University to become co-ed

150 male students will be admitted to Zayed University's Abu Dhabi and Dubai Knowledge Village campuses next September. Maysam Ali reports.

One hundred male students will be admitted to Zayed University's (ZU) Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV) campus and 50 to the Abu Dhabi campus next September, the Zayed University Council announced.

Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and President of Zayed University, Ahmad Humaid Al Tayer, Member of the ZU Council and Chairman of National Human Resources Development and Employment Authority (TANMIA), Dr Sulaiman Al Jasem, ZU Vice President, Hamda Awad Al Muhairbi and Mariam Mohammad Al Rumaissi, members of the University Counci l, met at the university's Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) campus to discuss administrative appointments, rules and regulations, annual budgets and new projects.

Admission requirements

Al Jasem said students being admitted to the DKV campus must meet the admissions requirements of the university. These include having a bachelor degree and English language proficiency.

ZU's campus in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) is still all female, while the branch at Dubai Media City admits male and female postgraduate students.

The Abu Dhabi campus is all female, except one building dedicated to training 307 men from the UAE Armed Forces. The campus will now receive an additional 50 undergraduate students.

The DKV campus will also start enrolling male students in its undergraduate programme next year. The number of students admitted each year will depend on the university's capacity.

"International students will follow but the allotted number of students is still under study," Al Jasem told the media.

A positive step

Students said that while this was a positive development for ZU, with a majority of students being based in DIAC it will not impact them much.

"Personally I won't believe it will affect me in any negative way; on the contrary, it will give me the chance to form more friendships and prepare me for the workplace where there is no segregation. In addition, I am already working and I am used to dealing with men in the work environment so it won't be new to me," said Kholoud Al Atiyat, a fourth-year public relations and advertising student who attends the DIAC campus.

Salama Khansaheb, a communication journalism student, said: "It's a good thing as long as there are enough resources for both campuses, and it gives the students more than one option so they can choose what is suitable for them."

MONEY MATTERS

The Zayed University Council discussed the university's budget and agreed that near the end of 2009, it will be based on the aggregate cost of each student.

The council said it is trying to raise funds worth Dh2 billion to invest in further university development. Almost Dh3 billion has been spent in setting up the new Abu Dhabi campus that opens in September 2011.