Student sues private university in Bahrain for offering invalid PhD programme

TDT | Manama                                                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A PhD candidate has appealed to Bahrain’s High Administrative Court seeking compensation for damages suffered after enrolling in an unlicensed doctoral programme at a private university in 2007.

The plaintiff stated he studied for three years before learning the institution lacked authorization to offer degrees in his field.

The court ascertained this was accurate after reviewing the case details and necessary technical reports.

It was ruled that the university must pay BD12,000—the tuition fees paid during the study—in addition to moral damages for failing to obtain a dissertation.

The claimant said he enrolled in the advertised academic programme based on the university’s documents, which the Higher Education Council also confirmed.

He paid all associated registration and course fees, attending regularly until suspension two years later, when legal status issues emerged.

Despite halting registration, the university continued accepting tuition while requesting four more months to resolve matters.

A final notice was then issued, indefinitely stopping all degree programmes until further notice, with students still enrolled for consecutive years in violation of regulations.

Several previous plaintiffs were also awarded BD1,000 in provisional compensation each through finalised rulings, establishing a contractual relationship between the parties.

Failing to graduate successful students after programme completion constitutes a breach, requiring compensation for resulting damages if criteria are met.