronic education has gained more acceptance in Saudi society with a considerable decrease in the degree of resistance that had prevailed for a long time. He said that being a government institution, graduates of SEU are treated just like regular university graduates in the employment market. In an interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette, Almuaiqel acknowledged that they had faced resistance when introduced this type of education in the Kingdom for the first time. "There had been some sort of community resistance to e-learning initially, based on false ideas, and consequently, there had been huge pullout of students. However, after passing of eight years, there has been considerable change and the degree of resistance has been decreased," he said. SEY was established in 2011 as a government educational institution following a royal decree issued by King Abdullah and it is the only specialized university in distance education in the Kingdom that offers both graduate and undergraduate degree programs along with life-long education. Almuaiqel considered e-education as education for the future generation whether all like it or not. "The next generation will not forgive us if we do not prepare it from now for the future. Every student is now carrying his university in his pocket," he said while referring to the emotional attachment and wider acceptance of the university among the younger generation. He stressed that the university is one of the first universities that nominated and appointed a deputy woman rector and deputy woman heads for colleges and departments. "There is no gender discrimination in picking students for scholarship programs." The university has adopted conditions for enrollment, which is different from the rest of the universities, Almuaiqel said while stressing that the university's objectives are based on supporting life-long learning, for which there is no need for a specific age and tests. Almuaiqel stressed that e-learning universities make up 25 percent of the world's universities. He pointed out that it adopts the model of integrated education, which has become a global trend in the field of higher education, because it enjoys excellence by focusing on the highest quality of operations and outputs. SEU offers high quality programs for all segments of society through the use of blended learning. It promotes knowledge production and community services to achieve development goals by optimal utilization of technology and engagement in local and global partnerships. It awards academic degrees in programs and specializations compatible with the needs of the labor market and the requirements of development and lifelong learning, and participates in building a knowledge-based economy in the Kingdom and assist in conveying the Kingdom's cultural message worldwide.
