Jordan Times
Monday, May 5, 2008
Queen attends AOU board
meeting
Her Majesty Queen Rania on Sunday took part in the 9th meeting of the Arab Open
University (AOU) board of trustees, where participants discussed several issues
including the 2008-2012 AOU strategy and its scientific research plans.
They also discussed establishing a centre in Lebanon to ensure the quality of
education, AOU employees' salary scale and cooperation prospects with Harvard
University, in addition to reviewing a follow-up performance report.
“We accomplished a lot in the past months but our meeting today is to look to
the AOU's future, its strategy and future partnership prospects,” said the
Queen, who is co-chairperson of the AOU board of trustees.
“We have a lot to accomplish,” she told the AOU board members.
The Queen also thanked Prince Talal Ben Abdul Aziz, the president of the Arab
Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organisation (AGFUND) and
co-chairperson of the AOU board of trustees, expressing appreciation of his
continued support for the university and his efforts to promote higher education
in the Arab world.
The AOU, which started enrolling students in 2002, functions under the umbrella
of AGFUND as a private pan-Arab institution of higher education.
In addition, Queen Rania voiced hope the university will pursue its efforts to
realise the dreams of young Arab men and women, empowering them through
education by giving them more opportunities in the labour market.
The Queen spoke of her joy last year as she laid the cornerstone for the AOU
campus in Jordan, explaining that the university was a dream come true for
Jordanians whose circumstances had prevented them from becoming full-time
students.
The AOU Jordan branch graduated its first class in August 2005, with some 400
students receiving bachelor's degrees in education and higher diploma
certificates.
Highlighting the facility's expansion plans, Prince Turki Ben Talal briefed
members on progress in the construction of AOU branches in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Jordan, Bahrain and Egypt.
The buildings, which seek to provide an appropriate educational infrastructure
for academic activities and accommodate a larger number of students, are
expected to be ready within the next three years.