His Excellency the President of Umm Al-Qura University, Prof. Abdullah bin Omar Bafail, signed an agreement with His Highness the President of the Education and Training Evaluation Commission, Prince Dr. Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Mashari Al Saud, for the accreditation of 6 academic programs. This took place during the 8th International Exhibition and Conference on Higher Education (IECHE) that was inaugurated this morning in Riyadh.

The signing of the agreement took place at the pavilion of the Education and Training Evaluation Commission in the presence of the Vice President of the University for Development and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Hani Ghazi. His Highness Prince Dr. Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Mashari Al Saud indicated that the agreement aimed at accrediting some academic programs of Umm Al-Qura University, and pointed out that the Quality Team of the National Center for Assessment and Academic Accreditation was present this week at Umm Al-Qura University to finish the work for institutional accreditation of the University. His Highness regarded this as a very good advancement and initiative on the part of His Excellency the President of Umm Al-Qura University.

He added, "The goal of the agreement is to ensure harmony between the academic objectives of the university and that of the Saudi vision 2030. This is because program accreditation depends on national and international standards and indicators, and Umm Al-Qura University possesses important specializations."

Moreover, His Excellency the President of the University praised the support that the Wise Leadership provides to the educational process, its research and administrative environment, and its programs. He also commended the continuous support of His Excellency Dr. Hamad Al Sheikh, Minister of Education, to all that improves the academic outcomes.

The President of Umm Al-Qura University stressed that signing the agreement with the Education and Training Commission aims at accrediting the "Shari`ah" program at the College of Shari`ah and Islamic Studies, "Qur'an and Sunnah" program at the College of Da`wah and Fundamentals of Religion, the "Regulations" program at the College of Judicial Studies and Regulations, "Kindergarten" program at the College of Education, "Arabic Linguistics, Grammar and Morphology" program at the College of Arabic Language, and the "Social Service" Program at the College of Social Sciences. He pointed out that program accreditation will enable these departments to develop their academic programs, and improve the quality of their educational and research outcomes.

Dr. Hani Ghazi pointed out that the signing of the agreement of academic programs accreditation agrees with the strategic plan of the university, which is based on the Saudi vision 2030. He indicated that all academic medical and engineering programs of the university at the main headquarters of the university are accredited by internationally approved organizations and authorities. He stated that the Vice Presidency for Development and Entrepreneurship is developing a plan, following the directions of His Excellency the President of the University, to obtain institutional accreditation in the near future, and program accreditation during the coming two years.