The decision of the University of Sharjah (UOS) to start evening classes in September will benefit both new students and those already employed who want to continue their studies. The UOS will be the first educational institution here to offer both morning and evening classes for graduate courses.

Chancellor Issam Zabalawi said that the decision to start evening classes had been taken to encourage people, especially nationals who had been unable to continue their studies to obtain graduate degrees.

"The new system will also help the university to admit the maximum number of students," he said. "Those who are working and want to improve their education will be offered courses with their professional experience in mind to enable them to enhance their skills and work at par with other graduates," he said.

The evening classes will be held from 4 to 9pm and registration for admission would start soon. "The new system will also help national women who could not continue their studies after high school to get a university education," he said.

The university will also separate the College of Sharia'a from the College of Law next year. "Now there will be two separate colleges. These two specialised fields have a large number of separate courses which should be dealt with separately as a specialist field," Zabalawi said.