President of Umm Al-Qura University (UQU) Dr. Bakri bin Ma’atoq Assas signed a contract for the accreditation of academic programs of the Applied Sciences College and the Islamic Architecture Department of Engineering College with managing director of the German accreditation agency ASIIN Iring Wasser at his office in the University City in Abidya.

The signing ceremony was attended by the Vice-President for Academic Development and Community Service and Vice-President for Business and Innovation Dr. Hani bin Othman Ghazi, Dean of Academic Development and Quality Dr. Mohamed Gaafar Thabet, Dean of College of Engineering and Islamic Architecture Dr. Hamza Gholman, and Dean of Applied Sciences College Dr. Walid Altif.

At the start of the visit, UQU President Dr. Bakri bin Ma’atoq Assas welcomed the ASIIN managing-director and his accompanying delegation. He said the UQU is keen on having its all academic programs accredited by the internationally certified agencies and institutions, which shows that the UQU academic programs are similar to those of world universities in all aspects whether the academic curricula or classroom equipment as well as qualification of the teaching staff members. He hailed efforts by the Vice-President for Business and Innovation Dr. Hani Ghazi and his team for their efforts to have all UQU academic programs accredited.

Dr Ghazi, for his part, said “The signing of this agreement with the German accreditation agency ASIIN comes to accredit seven academic programs of the Islamic Architecture Department of the Engineering College and the College of Applied Sciences, which includes the departments of biology, microbiology, chemistry, physics, medical physics, and mathematics.”

He said, “a team of reviewers from the accreditation agency are expected to arrive next December.” He went on to hail the support of the UQU President Dr. Bakri bin Ma’atoq Assas for having the UQU programs get international academic accreditation.

He also praised efforts by the team of the Deanship for Development and Quality, which resulted in the accreditation of 27 academic programs, noting that the team was working to have all university programs accredited.

The visit of the ASIIN managing-director and his accompanying delegation included holding a workshop about introducing the accreditation agency, its standards and the visit of the ASIIN reviewers. The workshop was organized by the Deanship of Academic Development and Quality and attended by affiliates of the Applied Sciences College, the Islamic Architecture Department, the Deanship of Academic Development and Quality and a number of UQU teaching staff members and employees.