CEO: Mumtalakat to continue investing in education sector

Mahmood H. Alkooheji, CEO of Mumtalakat yesterday stressed the need to continue investing in Bahrain’s education sector saying, “investing in education is an investment in the Kingdom’s economy and future.” “This is why we chose to invest in Elm - to address the increasing demand for education and help build a more productive and prosperous society,” he said.

Alkooheji was speaking to the President of AUBH, Dr Susan E. Saxton visiting Mumtalakat to discuss the ongoing preparation of the American University of Bahrain (AUBH) to welcome its inaugural students. Mumtalakat is an investor in the Bahrain-based Elm Education platform (Elm), established for developing the education sector in Bahrain and the Middle East and North Africa region, through which AUBH will be operated. AUBH is the first purpose-built, American-style university in the Kingdom.

Located in Riffa, the campus occupies a 75,000 square metre plot and features modern classrooms, labs, a state-of-the-art auditorium, student commons and athletic facilities.  The University, designed to cater for up to 4,000 students, is slated to open its doors in September with the introduction of dedicated Colleges of Engineering, Architecture & Design, and Business & Management.

Speaking to the President of AUBH, Dr Susan E. Saxton, Alkooheji pointed out that the private higher education institutions account for only onethird of total enrolments in the Kingdom while “the demand for higher education continues to grow at 6pc.” Elm, Alkooheji said, will continue to seek additional investments in the education sector in Bahrain and the wider MENA region. “On average globally, each additional year of education a child receives increases his or her adult earnings by about 10 per cent.”

Commenting on the AUBH’s preparations to welcome its inaugural students, Dr Susan E. Saxton told Alkooheji: “With a strong emphasis on graduate outcomes and employability, AUBH combines dynamic instruction, quality faculty, state-of-the-art premises and socially-active campus life to cultivate a future generation of well-rounded, confident professionals who will thrive in a competitive global environment.”

Elm has also entered into a joint venture with a prominent operator of American curriculum K12 schools, to co-own and operate an American curriculum school in Bahrain.