UAE | Education
Dubai-based university plans to attract Western students
A Dubai-based university is planning to attract foreign students from the West for a semester of study, combined with adventure and cultural understanding, which it hopes will help explode the myths and stereotypes about the Arab World.
- By Mahmood Saberi, Senior Reporter
- Published: 14:32 May 25, 2009
- Image Credit: Francois Nel/Gulf News
- From left: Raymi van der Spek of the university, Samy Abdul Fattah Taha of Department of Tourism and CommerceMarketing (DTCM), Rob Whelan, Stephan Garrett, and Fahd Al Siri of DTCM, at the launch of the course.
Dubai: A Dubai-based university is planning to attract foreign students from the West for a semester of study, combined with adventure and cultural understanding, which it hopes will help explode the myths and stereotypes about the Arab World.
The University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) is offering the six-month study course, the first of its kind in the region. It was launched on Monday, simultaneously at the Knowledge Village and at a conference of the National Association of Foreign Students Advisors (Nafsa) in Los Angeles, US.
Professor Rob Whelan, president of UOWD said this would give Western students experience in operating in different cultures and be part of a global education environment. "Like trade and commerce, including the flu, everything is globally linked today," he said.
There are 20,000 foreign students from this region in Australian universities, said Stephen Garret, counselor (Education and Training), Australian Educational International. "It is time to balance the ledger," he said.
The University is promoting Dubai as the "most exciting city in the desert".
Ebrahim Yaqoot, executive director, corporate support at Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said, "Dubai offers the best in lifestyle and cultural richness for any visitor."
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