‘We are a global university’

The University of Bahrain is a proud symbol of the Kingdom. Since its establishment in 1986, the university has been contributing towards human capital development, leading innovation, contributing to economic development and leading society. In an exclusive interview with Tribune, UoB President Prof Riyad Y Hamzah says that the university is all set to become one of the best centres of academic excellence in the world soon. Excerpts: 

With the beginning of the new academic year, what are the plans in place for the institution?

The year has started very smoothly and we could fully implement the online registration system. We have enrolled around 6,400 new students successfully this year with minimum disruption. We have spent the summer improving our physical infrastructure, such as classrooms, lab equipment, student services, and parking, in addition to our digital infrastructure to cope with the student numbers.

Additionally, we are able to offer students a range of new and exciting programmes, such as environmental sustainability, actuarial science, and a new range of postgraduate programmes. This year we have launched several new programmes in addition to the 11 new programmes last year.

Our new programmes, which were developed in partnership with industry and relevant stakeholders, reflect the dynamic and skills-based job market. We have also invested in our teachers, especially with regard to technology. Just two weeks ago, 200 of our teachers became Microsoft certified educators, which endorses a significant percentage of our faculty as experts in the use of technologies in the classroom.

I have also taken the opportunity to meet with staff from various colleges and to talk to students. It is always important to understand the views of the most important people in any university, the students and staff.

What has been the impact of UoB on the Kingdom’s educational sector?

Our impact as a university is not just local, but international. This year for the first time ever, UoB was the only university in Bahrain to be ranked in the top 1000 globally, which puts us in the top three percent. In terms of employer reputation, we are ranked 411, which puts us in the top 2pc globally.

This is a significant achievement and demonstrates how highly the University of Bahrain is increasingly respected by academics and employers throughout the world. Two years ago, we were ranked 42 in the Arab university rankings and now we stand at 31, a jump of 11 positions, demonstrating how UoB is becoming more progressive, focused and recognised internationally. Our graduates are highly sought after and are both knowledgeable and skilled.

They are helping the economy to diversify by working in emerging job sectors that are technology-focused, and also in public services. We are proud that the institution has been generating high-quality teachers, professionals, and nurses that support our public schools and hospitals, making a positive contribution to society.

Through our research partnerships, we are working to solve regional challenges such as water security, food security and renewable energy, as well as emerging areas such as Artificial Intelligence. We are currently working on projects with some of the world’s leading universities such as Oxford, Aston and Loughborough University, and only recently successfully started a joint research project with Edge Hill University related to cybersecurity and the Internet of Things.

Currently, we are on schedule to record the highest number of research papers published in any one year in the history of the university. UoB is firmly committed to lifelong learning. Since my taking over as President, we have increased our number of postgraduate students by 400 percent. Many working professionals are now coming to study at UoB to gain new qualifications with the aim of furthering their careers. We have introduced a new range of postgraduate programmes that are designed for flexible learning and mature students.